Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

originating from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevdalinka is an integral part of the

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

culture, but is also spread across the ex-

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

region, including

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

. The actual composers of many Sevdalinka songs are largely unknown because these are traditional

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

s. In a musical sense, Sevdalinka is characterized by a slow or moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

and intense, emotional melodies. Sevdalinka songs are very elaborate, emotionally charged and are traditionally sung with passion and fervor. The combination of Oriental, European and

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

elements make this type of music stand out among other types of folk music from the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. Just like a majority of Balkan folk music, Sevdalinka features very somber, minor-sounding

modes Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...

, but unlike other types of Balkan folklore music it more intensely features minor second intervals, thus hinting at Oriental makams and the Phrygian mode. As a result, the melodies are noted for leaving a strong melancholic feeling with the listener. The singer will often impose the

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

and

of the song, both of which can vary throughout the song. Traditionally, Sevdalinka’s are women's songs, most addressing the issue of love and longing, unfulfilled and unfortunate love, some touch on a woman's physical desire for her loved one, and some have various comic elements. There are Sevdah songs written and sung by men as well. Traditionally, they were performed without any instrument, hence their elaborate melody. As with most old folk styles, it is pure assumption what the sound of original melodies were like, as in modern days their interpretations are fully aligned to the Western chromatic system due to instruments used for accompaniment (whereas Oriental modes often use intervals smaller than a semitone). Modern interpretations are followed by a small

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

featuring the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

(as the most prominent instrument), the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

, nylon-string

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s and/or other string instruments, occasionally (such as oud, saz or šargija), the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

(occasionally), upright

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and the

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

. In modern interpretations, between the verses, an accordion or violin

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

can almost always be heard.

Etymology

The word itself comes from the Turkish ''sevda'' which, in turn, derives from Ottoman Turkish sevda refers to a state of being in love, and more specifically to the intense and forlorn longing associated with love-sickness and unrequited love. This is connected with the related Persian word () meaning both "melancholic" and "enamored". It was these associations that came with the word when it was brought to Bosnia by the Ottomans. Today it is a richly evocative Bosnian word, meaning ''pining'' or a ''longing (for a loved one, a place, a time)'' that is both joyous and painful, being the main theme of Sevdalinka lyrics. Thus the people of Bosnia employ the words "Sevdalinka" and "Sevdah" interchangeably as the name of this music, although the word ''Sevdah'' can also be used in other meanings. Saudade, the central term in Portuguese Fado, is of the same origin, likewise emerging from the Arabic language medical discourse used for centuries in both

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

and the Ottoman empire. N.B., the term melancholy is of similar origin, stemming from original Greek medical term for black bile - ''melan kholé''.

Origins and history

The origins of Sevdalinka are not known for certain, though it is known to date from sometime after the arrival of the Ottomans in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, but melodies and the venerable "Aman, aman" lyrical figure hint at a

Sephard Sepharad ( or ; ''Səp̄āraḏ''; also ''Sefarad'', ''Sephared'', ''Sfard'') is the Hebrew name for Spain. A place called Sepharad, probably referring to Sardis in Lydia ('Sfard' in Lydian), in the Book of Obadiah (, 6th century BC) of the Hebrew ...

ic and Andalusian influence which can be explained by the arrival of Sephardic refugees in Ottoman Bosnia, or more likely an Ottoman Turkish meaning which translates to "have mercy". The first historically mentioned Sevdalinka is considered to be "''Bolest Muje Carevića''" (''The Illness of Mujo Carević''), which is believed to have been written around the year 1475. Another early written document that notes Sevdalinka was from the year 1574 when an Italian man was passing through the Bosnian city of

Visoko Visoko ( sr-cyrl, Високо, ) is a city located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 39,938 inhabitants with 11,205 liv ...

and heard what he described as "sad songs sung by the locals" that made him feel melancholic. In the early 16th century, a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

from Split mentioned a song about the forbidden love of a Christian girl named Mara Vornić and a Muslim boy named Fadil or Adel/Adil (accounts vary). The earliest known female Sevdalinka poet was

Umihana Čuvidina Umihana Čuvidina ( – ) was a Bosnian poet of Ottoman times. She is the earliest Bosnian female author whose work survives to this day. Čuvidina sang her poems and contributed greatly to the traditional genre of Bosniak folk music, sevdalinka ...

, who wrote mainly about her dead husband.

Performers

A couple of significant singers of the Sevdalinka in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s were Rešad Bešlagić and Vuka Šeherović. Towards the end of World War II, Radio Sarajevo was founded and signed some of the most prominent ''Sevdalije'' (Sevdalinka performers) among them were Zaim Imamović in 1945, Himzo Polovina in 1953, Beba Selimović in 1954, Safet Isović in 1955 and Zehra Deović in 1960. Nada Mamula was signed to Radio Beograd in 1946. Others like

Silvana Armenulić Silvana Bajraktarević (born Zilha Bajraktarević; 18 February 1939 – 10 October 1976), known professionally as Silvana Armenulić (), was a Bosnian singer-songwriter and actress and one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditi ...

Emina Zečaj Emina Zečaj (''née'' Ahmedhodžić; 17 March 1929 – 19 April 2020) was a Bosnian interpreter of the traditional folk music, sevdalinka. Zečaj was called an "icon of traditional Bosnian music" by American ''Billboard'' magazine in 2004. Ea ...

