Sevdalinka
Today we will discuss Sevdalinka, which hails from the country now called Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the music is ancient, the country is not. At least not by the name it is currently called. The history of this region is quite complex, so before we begin discussing the music, I will provide a short history of the region to better explain the influences that have taken place on this culture and of course, the music.
History of Bosnia
The South Slavic peoples have lived in the Balkan region since the 6th Century. Many of them lived in the region currently called Bosnia and Herzegovina. This territory was often caught in battles over territory with the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine Empire, only for the Kingdom of Bosnia to later fall into the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
Significant changes to the population occurred during this occupation, including the conversion of the people to Islam. Two-thirds of the population identified as Muslim by the early 1600s. The Ottoman rule ended in the early 1900s, the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia in 1908. This annexation violated the Treaty of Berlin, which also contributed to the onset of World War I.
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were assassinated by Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip. The motivation was to separate Bosnia from the Astro-Hungarian Empire in order for them to join the now developing Yugoslavia. This single event launched World War I.
The Astro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and Bosnia became part of the Kingdom of Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes in 1918. This kingdom was later named the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. When the Kingdom of Yugoslavia collapsed in 1941, the Independent State of Croatia was formed, and Bosnia was subsequently annexed. However, during World War II, division arose once again and some wanted to keep the Independent State of Croatia, while others wanted to join the communist formation of Yugoslavia. That same year, the German, Italian, and Hungarian forces invaded Yugoslavia. Josip Broz Tito, soon to be ruler of communist Yugoslavia, called all citizens to unite and they aided in the liberation of Bosnia from the Croatian state. He then formed the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia capital in Belgrade.
Communist revolutions across Europe eventually overthrew all communist states from 1989-1991. It was at this time that Bosnia and Herzegovina was officially formed. The region was by no means finished with fighting. Bosnians wanted their own state, Serbs wanted the former Yugoslavia reinstated (when I was in Serbia in 2020, I still heard constant reminiscing of the former Yugoslavia on social media). The Croats wanted Independent Croatia once again. The Bosnian War would commence from 1992-1995.
During my time in this region (several years), I heard many stories from locals in each country and the emotions have never rested. However, despite all of the territorial disputes, they share a common language and Ottoman (and Roman) influence. This has resulted in creating unique bonding experiences, including music.
Sevdalinka
Sevdalinka’s origins began during the second half of the 16th century, prior to Ottoman rule. This oral lyric poetry, celebrated as a form of love song, shares Slavic and Oriental influences. The term Sevdalinka wasn’t fully accepted until closer to the end of the 19th century. So, this means, most of the formative period of this style of music was during rule by the Ottoman Empire. This can also be identified when you listen to the instrumentation of the music.
The name Sevdalinka originates from the Arabian expression of desire and love. The Arabian word säwda was taken by the Turks and then later changed by the Bosnians to be Sevdah. Säwda translates to black bile, which is one of the four bodily humors that determine a melancholic state. The Sevdalinka songs all demonstrate yearning, melancholy, longing, tenderness, desire, happiness, suffering, passion, bewitchment, and excitement. Most of all, they speak of tragic and painful love that inspires moral and noble behavior. Sevdalinka is often sung by women and as such, the songs are often conveyed by the singer demonstrating shyness through blushing. However, the songs are not exhaustively limited to this theme. Many encompass the joys of everyday life.
South Slavic peoples have been inspired by the works of this musical oral literature throughout the centuries and it played an important literary role during the wars that took place in this region. According to many Slavists, Sevdalinka is one of the most stylish and lyrical creations in all of European oral folk poetry. This brings great pride to the creators of Sevdalinka today, not only for their creations, but for their contribution to European intellectual culture.
Tradition
The music was not only a folk tradition to the people of Bosnia, but the music lived through them. In modern society, it brings forth a reminiscence of sophisticated belief system that is based on reason, ultimately ensuring that the values focused on in society are those of harmony and fulfillment in daily life. This includes altruism and themes of self-sacrifice for the happiness and benefit of others. This music envelopes 500 years of Slavic enjoyment. The popularity’s longevity demonstrates endurance of a people who have suffered many turmoils and their timeless spirit to always find happiness in life no matter what it brings. This belief strengthens their resolve when life has been cruel and has kept a culture together despite numerous attempts of domination.
