Emina Zečaj (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Ahmedhodžić; 17 March 1929 – 19 April 2020) was a Bosnian interpreter of the traditional folk music,

sevdalinka Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional genre of folk music originating in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sevdalinka is an integral part of the Bosniak culture, but is also spread across the ex- Yugoslav region, including Croatia, Mo ...

. Zečaj was called an "icon of traditional Bosnian music" by American ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine in 2004.

Early life

Emina was born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, in what is today

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

on 17 March 1929. She was the daughter of Avdija Ahmedhodžić and his wife Melća.

Career

Professor Cvjetko Rihtman, an ethnomusicologist, discovered her in the early 1960s. Following persuasion from her friends, Emina auditioned before two well-known professors, Zvonimir Nevžela and Beluš Jungić, with the folk songs ''Kad se jangin iz sokaka pomoli'' and ''Poranila na vodicu Zlata''. Ten days later she received a phone call from

Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo Ismet Alajbegović "Šerbo" (6 March 1925 – 28 July 1987) was a Bosnian accordionist, composer, and writer of folk songs. When Radio Sarajevo became operational following the liberation of Sarajevo in 1945, Alajbegović started performing on a ...

informing her that she had been accepted into

Radio Sarajevo Radio Sarajevo is a radio station and magazine that began airing 10 April 1945, four days after the liberation of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina near the end of World War II. It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's first radio station. The first words s ...

, beating out 30 other contestants. Zečaj recorded music for the 2003 drama-comedy film '' Fuse''. She also collaborated with

Adi Lukovac Adi Lukovac (9 September 1970 – 18 June 2006) was a Bosnian musician, best known as the pioneer of electronic music in Bosnia and Herzegovina and leader of the Bosnian industrial band Adi Lukovac & The Ornaments. Lukovac founded the band Orna ...

on the soundtrack for the 2003

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

Remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

'' ('' Remake - soundtrack''). It was Lukovac's final project before dying in a car accident three years later.

Death

Zečaj was in good health until shortly before her death at age 91. She died on the night of 19 April 2020 in her home. She had attended the funeral of Beba Selimović the previous month at Sarajevo's

Bare Cemetery The Bare Cemetery is a cemetery complex in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina opened in 1965, with the first funeral and interment occurring on 3 January 1966. The central part of the cemetery is a spacious plateau with a staircase and a porch tha ...

where she was also buried in a Muslim cemetery on 22 April 2020.

Discography

*''Pijana sam i bez pića'' (1974) *''Narodne pjesme iz Bosne'' (1975) *''Traditional Bosnian Songs'' (2003) *''Zečaj Emina'' (2005) *''Emina Zečaj'' (2008)

References

External links

Emina Ahmedhodžić-Zečaj at Discogs
* as Emina Zečaj {{DEFAULTSORT:Zecaj, Emina 1929 births 2020 deaths Singers from Sarajevo Sevdalinka Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Bosnia and Herzegovina folk singers 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina women singers Yugoslav women singers Burials at Bare Cemetery, Sarajevo