Preng Jakova
Encyclopedia
Prenkë Jakova was a well known Albania
n composer
, musician, and author of the first Albanian opera, Mrika
, which premiered in 1958. A native of Shkodër
, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an alumnus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
. A virtuoso clarinetist he worked as a music teacher for most of his life and distinguished himself as the mentor of the four most important composers of classical music from northern Albania: Çesk Zadeja
Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi
, and Simon Gjoni
. Jakova was the director of the music band and of the House of Culture of Shkodër. Besides Mrika, Jakova also composed Skënderbeu, another opera which premiered in 1968.
Along the operas Jakova left to posterity many songs and other musical pieces, several of which are commonly believed to be Albanian folk music, rather they are Jakova's compositions. He was imprisoned by the Albanian communist regime for his brother's political opposition to it and was demanded to work more than he could bear. Despaired and stressed from the excessive demands on his work, he killed himself in 1969. His legacy is that of one of the most important Albanian composers of all times.
, northern Albania
. His family's background was from Gjakova, from which originated the last name. His grandfather, Dedë Jakova, was a clarinetist at the Shkodër Jesuit College
, whereas Prenkë's father, Kolë Dedë Jakova, was a commander in the Albanian army.
Jakova went to elementary school in 1924-1929 and from there he pursued secondary studies in the Illyricum Lycee of his native city. When in high school, he switched from the classical concentration into the general gymnasium, which he finished in 1935. During his high school years he was part of the musical band of school and also, encouraged from his father, he started acting in the theatrical associations Bogdani and Vllaznia. Later, the school band became the city's band, and Jakova its clarinetist. During that period Jakova started to write musical motifs based on well known folk songs such as Delja rudë (The Sheep), Hajredini (Hayredin), Besa e një trimi (The Besa of a Brave Man), and Shkoj e vi flutrim si zogu (I Come and Go Flying Like a Bird). His two musical teachers were Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, probably the most important Albanian musicians of northern Albania at that time.
, Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi
, Simon Gjoni
, Tonin Rrota, Zef Gruda, and many other famous Albanian composers. Jakova started to compose marches and other pieces. On January 2, 1936 he was sent to teach in Bërdicë
where he took care of the musical education of the children. There he learned to play the guitar. During the summer of 1939 he purchased an accordion
and learned that too. At that point he was an advanced, sometimes virtuoso player of the clarinet, the guitar, and the accordion. In 1939 Jakova went to teach in Orosh
, Mirditë District
, where he wrote a piece for accordion entitled "Mall" (Nostalgia), and later the song "Fyelli i Bariut" (The Shepard's Flute), whose text is unknown to us today. This was the first song of Jakova whose text and music had been both composed by him, according to the tradition of the aheng from Shkodër (the Shkodër Serenade). In 1940 Jakova was transferred back to Shkodër where he started a cycle of songs for children and an operetta on two acts entitled "Kopshti i Xhuxhmaxhuxhëve" (The Dwarfs' Yard). In the academic year 1941-42, Jakova was again transferred in Katërkollë, a village close to Ulqin and Osho in the Krajë region of Yugoslavia
, to where he would commute with his bike from Shkodër, covering 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) every day. In 1942 he went to study clarinet
at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
in Rome
, Italy
where he finished with excellent results.
In 1944 Jakova was hired by the chorus of the First Partisan Brigade of the House of the Youth where he was named director. During this time he was arrested by the communist regime and held in prison because his brother had been an opponent of the regime, persecuted, and killed by the communists. His former alumni, Çesk Zadeja and Tonin Harapi witnessed that, once released from the prison, Jakova went back to work and started to go to work at 7 in the morning and go back home only by late night. The group gave performances not only in Shkodër but also in various cities of Yugoslavia
, such as Ulqin, Cetinje
, Titograd etc. In 1947, Jakova wrote a cycle of songs entitled "Dasma Shkodrane" (The Shkodër Wedding), with which he represented his city in a song festival in Tirana
. During 1948-1951, Jakova worked as a music teacher in two schools of Shkodër and never quit for a single day practices of the chorus and the orchestra of the House of Culture of Shkodër. At that time he composed the song "Gruri i ri" (The New Wheat) with a text of Dhimitër Shuteriqi
, which was put on stage from Pjetër Gjoka
along with other songs which were brought to the 1950 Festival in Tirana.
