Vaçe Zela

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Vaçe Zela

Vace Zela (left) at Festivali i Këngës in 1972.
Background information
Born (1939-04-07)7 April 1939
Lushnjë, Fier, Albania
Died 6 February 2014(2014-02-06) (aged 74)
Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
Genres Easy listening, Swing, Ballad, Folk
Occupations Singer
Years active 1962–2014

Vaçe Zela (April 7, 1939 – February 6, 2014) was an Albanian singer.[1] She began her career at a young age and in 1962 was the first to win the Albanian Song Festival (Festivali i Këngës). A 11 time winner of the festival, Vaçe gained fame during the communist era and was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania prize in 1973 and the People's Artist of Albania prize in 1977. On 24 December 2002 she was awarded the Prize "Honor of the Nation" by the Albanian president Alfred Moisiu. Before her death in 2014, she lived in Switzerland.

First appearances

The first to discover Zela's talents were her school teachers. She was not only talented in music, but also in painting and theater. Zela was only ten years old when she began to sing folk songs from the Myzeqe region. She would often casually sing in her city of Lushnje's parks, attracting the passersby. Soon she would participate in small concerts organized in the city, although her parents did not like much the idea that their daughter to take such a path. Nevertheless Zela went to Tirana to compete in order to study at the prestigious School of Arts, but was not accepted. She had to go to the "Qemal Stafa" High School where she began to learn the guitar.[2]

Career

Zela was first appointed in Army's Ensamble (Albanian: Ansambli i Ushtrisë), then in that State's Ensemble (Albanian: Ansambli Shtetëror), and finally the Ensemble of Songs and Dances (Albanian: Ansambli i Këngëve dhe Valleve). Wherever the ensembles gave performances in cities and villages, or even overseas, she was appreciated for the beautiful and melodious voice. She was called "the Nightingale of Myzeqe". Her repertoire is very rich, with dozens of folk songs counted, light, cantata, ballads, etc. It is also an important contribution to film music, which has performed many songs, as part of film music. Her career was interrupted in 1991, the year that marks the final climb on stage in Switzerland during in a concert for the Albanians diaspora living there. Vaçe Zela is considered by all generations as "the meteorite fell to Albania, in the grim years of communist dictatorship". Vaçe Zela had extraordinary ability to absorb and reproduce any melody in a very short time.

Awards

Vaçe Zela is the first winner of the first Songs Festival in Albania with the song "First Child" (Albanian: Fëmija i parë) on 26 December 1962. Later festivals followed one another from year to year and Zela was always present with her voice. Songs like “Djaloshi dhe shiu”, “Lemza”, “Sot jam 20 vjeç”, “Valsi i lumturisë”, “Mesnatë”, “Gjurmë të arta”, “Kënga e gjyshes”, “Të lumtur të dua”, “Nënë moj do pres gërshetin”, “Gonxhe në pemën e lirisë”, “Shoqet tana ilegale”, etc., have remained in the golden fund of Albanian music.
Her songs are sung constantly by new generations of singers.
International awards include "Golden Disk", "Woman of the year" in Cambridge, England for '97-'98, "Golden Microphone" from the Ministry of Culture of Kosovo, etc. The latest award was "Special Grand Prize for Singing Legend", the 45-th anniversary of the Festival at ART, for the singer's unique contribution to Albanian music, and participation since the very first years of this festival, during which the artist has grabbed many awards.

References

  1. ↑ Routledge p.569
  2. ↑ Q. Stafa High School website. "Historiku". 

Sources

External links

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