The first pianos of Albanians

By: Hasan Bello

The piano is one of the most important musical instruments. Its origins date back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Since this period, it has spread from Italian cities to the capitals and major cities of the world. In Albanian territories, the piano has its origins in the second half of the 19th century. According to archival documents, the first pianos entered the city of Shkodra.

In a letter that Engjëll Çoba sent to Shtjefën Bianku in Venice in 1877, he informed him about the departure of the Ottoman army towards Tivar, along with the city's public band (drum). But he was comforted that its place for entertainment had been taken by Filip i Kola with his piano, on which he played at night.

Another user of the piano was the old Shkodran musician Palok Kurti, who used it at various parties.

The Çoba family piano, which dated back to 1877, had aroused the jealousy of the wife of the Austro-Hungarian consul of Shkodra, Lipik, who had teased her husband with words about what kind of consul he was, when his wife did not have a piano like some Shkodra families had. In the 70s, this classical music instrument also began to be used by the “Don Bosco” society of Jesuits.

According to unconfirmed data, it is said that from 1877 to 1912, there were 26-28 pianos in the city of Shkodra. This instrument was used mainly by middle and upper-class Catholic families who had trade relations with Venice and other cities in Italy.

At the end of the 19th century, the piano began to be used by some upper-class Muslim families. Thus, in the Vlora family mansion, its existence continues to be present to this day.

An interesting testimony about the use of the piano by women in the early 20th century comes from the renowned Albanian translator Jusuf Vrioni. In the book Memories of a European, he wrote that his mother, who was the daughter of Hysen Pasha Dino, scion of a prominent Albanian family from Preveza and granddaughter of the former Foreign Minister of the Ottoman Empire, Abedin Pasha Dino, when she married his father, the mayor of Berat, Iliaz Vrioni, in addition to her dowry and other personal belongings, had brought a piano with her. Although it was still the period of Ottoman rule, after the introductions were over, Iliaz Bey had invited his wife to sit at the piano and play the Albanian anthem. Because she had not heard it before, some present sang it lightly and by ear, while she began to adapt its notes on the keyboard. This action had aroused the astonishment of the other women, who were surprised how a woman managed to play music in front of men.

In the 20s and 30s, the piano was an instrument that was spreading in all the main cities of Albania. In some educational institutions, it became part of the school curriculum. During this period, the first professional musicians began to graduate from the conservatories of Austria, France and Italy, who organized concerts, such as that of Tefta Tashko (with the permission and support of the government, not like the fake film Concert in the year 1936).