Sevdalinka

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Sevdalinka (pronounced [se?dali??ka]) (also known as Sevdah music) is a traditional
genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sevdalinka is an integral part of
the Bosniak culture,[1][2][3][4] but is also spread across the ex-Yugoslavia
region, including Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The actual composers
of many Sevdalinka songs are largely unknown because these are traditional folk
songs.

In a musical sense, Sevdalinka is characterized by a slow or moderate tempo 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 elements make this type of music stand out among
other types of folk music from the Balkans. Just like a majority of Balkan folk
music, Sevdalinka features very somber, minor-sounding modes, 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 and tempo 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 of course, 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 featuring the accordion (as the
most prominent instrument), the violin, nylon-string guitars and/or other string
instruments, occasionally (such as oud, saz or argija), the flute or clarinet
(occasionally), upright bass and the snare drum. In modern interpretations, between
the verses, an accordion or violin solo can almost always be heard.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 Origins and history
3 Performers
4 Notable songs
5 Examples
6 References
7 External links
Etymology[edit]
The word itself comes from the Turkish sevda which, in turn, derives from the
Arabic word sawda (meaning black bile, from the root s-w-d, "black"), which in
earlier times was used by doctors to denote one of the four humors purported to
control human feelings and emotions. In Ottoman Turkish sevda doesn't simply mean
black bile; it also 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 and the Ottoman empire. N.B., the term melancholy is
of similar origin, stemming from original Greek medical term for black bile - melan
khol.

Origins and history[edit]

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 Balkans, but
melodies and the venerable "Aman, aman" lyrical figure hint at strong Sephardic and
Andalusian influence which can be explained by the arrival of Sephardic refugees in
Ottoman Bosnia.

The first historically mentioned Sevdalinka is considered to be "Bolest Muje

Carevia" (The Illness of Mujo Carevi), 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
and heard what he described as "sad songs sung by the locals" that made him feel
melancholic.[5] In the early 16th century, a Duke from Split mentioned a song about
the forbidden love of a Christian girl named Mara Vorni and a Muslim boy named
Fadil or Adel/Adil (accounts vary).[6]

In the early 19th century, Bosniak poet Umihana uvidina contributed greatly to
Sevdalinka with her poems about her lost love, which she sang.

Performers[edit]
A couple of significant singers of the Sevdalinka in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s
were Read Belagi and Vuka eherovi. 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 Imamovi in 1945, Himzo Polovina in 1953, Beba
Selimovi in 1954, Safet Isovi in 1955 and Zehra Deovi in 1960. Nada Mamula was
signed to Radio Beograd in 1946. Others like Silvana Armenuli, Emina Zeaj, Hanka
Paldum and Meho Puzi were signed to record for such production companies, as
Jugoton, Diskoton or other Yugoslav labels.

Although sung mainly by traditional Bosniak singers, the Sevdalinka made its way to
many "mainstream" musicians. Sevdalinka-s were covered by Josipa Lisac, eljko
Bebek, Ibrica Jusi, Jadranka Stojakovi, Toe Proeski, and Zdravko oli.

In 1990s a band Mostar Sevdah Reunion was assembled in Mostar and in early 2000s
they became widely popular on the world music scene, receiving high awards for
their lively interpretations of Sevdalinka-s (that fuse Sevdalinka with
contemporary musical styles like jazz, rock and funk) and introducing many people
outside Bosnia to the genre of Sevdalinka. Equally popular today is Amira
Meunjanin dubbed by music journalist and author Garth Wainwright "Bosnia's Billie
Holiday."

Notable songs[edit]
Main article: List of Bosnia and Herzegovina folk songs
Some famous Sevdalinka songs
Ah to emo ljubav kriti (Why Should We Hide Our Love)
Da Sam Ptica (If I Were a Bird)
Moj golube (My dove)
Emina
Grana od bora, pala kraj mora (A Branch of Pine, Fell by the Sea)
Karanfile Cvijee Moje (Carnation, My Flower)
Kraj potoka bistre vode (By a Stream of Crystal Clear Water)
Omer-bee na kuli sjeae (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 buae (Sejdefa's Mother Wakes Her)[7]
Snijeg pade na behar na voe (Snow Fell on the Blossom, on the Fruit)
to 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)
Teko meni jadnoj u Saraj'vu samoj (It's Difficult for Me, a Poor Girl Alone in
Sarajevo)
U Stambolu Na Bosforu (In Istanbul on the Bosphorous)
Zapjevala sojka ptica (The Blue Jay Bird Sang)
Zaplakala eer ula (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 Fesi (Little Red Fez)
udna jada od Mostara grada (Strange Wretch from the Town of Mostar)
Djevojka sokolu zulum uinila (The Girl Perpetrated Cruelty on the Falcon)
Dola 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 ee? (Who Is Walking on the Hill?)
Lijepi li su Mostarski duani (Mostar's Shops Are Beautiful)
Mila majko, alji me na vodu (Dear Mother, Send Me to the Water)[8]
Moj dilbere (My Darling)[9]
Mujo kuje konja po mjesecu (Mujo Shoes the Horse in the Moonlight)
Sino ja i moja kona (Last Night, My Neighbor and I)
Tamburalo mome uz tamburu (The Boy Played the Tamburica)
U lijepom starom gradu Viegradu (In the Beautiful Old Town of Viegrad)
Vino piju Age Sarajlije (The Aghas of Sarajevo Drink Wine)