këndore

Këndore is an Albanian term that denotes anything related to singing or vocal performance. It functions as both an adjective and a noun in Albanian and is derived from the verb këndojë, meaning “to sing,” with the suffix -ore that forms agentive or qualitative nouns and adjectives. In everyday language, këndore commonly describes vocal music or the vocal part of a musical work. For example, one might refer to muzika këndore as music that is sung, or to a këndore pjesë as the vocal portion of a piece, such as a melody intended to be sung rather than played on an instrument. The concept is used in music education, criticism, and analysis to distinguish vocal from instrumental aspects, genres, and performances.

In Albanian discourse, the term often coexists with related words such as këngë (song) and këndim (singing or vocal performance). The exact usage can vary by dialect and context, but the core idea remains: the term highlights the human voice as the primary musical medium rather than instruments.

See also: këngë, këndim, muzika vokale, muzike instrumentale, vokalizim.