, Nedžad Salković, Hanka Paldum and Meho Puzić were signed to record for such production companies as Jugoton,

Diskoton ''Diskoton'' was a major record label in SFR Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company ceased to exist in 1992, with the outbreak of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The studio was destroyed along ...

or other Yugoslav labels. Although sung mainly by traditional

singers, the Sevdalinka made its way to many "mainstream" musicians. Sevdalinkas were covered by

Josipa Lisac Josipa Lisac (; born 14 February 1950) is a Croatian pop rock singer. Biography During the 1960s, Lisac was the vocalist of the group Zlatni Akordi. Her first solo album, '' Dnevnik jedne ljubavi'' (''The Diary of a Love''), recorded in 1973, was ...

, Željko Bebek, Ibrica Jusić, Jadranka Stojaković, Toše Proeski, and Zdravko Čolić. In 1990s a band Mostar Sevdah Reunion was assembled in

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

and in early 2000s they became widely popular on the '' world music'' scene, receiving high awards for their lively interpretations of Sevdalinkas (that

fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

Sevdalinka with contemporary musical styles like

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, rock and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

) and introducing many people outside Bosnia to the genre of Sevdalinka. Equally popular today is Amira Medunjanin dubbed by music journalist and author Garth Wainwright "Bosnia's

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

Notable songs

;Some famous Sevdalinka songs: * Il' je vedro, il' oblačno (''It's either clear (no clouds in the sky), or clouded'') *Ah što ćemo ljubav kriti (''Why Should We Hide Our Love'') *Da Sam Ptica (''If I Were a Bird'') *

Moj golube ''Moj golube'' ("My dove") is a well-known folk song from countries of the former Yugoslavia.

(''My dove'') * Emina *Grana od bora, pala kraj mora (''A Branch of

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

, Fell by the Sea'') *Karanfile Cvijeće Moje ('' Carnation, My Flower'') * Kraj potoka bistre vode (''By a Stream of Crystal Clear Water'') * Omer-beže na kuli sjeđaše ('' Bey Omer Sits on the Tower'') *Razbolje se lijepa Hajrija (''Beautiful Hajrija Became Ill'') *Razbolje se Sultan Sulejman (''The Sultan Suleiman Became Ill'') * Sejdefu majka buđaše (''Sejdefa's Mother Wakes Her'') *Snijeg pade na behar na voće (''Snow Fell on the Blossom, on the Fruit'') *Što te nema (''Why Aren't You Here'') *Sve behara i sve cvjeta (''Everything Blossoms and Everything Blooms'') *Tekla rijeka potokom i jazom (''The River Flowed Through the Stream and Divide'') *Teško meni jadnoj u Saraj'vu samoj (''It's Difficult for Me, a Poor Girl Alone in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

'') *U Stambolu Na Bosforu (''In

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

on the

Bosphorous The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern ...

'') *Zapjevala sojka ptica (''The

Blue Jay The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are ...

Bird Sang'') *Zaplakala šećer Đula (''The Sweet Rose Wept'') *Zaplakala stara majka (''The Elderly Mother Wept'') *Zmaj od Bosne ('' Dragon of Bosnia'') *Zvijezda tjera mjeseca (''The Star Chases the Moon'') ;Other Bosnian folk songs often mentioned as Sevdalinka-s: *Crven Fesić (''Little Red Fez'') *Čudna jada od Mostara grada (''Strange Wretch from the Town of

'') *Djevojka sokolu zulum učinila (''The Girl Perpetrated Cruelty on the Falcon'') *Došla voda od brijega do brijega (''The Water Came from Hill to Hill'') *Karanfil se na put sprema (''Karanfil Prepares for a Journey'') *Ko se ono brijegom šeće? (''Who Is Walking on the Hill?'') *Lijepi li su Mostarski dućani (''Mostar's Shops Are Beautiful'') *Mila majko, šalji me na vodu (''Dear Mother, Send Me to the Water'') * Moj dilbere (''My Darling'') *Mujo kuje konja po mjesecu (''Mujo Shoes the Horse in the Moonlight'') *Sinoć ja i moja kona (''Last Night, My Neighbor and I'') *Tamburalo momče uz tamburu (''The Boy Played the Tamburica'') *U lijepom starom gradu Višegradu (''In the Beautiful Old Town of Višegrad'') *Vino piju Age Sarajlije (''The

Aghas Agha ( tr, ağa; ota, آغا; fa, آقا, āghā; "chief, master, lord") is an honorific title for a civilian or officer, or often part of such title. In the Ottoman times, some court functionaries and leaders of organizations like bazaar or ...

of Sarajevo Drink Wine'')

Examples

*Anadolka *Kad ja pođoh (Guitar) (Flute) *Ne Klepeći Nanulama *Što te nema (Hasanagin Sevdah) *U Stambolu na Bosforu *Žute Dunje

References

External links

Sevdalinka.info

Sevdalinkas.com Sevdalinkas Archive

Sevdalinke.com Digital Archive

Radio Sevdah

Story: Sevdalinke - part-1 - balkanist.net
{{Manele Bosniak culture Bosniak history Bosnia and Herzegovina music history Bosnia and Herzegovina folk music Bosnia and Herzegovina culture Bosnia and Herzegovina music World music genres Turkish words and phrases Folk music genres