Sevdalinka (pronounced[seʋdǎliːŋka]), also known asSevdah music orBalkan Blues,[1] is a traditionalgenre offolk music originating inBosnia and Herzegovina. Sevdalinka is an integral part of theBosnian culture,[2][3][4][5] but is also spread across the ex-Yugoslav region, includingCroatia,Montenegro,North Macedonia andSerbia.[6] The actual composers of many Sevdalinka songs are unknown because these are traditionalfolk songs.[7] In 2024, sevdalinka was included on theUNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[8]
Sevdalinka songs are characterised by their slow or moderatetempo, elaborate structure, and intense, emotionally potent melodies. The singer will often impose arhythm andtempo into the song, both of which can vary throughout the piece. Traditionally, Sevdalinkas are considered "women's songs", often addressing issues of longing and love, often unfulfilled and unrequited, some exploring women's physical desires for their loved ones, and some even having a range of comedic elements.[9] However, there are Sevdah songs written and sung by men as well. Traditionally, they were performed without any instruments, hence their elaborate melodies. As with most old folk styles, what the sounds of the original melodies would have been like rests on conjecture, as their interpretations are now closely aligned, in part due to the historically increasing role of accompanying instruments, with the Western chromatic system (which stands in contrast to Oriental modes, which often use intervals smaller than asemitone). Modern interpretations of Sevdalinka songs are usually accompanied by a smallorchestra featuring theaccordion (as the most prominent instrument), theviolin, the nylon-stringguitar and/or other string instruments, such as the uprightbass, thesaz oršargija and occasionally theflute orclarinet, and thesnare drum. In modern interpretations, an accordion or violinsolo can almost always be heard between theverses.[10]
The word "Sevdalinka" comes from theTurkish "sevda" which, in turn, derives from theOttoman Turkish "sevda" and refers to the state of being in love, and more specifically to the intense and forlorn longing associated with love-sickness and unfulfilled and unrequited love. It was these associations that arrived with the word when it was brought to Bosnia through the activities of theOttoman Empire. Today, it is a richly evocativeBosnian word, denoting "to pine" or "to long", whether for a loved one, a place or a time, with a sense of joy and pain, both being at the emotional core of Sevdalinka lyrics.[5][10]
The people of Bosnia employ the words "sevdalinka" and "sevdah" interchangeably as a name for this sort of music, although the shared Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian loanword "sevdah" can also be used in other contexts.Saudade, a central term in PortugueseFado, is of the same origin, emerging from Arabic medical discourses and used for centuries in bothAl-Andalus and the Ottoman empire.[5][10]
The origins of Sevdalinka are not known for certain, although it is known to date at least as far back as to the arrival of theOttomans in themedievalBalkans. Their melodies and the venerable lyrical figure of "Aman, aman" hint at aSephardic andAndalusian influence, which can be explained by the arrivals of Sephardic refugees into Ottoman Bosnia, or more likely attributed to an OttomanTurkish signification which translates into "have mercy".[5]
The first historic appearance of 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 refers to the Sevdalinka is the work of an Italian man passing through the Bosnian city ofVisoko in the year 1574, who has heard what he described as "sad songs sung by the locals" that made him feelmelancholic.[11] In the early 16th century, aduke fromSplit also mentioned what was probably a Sevdalinka song about the forbidden love of a Christian girl named Mara Vornić and a Muslim boy namedFadil orAdel/Adil (accounts vary).[12]
The earliest known female Sevdalinka poet wasUmihana Čuvidina, who wrote mainly about her deceased husband.
A couple of significant singers of the Sevdalinka in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s wereRešad Bešlagić andVuka Šeherović. Towards the end of World War II, Radio Sarajevo was founded and signed some of the most prominent "Sevdalije" (or Sevdalinka performers), among themZaim Imamović in 1945,Himzo Polovina in 1953,Beba Selimović in 1954,Safet Isović in 1955, andZehra Deović in 1960.Nada Mamula was signed to Radio Beograd in 1946. Others, such asSilvana Armenulić,Emina Zečaj,Nedžad Salković [bs],Hanka Paldum andMeho Puzić, were signed to record for such production companies asJugoton,Diskoton or otherYugoslav labels.
Although sung predominantly by traditionalBosniak singers, the Sevdalinka made its way to many "mainstream" musicians. Sevdalinkas have as such been covered byJosipa Lisac,Željko Bebek,Ibrica Jusić,Jadranka Stojaković,Toše Proeski andZdravko Čolić, among others.
In the 1990s, the bandMostar Sevdah Reunion was assembled inMostar, and in the early 2000s rose to prominence on theworld music scene, receiving prominent awards for their lively interpretations of Sevdalinkas (whichfused Sevdalinka with contemporary musical styles such asjazz,funk androck) and introducing many people outside of Bosnia to the genre of the Sevdalinka.[9][13][14] Equally popular today are songwriters/performersDamir Imamović,Božo Vrećo andAmira Medunjanin, the latter dubbed by the music journalist and author Garth Cartwright as "Bosnia'sBillie Holiday".[15]
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