An iso-polyphonic song, dedicated to the woes of emigration that are well known to many Albanians has been taken to heart by Roland Çenko, the lead singer of the most prominent iso-polyphonic group of the moment in Albania, called ‘Argjiro’.   

Embodying 500 years of folkloric tradition, this song speaks of a homesick Albanian emigrant “who sees his own village from the shore abroad and his heart just sheds blood.”   

“This song is my favourite,” says Çenko, 55, a native of Gjirokastra, in the south of Albania. “I like all the polyphonic songs that I sing. I can’t sing songs my soul does not like. But this one stands above all. It has a lot of folklore inside,” he confessed to Southeast Europe: People and Culture.

In 2005, UNESCO declared Albanian folk iso-polyphony to be “a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”. On November 25th, 2010, Albania celebrated the fifth anniversary of this event.

Coming from a family of seven brothers and three sisters, who all sing iso-polyphony, Çenko has inherited this skill. “I have been singing iso for 35 years now. My father sang iso with the local group of ‘Xhevat Avdalli’, he says. In the years1994-1995, he created his own group which he named after Gjirokastra’s fort, ‘Argjiro’.

“My group consists of iso experts only. We retain the tradition of singing only Gjirokastra songs and we will do so until the end,” Çenko says.

Iso-polyphony, inspired by the archaic phenomenon of “crying” (vajtim – in Albanian,) belongs to the southern part of Albania. There are estimated to be approximately 1000 iso-polyphonic groups. From the ethno-cultural view, this area is divided into two large zones: Toskëria and Labëria which determine the two big divisions of iso-polyphony with their characteristic features.

“The Toskëria iso-poliphony includes two-voice and three-voice songs while the Labëria iso-poliphony consists of two, three and four-voice songs,” said Vasil Tole, an ethnomusicologist and expert of iso-polyphony. He is the author of the 320-page “Encyclopedia of Albanian folk Iso-polyphony,” translated into English by Kim Burton, a Netherlands-based translator from various Balkan languages into English, and a former musician. Tole, who deems Albanian iso-polyphony to be an extraordinary phenomenon of human communication and perception, throws some more light on the basic formula behind the creation of iso-polyphonic songs.

 “The first voice is the taker, the second is the thrower and the third is the turner and then the drone,” he said.

According to him, the term “iso” is related to the drone which is continuously sung on the syllable “e” or a rhythmic tone performed to the text of the song. The minimal number for an iso-polyphonic group is four while the maximum is seven.

Until some time ago, iso-polyphony was sung among family members. But the number of family groups has been decreasing. Given the situation, the Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organisation (GCDO) has tried to find a solution. The challenge is to make iso-polyphony part of the teaching curriculum as part of the country’s identity.

 “We thought we should organise competitions among 9-year olds in local schools for 2-3 weeks. Some 14 youngsters were selected and their training will continue for some more months. In the very end, a CD with the best pieces of these artists will be recorded,” said GCDO Executive Manager, Elenita Roshi.

“I am fond of this initiative because iso risks fading away. It is a sin to let the Gjirokastra polyphony vanish. 14 children have been already selected and I am happy about this,” Çenko said.

The young group will be trained in the newly restored Omarate House (a typical house which hosts artisans and encourages artistic development) where the Artisan Incubator is located. The iso-polyphonic young singers will wear traditional costumes that are being prepared by female artisans in Gjirokastra.

Over the last years, the National Park of Butrint, Gjirokastra city and Berat city have become part of UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage.