Tallava or Talava is a music genre originating from Albanian-speaking communities in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

as well as in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, with a presence in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

. Having originated in the Roma community in Kosovo in the 1990s, it evokes regional

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

musical styles (e.g.,

microtones Microtonal music or microtonality is the use in music of microtones— intervals smaller than a semitone, also called "microintervals". It may also be extended to include any music using intervals not found in the customary Western tuning of t ...

, vocal

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a glide from one pitch to another (). It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In some contexts, it is distinguished from the ...

, and certain musical instruments) and has become popular in Albania and North Macedonia. It is identified as part of the wider

Pop-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria ( chalga), Romania ( mane ...

genre of the

Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...

, which includes

Chalga Chalga (; often referred to as pop-folk, short for "popular folk" or ethno-pop, short for "ethnic pop") is a Bulgarian music genre. Chalga or pop-folk is essentially a folk-inspired dance music genre, with a blend of Bulgarian music (Bulgarian e ...

from Bulgaria,

Skiladiko Skiladiko or Skyladiko , ( gr, Σκυλάδικο), is a derogatory term to describe a branch of laiko music and some of the current nightclubs in Greece in which this music is performed. It also refers to the so-called "decadent" form of laiko ...

from Greece,

Manele Manele (from Romanian, ''fem.'' ''sg.'' manea; ''pl.'' manele, the plural form being more common) is a genre of pop folk music from Romania. The manele can be divided into "classical manele" and "modern manele". The "classical manele" are a Tu ...

from Romania and

Turbo-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria ( chalga), Romania ( mane ...

from Serbia.

History

Tallava originated in the 1980s and 1990s within the Albanian-speaking areas of

region, created by the

Ashkali The Ashkali ( sr, Ашкалије, Aškalije), also Hashkali ( sr, Хашкалије, Haškalije), and Balkan Egyptians ( sr, Балкански Египћани, Balkanski Egipćani; sq, Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit; mk, Ѓуп� ...

(

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

) ethnic minority community. The name is derived from Romani ''tel o vas'', meaning "under the hand", referring to the Chochek dance where the hands are waved delicately. Kosovo Albanian refugees of the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the w ...

had brought their music with them, including Tallava. It has since also been adopted by the non-Albanian-speaking Roma in North Macedonia.

Identity and reputation

Tallava occupies an ambivalent place in popular consciousness; it is both celebrated and vilified by the wider Albanian community. In the minds of many, its Ashkali origins imbue it with a lower-class connotation, and it is often disparaged. However, tallava is extremely popular and considered by many necessary for any party, especially a wedding. Kosovo Roma musician Bajram Kafu Kinolli suggests that it is simple racism that gave tallava its low status: “Bearing in mind that it was the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who mostly cultivated tallava and that they are in a crisis in regard to presenting their culture… some people label it as a degradation, especially today when the word ‘tallava’ is a dirty, filthy, and degrading term for anything in Kosovo.”

Style and attributes

Initially, tallava music was performed in cafes, and the ''def'', a kind of tambourine, predominated. In the 1990s, other instruments like drums, bass guitar, guitar, accordion and clarinet were incorporated. Kafu Kinolli sees tallava as distinct from the wider

turbo-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria ( chalga), Romania ( mane ...

umbrella genre in that whereas a turbo-folk song has a linear structure (e.g., verse-chorus-verse-chorus), tallava songs are longer, more improvisational, and without a definitive structure. However, this improvisational character leads other musicologists, such as Astrit Stafai, to believe that tallava does not constitute a genre in and of itself: “... tallava is an improvisation of a certain moment, for example at a family-related or personal occasion. Tallava has neither a musical form nor development. It just doesn't have the proper concept to be a musical style”.

Popular singers

Albania

* Lel Syziu * Muharrem Ahmeti * Marseli *

Altin Shira Altin is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Altin Bytyçi (born 2001), Kosovan footballer * Altin Çuko (born 1974), Albanian former footballer * Altin Haxhi (born 1975), Albanian former footballer * Altin Hoxha (born 1990), ...

* Sinan Hoxha * Seldi Qualliu * Gjyste Vulaj * Mandi Nishtulla * Vani Gjuzi * Rovena Stefa *

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...

* Xhavit Dedej * Loreta Kaçka (Lori)

Kosovo

* Daim Lala * Meda * Mentor Kurtishi * Gazmend Rama (Gazi) * Duli * Sefë Duraj * Shkurte Gashi * Teuta Selimi * Avdyl Mziu * Muhamet Sejdiu * Vjollca Haxhiu * Linda * Ylli * Buqe Rama * Besim Mahmuti * Memi * Antigona Sejdiu * Amtigona Rrustolli * Ganimete Asllani * Adem Ramadani * Syne Loshi

References

Sources

*
Refleksion sociologjik mbi kiçin e muzikës tallava
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallava Albanian styles of music Kosovan music Pop music genres Balkan music Folk music genres