Voices from the Land of Eagles: Utilizing Musicological Language for the Analysis of Albanian Folk Polyphony

Abstract

The original study that this paper is based on investigated shared musical elements of a form of traditional multipart singing, also known as “iso-polyphony” (Ahmedaja 2008; Jordania 2006) found in southern Albania, northwestern Greece, and southwestern Macedonia. Borrowing models from established scholars who have been engaged with polyphonic vocal practices on an ongoing basis, the investigation focused on the musical transcription and analysis of select regional styles that are unique dialects of a common musical language. This paper draws from the original and centres on two Albanian musical dialects of iso-polyphony that serve as the framework for a case study concerning the advantages and challenges of using the language and approaches of Western music theory and ethnomusicology for the analysis of traditional music.