Sevdalinka is Bosnian traditional song.
First known mentions of Sevdalinkas date back approximately 500 years ago, while this tradition was hugely developed during the Ottoman rule of Bosnia.
It is important to note that the term ‘Sevdalinka’ is younger than the musical form it represents.
The main idea behind Sevdah Art House is to preserve a significant part of BiH cultural tradition through visualization of sevdalinka and multimedia presentation of its characteristics. It is a known fact that BiH sevdalinka has reached its most perfect artistics expression and that its authors and performers are an important part of the cultural identity of this country.
But why is it called sevdalinka,one may wonder? The name comes from the term “sevdah”. The origin of the word Sevdah is the Arabic word ‘säwdâ’, loosely translated as ‘black gall’ , a substance associated with the feeling of melancholy in Arabic and Turkish cultures.
Many Sevdalinkas deal with the subject matter of emotion of sadness and melancholy when a girl leaves a boy or vice versa.
Lyrics of many Sevdalinkas depict the life of Bosnian people during the times at which those songs have been written.
The word Sevdah can be said to not only depict an emotion of a certain person at a given time (i.e. ‘he has fallen into Sevdah’ meaning that someone feels melancholic), but also to represent a lifestyle.
One needs to be ‘in Sevdah’ in order to perform Sevdalinkas in the best way possible.
In other words, they will not sound good in a salon with lots of background noise and chatter.
They were designed to be performed in a tranquil back garden or a traditionally decorated large living room, while consuming some mezze and coffee in the way only Bosnian people know it.
It’s such a beautiful and vital tradition, so make sure you stop by the Sevdah Art House while you are in Sarajevo.