At the beginning of the 1952 festival in Albania there were high quality soloists and good symphonic orchestras. In June 1952 poet Llazar Siliqi
was put in charge to write a poetry on youth's work on a new hydroelectric power station, which was being built on the Mat river. The piece started as a song, but afterward it took a longer shape and was divided into two movements called Dritë mbi Shqipëri (Lights on Albania), and was presented in 1952 in Tirana. The piece was nothing but the embryo of the first Albanian opera, Mrika
, which was worked upon by Jakova in the following 6 years and eventually rehearsed on 2 May 1958, and put on stage on 12 November 1958. Rehearsing was done in the House of Culture, the Old Theatre and the new Migjeni Theatre
in Shkodër. On November 27 the general rehearsal was given and in 1 December 1958 the opera premiered in the Migjeni Theatre, and after some performances in the city, in 27 and 28 December it showed in the theater of the Academy of Music and Arts of Albania
, where Enver Hoxha
, then Albania's premier, assisted it. At the end of the show Kadri Hazbiu, then Minister of Interior, thanked all the artists and raised a toast to Jakova. The event was considered important and Jakova received telegrams of congratulations from many of his peer composers all around the world for the success of his first opera.
The extraordinary success of Mrika led to an encounter between Enver Hoxha and Jakova. Hoxha asked Jakova to write another opera, this time on Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg
, but Jakova answered that "operas are not like loafs which can be put in the oven at any time". It is reported that Hoxha laughed at that response and that he immediately assured Jakova, that he personally would provide to all the necessary conditions to guarantee the opera's success. Skënderbeu would indeed premiere 10 years after Mrika and was of a much better artistic quality then Mrika. Jakova worked very intensively on the music while at the same time he had other responsibilities as the director of the House of Culture and also teaching assignments. He spent several months only on the work of separating the Turkish music from the Arabic one, which was one of the elements of the opera, and many classical composers struggled with, because of the very distant relationship between classical music and oriental one. Wen Jakova finished the opera, he brought it to Tirana for an approval, but he was asked to review many parts of it. Jakova categorically refused to revise, eventually Fadil Paçrami
, then Minister of Culture, backed him up. Although Skënderbeu was a great success, and Jakova was congratulated by Enver Hoxha, the vicissitudes of its realization had heavy consequences on Jakova's spirit. This occurred when Jakova's mother was paralyzed at home. The stress accumulated and the despair of a heavy life without recognition, brought him to attempt to kill himself on 9 September 1969, by throwing himself from the second floor of the House of Culture of Shkodër. He eventually died a few days later, on September 16, 1969 in a Tirana hospital, from the fatal wounds. The people of Shkodër, shocked and embittered for the great composer, organized an imposing funeral procession for Albania's greatest musician and composer of that time. The procession was unattended by public authorities, with the exception of the secretary of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists
. The death ceremony was accompanied by the sounds of the musical band of the city of Shkodër, which Jakova himself had created.
He composed the operas Mrika in 1958 and Skanderberg in 1968, for which he is known as the creator of the Albania
n national opera. His operas were influenced by traditional Italian opera
, the belcanto style and Albanian folk song.
Jakova has also become noted for many folk Albanian songs, which are so widespread, that there is an erroneous belief that they are traditional Albanian popular songs, whereas they are instead composed by Jakova. One of his most famous songs is Margjelo.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician, and author of the first Albanian opera, Mrika
Mrika
Mrika is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi. It premiered in Shkoder, Albania in 1958 at the Migjeni Theatre. The revised three-act version premiered in Tirana at the Academy of Music and Arts of Albania in December 1959...
