Bilbil Vlora and Riza Berati

Referring to the register of the state office, Bilbil Cenko was born on October 10, 1889, in Gjirokastër, to father Abdyl and mother Sine. Bilbil learned the clarinet from his father. Around the age of 15, he mastered it as a virtuoso. As such he caught the attention of some merchants from Ioannina, who traded leather and other items with the city of Përmet and Gjirokastra. They took him together with his friends (Fadil with the lute, etc.) to make commercial music in Ioannina. In 1897, two instrument players from Delvina (one a violinist and the other a lutenist) joined the orchestra, with whom Bilbil worked for about six months in Istanbul. In 1905, he moved with his family to Gjirokastra, where he stayed for about ten years. Around 1914-1916, the family finally moved to the city of Vlora. In 1922, Bilbili was very active in the folk orchestra which consisted mainly of the members of his family: Bilbil on the clarinet, Arsim on the violin and Rakip on the lute. After a wedding in Kanina, his songs began to be liked, naturally entering into the life of the city. In 1925, they left Vlora to make music in Berat. At this period, he made a few collaborations with the folk orchestra of Riza Meko-përmetari or Riza Berati as people called him and who performed the “Napoleon Dance” that we have selected. The folk orchestra of Bilbil Vlora represent the heritage that Vlora and the other cities of Labëria had to use in order to form the urban musical culture and interpret all Albanian music. Similarly, to the folk orchestras in Tosk cities, the Orchestra of Bilbil Vlora was oriented towards the rural traditional folklore. For this reason, Bilbil Vlora will remain one of the main reformers of Vlora urban songs with folk instruments, based on folk iso-polyphonic songs, and the author who structured “Folk Kaba lab music” with clarinets. The discography recordings of Bilbil were made mainly by “Columbia” and they also include the musical folklore of Tirana, Korça, Përmet, Berat, Myzeqe, etc. Zoj Havaja and Bajamja are mentioned to be among the prominent singers and interpreters of Labian folk songs of the time. Both danced for the orchestra of Bilbil Vlora, but sometimes they also sang, as evidenced by the discographic recordings.

“VALLJA E NAPOLONIT”, by Bilbil Vlora and Riza Berati – YouTube