Isuf Myzyri, folk musician, People’s Artist, was born in Elbasan. In his hometown, he became known as a composer and author of many poetic song texts. He started playing music at the age of 25, teaching himself the violin; then he formed the orchestra with folk musical instruments composed of clarinet, violin (which he played himself), 10-string lyre, mandolin, oud, gusle and tambourine, gathering around him the most prominent masters of the city, such as Thoma Prifti (clarinet), Mehmet Balashi (gusle), Musa Bebeti (mandolin), Arif Topalli (tambourine), etc. His orchestral formation played an important role in the musical life of the city, and in family holidays. Isuf Myzyri’s repertoire consists of 16 songs, mainly with erotic, religious and patriotic content. They spread to other Albanian countries and are still sung today, such as: “Ma mirë n’pyll se n’qytet” (“Better in the forest than in the city”), “Errësin’ e pyllit” (“Darkness of the forest”), “Kur hyna n’port t’Kalasë” (When I entered the gate of the Castle), “Në zabel të gjeta” (“I found you in grove”) etc. He passed away in 1956. (In the photo: Isuf Myzyri)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1802.
Photo: © http://elbasani.org/isuf-myzyri-1881-1956/
Graphic processing: AHCF