, which premiered in 1958. A native of Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an alumnus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
. A virtuoso clarinetist he worked as a music teacher for most of his life and distinguished himself as the mentor of the four most important composers of classical music from northern Albania: Çesk Zadeja
Çesk Zadeja
Çesk Zadeja was an Albanian composer. A native of Shkodër, he studied in Moscow and did much to promote the arts in Tirana.He is also called "The Father of the Albanian Music".-Discography:...
Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi was an Albanian composer and teacher. Born in Shkodra, Albania. He studied composition in Moscow, USSR. He was professor of composition at the Conservatory of Tirana; and the winner of many prizes and titles.-Discography:...
, and Simon Gjoni
Simon Gjoni
Simon Gjoni was an Albanian composer of many popular pieces for piano and orchestra.-Life:Gjoni was born on October 28, 1925 in the city of Shkodër, Albania. He was educated in a rank and file urban family and graduated from the "Illyricum" High School of the city...
. Jakova was the director of the music band and of the House of Culture of Shkodër. Besides Mrika, Jakova also composed Skënderbeu, another opera which premiered in 1968.
Along the operas Jakova left to posterity many songs and other musical pieces, several of which are commonly believed to be Albanian folk music, rather they are Jakova's compositions. He was imprisoned by the Albanian communist regime for his brother's political opposition to it and was demanded to work more than he could bear. Despaired and stressed from the excessive demands on his work, he killed himself in 1969. His legacy is that of one of the most important Albanian composers of all times.
Early life
Prenkë Jakova was born on June 27, 1917 in ShkodërShkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
, northern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. His family's background was from Gjakova, from which originated the last name. His grandfather, Dedë Jakova, was a clarinetist at the Shkodër Jesuit College
Shkodër Jesuit College
Shkodër Jesuit College is a Jesuit college in Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. The college has tradiationally been an important centre of scholarly study into Albanian literature and language.-History:The college was started in 1877, as a Xavier college ....
, whereas Prenkë's father, Kolë Dedë Jakova, was a commander in the Albanian army.
Jakova went to elementary school in 1924-1929 and from there he pursued secondary studies in the Illyricum Lycee of his native city. When in high school, he switched from the classical concentration into the general gymnasium, which he finished in 1935. During his high school years he was part of the musical band of school and also, encouraged from his father, he started acting in the theatrical associations Bogdani and Vllaznia. Later, the school band became the city's band, and Jakova its clarinetist. During that period Jakova started to write musical motifs based on well known folk songs such as Delja rudë (The Sheep), Hajredini (Hayredin), Besa e një trimi (The Besa of a Brave Man), and Shkoj e vi flutrim si zogu (I Come and Go Flying Like a Bird). His two musical teachers were Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, probably the most important Albanian musicians of northern Albania at that time.
Work
At 18, Jakova was nominated artistic director of his school band and his first students were Çesk ZadejaÇesk Zadeja
Çesk Zadeja was an Albanian composer. A native of Shkodër, he studied in Moscow and did much to promote the arts in Tirana.He is also called "The Father of the Albanian Music".-Discography:...
, Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi was an Albanian composer and teacher. Born in Shkodra, Albania. He studied composition in Moscow, USSR. He was professor of composition at the Conservatory of Tirana; and the winner of many prizes and titles.-Discography:...
, Simon Gjoni
Simon Gjoni
Simon Gjoni was an Albanian composer of many popular pieces for piano and orchestra.-Life:Gjoni was born on October 28, 1925 in the city of Shkodër, Albania. He was educated in a rank and file urban family and graduated from the "Illyricum" High School of the city...
