User:Kujtime.Musico/sandbox

Zef Lekaj a highlander by origin, was born in the most developed city of Albania during the early 1900's in Shkodra, on July 7th, 1924, the very year of the bourgeois-democratic revolution, where Noliste ideas would become the ruling ideas for few months. Zef Lekaj will soon face the powerful forces of that regime, which will appear in his work often as interfering, worrisome and suspicious elements of his concern that will guide him at the crossroads of selective dilemmas. At that background of crossroads by perceiving the historical movement of events and many prominent elements of that passed century, his life creates a colorful mosaic, which, seen today, puts you into a perspective of thoughts to further illuminate the most untidy forms to his creativity.

As a youth he had attended his education and acquired his skills on Music at Shkoder Jesuit College. In Shkodra he would find himself a growing musician surrounded only by two musicians, where one of them was playing the violin at weddings. Under these circumstances almost inconceivable, he had to oblige his children to learn in a "pilot" variant a musical instrument. His son Mondi learned to play guitar. His other son Sokol and his daughter Diana learned to play the violin, while his other son Leo learned the piano. All his children, for a short time become regular members of an orchestra, without receiving any payment in return to making their music. Mondi recalls that as children they were working in enterprises of the city, while the rest of the time were engaged in the orchestra and cultural activities. He also recalls that his father would harbor ill feelings if they would be late on their meeting performances, even if it was 5 minutes. Such was Zef Leka, Superman less of his kind. Zef Lekaj, worked unsparingly in discovering and raising new talents. Many of them were affirmed artists, who, even today, remember the special honor of their unforgettable teacher. He and his wife wanted the children to grow good citizens and good artists, to absorb knowledge, art and science, to the benefit of their families and Albanian society. His now grown up son Leon Lekaj today is a writer and publicist and lives in Athens of Greece. Mingled with Christian education, early in childhood and later, throughout his life, always presented lyrical soul with particular qualities by discharging his soul into musical notes. He knew that music is a difficult art, but very dear to the people, which accompanies man at all stages of life. Hence, he would nourish his special love for folk compositions, which enriched his musical creativity in all genres of music. Zef Lekaj songs would become the property of the people throughout the country. Once being noticeable he adapted popular songs of the region of Shkodra. As a connoisseur of vocals, he was entrusted with the role of Co-Maestro in many premiere performances. At the Culture Club "Vasil Shanto" and the Youth Club "Heroes of Vig" in the role of director of music, he formed small orchestra gathering people around him to the talent of passion and love for folk songs and dances. The main muse of his inspirations were feelings and emotions springing creatively from water gurgling of snow mountains, joyful crystal fountains, peaks, slopes and valleys, the dance of flowers, pines, the strings of ciftelia, in mothers' lullabies, the legends of heroes. His songs would be sang by Ndoja Bik, Lucia Milot, and many other singers. Zef Lekaj was an original sound of yesterday, calling the tomorrow. Wherever his feet lingered would leave indelible marks. His activity was greater in Kuçove, where he established and developed the art of oil factory workers and many other intellectuals of that city, engineers, teachers, air force officers, economists and agronomists. Among them was Zef Lekaj, an erudite and intellectual of wide culture, passionate scholar, expert on Latin and Italian and with a good proficiency of ancient Greek, Serbo-Croatian, French and German. Author of over 250 songs, winner of dozens of awards at festivals for children and for adults through competitions, ensembles, meetings, artistic olympiadas, a craftsman of cantatas and orchestra marches, among which the most notable ones were "The Lamb and the Lassie", "I Swear in Your Eyes", "Shepherdess, oh You Mountain Girl".

Hence an intellectual of Christian traditions of Shkodra could not cease to arouse the envy and jealousy of pseudo-intellectuals who were merely howling in the name of then "party council". Those pseudo-intellectuals sacrificed personalities of art and culture in the name of "protecting the purity of the Albanian society." Whose turn was next? On 4th July of 1979 the Craftsman of the Albanian art and music was preparing himself to retire from his music. At the Hall of Culture in Kucova where most of his work, music performances and compositions had taken place during his blooming career he was arrested. It was a plot siege to capture secretly Zef Lekaj as the ceremony of his retirement was being prepared to be one the most memorable event for the composer himself. However, unfortunately his honor by the audience and his people for a "Farewell to Music" was demagogically entrapped by the communist power of those times. He would be kept imprisoned for another 9 years to come, yet, stand his head pride even after his release. By the 90's, after leaving behind the bitter memory of 9 years in prison, and Kucova of people who loved him so much, he returns back permanently to his nostalgic hometown Shkodra, after 40 years away from it. He rested there in peace on 28th February 1999.

"The Lamb and the Lassie" Song
 * His song, "The Lamb and the Lassie" wouldn't be of much tragic and less sweet than his own life of that time, as it grew to be today. Although not sung for years, be-be-ba- and his infantile tring-tring, continues to be a lullaby to anyone who still retains a little kid in his existence. So many children have heard once in their lifetime. His son Mondi recalls how on 1963, when from the former Kucova, the notes in The Pentagram of Lamb would fly on the wings of snail-mail towards Shkodra. In fact, the original song's title was about the Little Baby Pig, but with the intervention and suggestions of Robert Radoja will be changed into a "Lamb" without interacting its attractive plot story. The bleat, the bells and the voice of the Agolli sisters will chart the song on second place at the National Children's Festival of Albania. On the following years song grew to become a song of every generation, in a leitmotif of the few moments when one wants to be or is in peace. Despite the rumors that the story of the song was about the communist regime of those times, the son of the late Zef, Mondi, argues the opposite. Zef did nine years in prison for supposedly agitation and propaganda, but the plot of the song was something completely different, something that even fitted quite well with the regime. Although this element is not included in the author's muse, it can however be classified as a song of "kooperativas" as a synonym of the grouping of the sheep within livestock. The lyrics refer to a lassie who greatly loves her lamb, that sits still with her and has not joined to the "cooperative" flock. The lassie wants with pleasure at the same time with a despair that the lamb  goes out to join his flock and sings to him.

These were the verses of which Zef Lekaj would get his greatest satisfaction of his work while still alive, of his musical creation that would spread among people immensely to the extent that this piece of art takes the authorship for itself as a song of nation.
 * * * Lassie: oh my little lamb why thoughtfully you baa-baa-baa
 * * * Why so trembly you gaze on me, baa-baa-baa
 * * * Come along let's go together in the fields, tring-tring-tring
 * * * I gather flowers, and then grass you shall eat, - tring-tring-tring
 * * * Lamb: being alone sadness I feel tring-tring-tring
 * * *  to join the flock bells are inviting me,  tring-tring-tring
 * * * Lassie: daddy has warned me  -  tring-tring-tring
 * * * oh my lamb to the flock to send you thee,  -  tring-tring-tring
 * * * shepherdess of the village I shall be - tring-tring-tring
 * * * of our flock I must take heed   -  tring-tring-tring
 * * * oh my lamb to the flock to send you thee,  -  tring-tring-tring
 * * * shepherdess of the village I shall be - tring-tring-tring
 * * * of our flock I must take heed   -  tring-tring-tring