Musical Composition
Sevdalinka utilizes three scales, which is more than is commonly found in most European folk music. Many songs utilize melismatic singing passages, ornamentation, minor scales, and solemnization (notes are not written by letters, but by solfeggio). In addition, it utilizes oriental instrumentation including instruments such as the tamburica, diple, and bağlama. The music is often perfomed to the lively tempo of 2/2 or a syncopated 4/4. The music draws the listener into a world of imagination and dreams, removing one from oridinary life and into a state of contemplation. However, nearly all sevdalinkas are based upon real life events and places. The singer’s yearning is one of a real life person or place, not of fanciful stories as many other European folk poetry has often done. Svedalinkas are often sung to an instrument called the saz or bağlama, an instrument that had originated in Persia. Learn more about this fascinating instrument in the video below.
Origins
The origins are not clear. The Turkish do not identify with the sevdalinka and consider it of foreign origination. Some have said it is the music of the poor in the villages and others claim it had its deepest roots in the cities. Some cities have neighborhoodsd that claim an oral folk creator began the tradition. Additionally, many have different views on its purpose. Most claim it is in direct correlation to the relationship between a boy and a girl and their relationship. Others relate it to heroism. More as a symbol of national soul representation. More specifically identifying one’s status with the family, language, food culture, and any other way that ancestors expressed their feelings about their daily lives and how they viewed the world.
The tales told about the musical origination include women singing while doing needlework, the poor “raja” singing while doing their labors, and women singing about their soldiers fighting in the war. All of these theories seem to hold truth regardless of social layer. Everyone lived in the same fabric of society, so it was most likely that they all influenced one another.
The Sevdalinka often found itself performed at dances, weddings, village gatherings, and other group occasions. In fact, it was so common, that it could be found literally anywhere one wanted to be. That could even include while riding horses through meadows or sitting in the taverns. Sevdalinka was for everyday purposes.
However, it does not leave the listener without having been moved, often to tears.
Sevdalinka is a metaphysical and mystical oral artform. The education of Sevdalinka singers continues today, preserving the textual and melodic characteristics that have been preserved for centuries. The singer is the vessel through which ancient stories continue to be told today.
We can see how tradition has managed to be consistently upheld, while we also see the modernization of instrumentation starting to take form as we can see by the use of a guitar in the video above.
The video below is a great historical background on the music. Please watch if you would like to know even more about the history of this treasured musical poetry.
Modern Sevdalinka
Modern Sevdalinka is a beautiful combination of preservation and innovation. One doesn’t need to look far to see how it has evolved in the region. One such example is Damir Imamović Sevdah Takht band. He writes many of his own songs and has won many awards for them. His album Singer of Tales was on the top of the transglobal chart for months and won the Best of Europe Award. His album also took 6th place out of the 100 best world music albums and the German Assocation of Music Critics declared the album the best in the traditional music category. See the video below to learn more about what he and his band are doing.
The genre had remained stagnant for quite some time, however in our current modern Sevdalinka performers, we are seeing a trend that crosses traditional and sexual norms that are typical to the genre. Included in this are new political issues as well as LGBTQ rights.
Admira Medunjanin debuted her sevdalinka career in 2003. She is commonly referred to as the Balkan Edith Piaf or the Balkan Billiee Holiday. She has taken a new angle to her interpretation of sevdalinka by merging blues and jazz elements while preserving the traditional nature of the melancholic sevdalinka. In many of her performances, she has sung completely acapella, with no voice amplification or instrumentation. She has often taken the role of both genders in the sevdalinkas that she sings without changing the pronouns of the original songs.
One of the most popular sevdalinka singers who fully represents the ever-evolving gender and sexuality expression in the genre is Božo Vrećo (pronounced Bozho Vrecho). Vrećo’s identity is fully encompassed in the male-female duality. He is very true to himself and his performances are very authentic.
He has had numerous collaborations with various artists in different genres. Vrećo exemplifies the versatility of sevdalinka singers being without any particular gender, and he embodies this through the songs, clothing, and videos that he creates.
I was first introduced to Božo Vrećo through his performances with the Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra. He has quite a substantial library of songs and collaborations worth your time. I would really encourage you to explore how vast his skills and styles are.
I discovered Božo Vrećo as I was walking the streets of Split, Croatia back in 2017. I saw his concert posters on the walls and he caught my attention. As a result, I researched all I could and discovered Sevdalinka music. I’m so glad I did. Božo’s work has made a substantial impression on me and I truly respect him as an artist. Here is another video just for good measure. I guess you could say I’m rather enamored with his work.
In Closing
I’m grateful to have spent so much time in the Balkans to dive more deeply into the history and culture. This especially encompassed the music and the arts. Sevdalinka was a glorious discovery for me and I truly encourage anyone who has found this article interesting to dive more deeply into the genre. There is so much to explore and so many talented musicians worthy of your enjoyment. I know Božo Vrećo is definitely one of my go-to musicians when the mood strikes. He never disappoints.
References
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More Resources
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