, Tonin Rrota, Zef Gruda, and many other famous Albanian composers. Jakova started to compose marches and other pieces. On January 2, 1936 he was sent to teach in Bërdicë
Bërdicë
Bërdicë is a municipality in the Shkodër District, Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. There are 6 settlements within Bërdicë.- Settlements :* Beltojë* Bërdicë e Madhe* Bërdicë e Mesme* Bërdicë e Sipërme* Mali Hebe* Trush...
where he took care of the musical education of the children. There he learned to play the guitar. During the summer of 1939 he purchased an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and learned that too. At that point he was an advanced, sometimes virtuoso player of the clarinet, the guitar, and the accordion. In 1939 Jakova went to teach in Orosh
Orosh
Orosh is a municipality in the Mirditë District, Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. The seat of the municipality is the town of Reps....
, Mirditë District
Mirditë District
The District of Mirditë is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Lezhë County. It has a population of 26,668 , and an area of 867 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Rrëshen...
, where he wrote a piece for accordion entitled "Mall" (Nostalgia), and later the song "Fyelli i Bariut" (The Shepard's Flute), whose text is unknown to us today. This was the first song of Jakova whose text and music had been both composed by him, according to the tradition of the aheng from Shkodër (the Shkodër Serenade). In 1940 Jakova was transferred back to Shkodër where he started a cycle of songs for children and an operetta on two acts entitled "Kopshti i Xhuxhmaxhuxhëve" (The Dwarfs' Yard). In the academic year 1941-42, Jakova was again transferred in Katërkollë, a village close to Ulqin and Osho in the Krajë region of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, to where he would commute with his bike from Shkodër, covering 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) every day. In 1942 he went to study clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where he finished with excellent results.
In 1944 Jakova was hired by the chorus of the First Partisan Brigade of the House of the Youth where he was named director. During this time he was arrested by the communist regime and held in prison because his brother had been an opponent of the regime, persecuted, and killed by the communists. His former alumni, Çesk Zadeja and Tonin Harapi witnessed that, once released from the prison, Jakova went back to work and started to go to work at 7 in the morning and go back home only by late night. The group gave performances not only in Shkodër but also in various cities of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, such as Ulqin, Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
, Titograd etc. In 1947, Jakova wrote a cycle of songs entitled "Dasma Shkodrane" (The Shkodër Wedding), with which he represented his city in a song festival in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. During 1948-1951, Jakova worked as a music teacher in two schools of Shkodër and never quit for a single day practices of the chorus and the orchestra of the House of Culture of Shkodër. At that time he composed the song "Gruri i ri" (The New Wheat) with a text of Dhimitër Shuteriqi
Dhimitër Shuteriqi
Dhimitër Shuteriqi was an Albanian writer, historian and critic. During the 1946-1973 period he was the president of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists.-References:...
, which was put on stage from Pjetër Gjoka
Pjetër Gjoka
Pjetër Gjoka was an Albanian movies and theater actor of the 20th century.He started his theater activity with the amateurial troupes of Shkodër in 1929. In 1947 he started to work as a full time actor in the National Theater of Albania after his debut in the Army Theater. His first role was in...
along with other songs which were brought to the 1950 Festival in Tirana.
At the beginning of the 1952 festival in Albania there were high quality soloists and good symphonic orchestras. In June 1952 poet Llazar Siliqi
Llazar Siliqi
Llazar Siliqi is a notable Albanian poet. He was the librettist of the first Albanian opera, Mrika, composed by Prenkë Jakova.-References:...
was put in charge to write a poetry on youth's work on a new hydroelectric power station, which was being built on the Mat river. The piece started as a song, but afterward it took a longer shape and was divided into two movements called Dritë mbi Shqipëri (Lights on Albania), and was presented in 1952 in Tirana. The piece was nothing but the embryo of the first Albanian opera, Mrika
Mrika
Mrika is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi. It premiered in Shkoder, Albania in 1958 at the Migjeni Theatre. The revised three-act version premiered in Tirana at the Academy of Music and Arts of Albania in December 1959...
