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Albanian Music
Albania is a Southeast European nation that was ruled by Enver Hoxha's communist government for much of the later part of the
20th century; it is now a democratic country. Even before Hoxha's reign began, Albania was long controlled by the Ottoman
Empire and other conquering powers, leading to a diversity of influences that is common in the much-fragmented Balkan region
and resulting in a diverse and unique musical sound. Albanians (and the ethnic-Albanian Kosovars of nearby Serbia) are commonly
divided into three groupings: the northern Ghegs and southern Labs and Tosks. Turkish influence is strongest around the capital
city, Tirana, while Shkodër has been long considered the center for musical development in Albania.
Music has always been a potent means of national expression for Albanians. Under Hoxha's regime, this was channeled into
songs of patriotic devotion to the party; since the arrival of democracy in 1991, lyrics have come to focus on long-suppressed
traditions like kurbet (seeking work outside of Albania) and support for various political parties, candidates and ideas[1].
Pop musicians have developed too, long banned under the socialists, with Ardit Gjebrea being foremost among them. Albanian
popular music (këngë popullore) is generally based on Italian models
Folk music was encouraged to some degree under the socialist government, which promoted a quinquennial music festival at
Gjirokastër provided that the musicians expressed frequent support for the party leaders. After the fall of socialism,
Albanian Radio-Television launched a 1995 festival in Berat that has helped to continue musical traditions
MUSIC GENRE
A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or
"basic musical language".
Music can also be categorised by non-musical criteria such as geographical origin.
POPULAR MUSIC GENRE
Blues - The Blues is a vocal and instrumental music form which emerged in the
African-American community of
the United States. Blues evolved from West African spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants and has
its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. This musical form has been a major influence on later American and Western
popular music, finding expression in ragtime, jazz, big bands, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and country music, as well
as conventional pop songs and even modern classical music. Due to its powerful influence that spawned other major musical
genres originating from America, blues can be regarded as the root of pop as well as American music.
NOTES
Blues - The Blues is a vocal and instrumental music form which emerged in the African-American community of
the United States. Blues evolved from West African spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants and has
its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. This musical form has been a major influence on later American and Western
popular music, finding expression in ragtime, jazz, big bands, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and country music, as well
as conventional pop songs and even modern classical music. Due to its powerful influence that spawned other major musical
genres originating from America, blues can be regarded as the root of pop as well as American music.
Hip Hop/Rap - Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. It is made up of two
main components: rapping (MCing) and DJing (audio mixing and scratching). Along with breakdancing and graffiti (tagging)
these are the four elements of hip hop, a cultural movement that was initiated by inner-city youth (mostly minorities such
as African Americans and Latinos) in New York City in the early 1970s. Typically, hip hop music consists of one or more rappers
who tell semi-autobiographic tales, often relating to a fictionalized counterpart, in an intensely rhythmic lyrical form making
abundant use of techniques like assonance, alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually
referred to as a "beat", performed by a DJ, created by a producer, or one or more instrumentalists. This beat is often created
using a sample of the percussion break of another song, usually a funk, rock, or soul recording. In addition to the beat other
sounds are often sampled, synthesized, or performed. Sometimes a track can be instrumental, as a showcase of the skills of the
DJ or producer.
Rhythm and Blues - Rhythm and blues is a name for black popular music tradition. When speaking strictly of "rhythm 'n' blues",
the term may refer to black pop-music from 1940s to 1960s that was not jazz nor blues but something more lightweight. The term "R&B"
often refers to any contemporary black pop music. Early-1950s R&B music became popular with both black and white audiences, and
popular records were often covered by white artists, leading to the development of rock and roll.A notable subgenre of
rhythm 'n' blues was doo-wop, which put emphasis on polyphonic singing. In the early 1960s rhythm 'n' blues took influences from
gospel and rock and roll and thus soul music was born. In the late 1960s, funk music started to evolve out of soul; by the 1970s
funk had become its own subgenre that stressed complex, "funky" rhythm patterns and monotonistic compositions based on a riff or two.
In the early to mid 1970s, hip hop music (also known as "rap") grew out of funk and reggae. Funk and soul music evolved into
contemporary R&B (no longer an acronym) in the 1980s, which cross-pollinated with hip-hop for the rest of the 20th century and
into the 21st century.
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