, which was worked upon by Jakova in the following 6 years and eventually rehearsed on 2 May 1958, and put on stage on 12 November 1958. Rehearsing was done in the House of Culture, the Old Theatre and the new Migjeni Theatre
Migjeni Theatre
Migjeni Theatre is a theatre in Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. Considered the second most important theatre in Albania, the theatre is noted for its romantic and poetic productions, often with nationalistic themes....
in Shkodër. On November 27 the general rehearsal was given and in 1 December 1958 the opera premiered in the Migjeni Theatre, and after some performances in the city, in 27 and 28 December it showed in the theater of the Academy of Music and Arts of Albania
Academy of Music and Arts of Albania
Albanian University of Arts is the main institution that offers higher education in the arts in Albania.-Brief History:...
, where Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
, then Albania's premier, assisted it. At the end of the show Kadri Hazbiu, then Minister of Interior, thanked all the artists and raised a toast to Jakova. The event was considered important and Jakova received telegrams of congratulations from many of his peer composers all around the world for the success of his first opera.
The extraordinary success of Mrika led to an encounter between Enver Hoxha and Jakova. Hoxha asked Jakova to write another opera, this time on Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
, but Jakova answered that "operas are not like loafs which can be put in the oven at any time". It is reported that Hoxha laughed at that response and that he immediately assured Jakova, that he personally would provide to all the necessary conditions to guarantee the opera's success. Skënderbeu would indeed premiere 10 years after Mrika and was of a much better artistic quality then Mrika. Jakova worked very intensively on the music while at the same time he had other responsibilities as the director of the House of Culture and also teaching assignments. He spent several months only on the work of separating the Turkish music from the Arabic one, which was one of the elements of the opera, and many classical composers struggled with, because of the very distant relationship between classical music and oriental one. Wen Jakova finished the opera, he brought it to Tirana for an approval, but he was asked to review many parts of it. Jakova categorically refused to revise, eventually Fadil Paçrami
Fadil Paçrami
Fadil Paçrami was an Albanian politician. writer and playwright. He served as Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania from 20 November, 1970 to 25 September, 1973.-Reference:...
, then Minister of Culture, backed him up. Although Skënderbeu was a great success, and Jakova was congratulated by Enver Hoxha, the vicissitudes of its realization had heavy consequences on Jakova's spirit. This occurred when Jakova's mother was paralyzed at home. The stress accumulated and the despair of a heavy life without recognition, brought him to attempt to kill himself on 9 September 1969, by throwing himself from the second floor of the House of Culture of Shkodër. He eventually died a few days later, on September 16, 1969 in a Tirana hospital, from the fatal wounds. The people of Shkodër, shocked and embittered for the great composer, organized an imposing funeral procession for Albania's greatest musician and composer of that time. The procession was unattended by public authorities, with the exception of the secretary of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists
Albanian League of Writers and Artists
The Albanian League of Writers and Artists is an organization of creators, located in Tirana, Albania, which includes writers, composers, and artists and critics of the literary and artistic values.- History :...
. The death ceremony was accompanied by the sounds of the musical band of the city of Shkodër, which Jakova himself had created.
Legacy
Jakova left a very important musical heritage. Beside the two operas there are dozens of songs, orchestral and choral pieces, movies' music, and operettas that he left to posterity. Jakova is considered as one of the most important Albanian composers of all times.He composed the operas Mrika in 1958 and Skanderberg in 1968, for which he is known as the creator of the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n national opera. His operas were influenced by traditional Italian opera
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
, the belcanto style and Albanian folk song.
Jakova has also become noted for many folk Albanian songs, which are so widespread, that there is an erroneous belief that they are traditional Albanian popular songs, whereas they are instead composed by Jakova. One of his most famous songs is Margjelo.
External links
- The Song of Margjelo at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Full List of works