ISMET ALAJBEGOVIĆ ŠERBO:

Thirty-five years ago, a distinguished musician Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo passed away. He spent his entire career at various music-related positions at Radio Sarajevo, later on Radiotelevizija Sarajevo: from a soloist on the accordion, a member of famous accordion duo Alajbegović-Petković, all the way to the head of the Folk Orchestra of Radiotelevizija Sarajevo. From the aspect of music, Šerbo laid foundations of sevdalinka as we know it today, in the formal, melodic, harmonic and performing sense, and brough it to the very top of music. Instrumental parts and preludes composed by this musician, inspired by our folk melodies, are considered jewels of the traditional music of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his performing style and music making are an authentic musical expression based on the folk music heritage. His accordion had a ring of old Bosnia, a fragrance of blossom, love pain and courting, and of a time long gone. His music was pure gold which emanated from the radio.

Ismet Alajbegović was born in Sarajevo, in the Telali Street, into a wealthy merchant family, on 6 March 1927. He got the nickname “Šerboˮ as a child, when his grandfather, whose name was Šerbo, carried him in a basket or on the back, and neighbors would call after them, „Here comes little Šerbo.ˮ Besides Ismet, three more children grew up in the family: brother Mušan and sisters Munevera and Halida. His parents were fond of music, and both played the accordion as a hobby. Ismet's father was a well-known Sarajevo merchant, who had seven shops. After the Second World War, communist authorities confiscated a great part of his assets. Such an abrupt loss of assets made Ismet despise communists, and this feeling lasted until the end of his life. Although his father offered him to choose any profession he wanted, love for music and song was decisive for his life vocation. Having recognized his talent for music, his father bought him an accordion made in Germany when he was twelve. At times, he helped his father in the shop, but most often he would just put the accordion on the shoulder and left the shop, leaving it open. He soon began to play at dances, get-togethers and coffeeshops. It was the time when music was listened to attentively and when folk songs were highly appreciated. Ismet absorbed only the best sounds of the music of his people, memorized them and on this basis he built his own style of music-making. For a while, he was a member of the Muslim cultural-artistic society “Gajretˮ, where he played the accordion. It lasted until the liberation in 1945.

“Death to fascism – freedom to people! This is the free Radio Sarajevo!”, were the historic words spoken by the sound engineer of Radio Sarajevo Đorđe Lukić Cigo on 10 April 1945, which marked the beginning of broadcasting programs at Radio Sarajevo. Ismet Alajbegović, who was still a soldier of the Third Proletarian Sandžak Brigade began to play at the newly-established radio station in the duo with Zaim Imamović from the first day. Both of them were still soldiers and their participation at the radio required a permit by military command. They were the first duo of musicians at Radio Sarajevo. Šerbo played the accordion and Zaim the fife. Later on, Zaim went on to develop the career as a vocal soloist, though the cooperation between the two continued. Since there were no recording devices, all the programs of Radio Sarajevo were broadcast live. Thus, Šerbo and Zaim, not wanting to be late for the morning program which started at six, would sleep under the piano in a studio of Radio Sarajevo. Šerbo also played in the cultural-artistic team of the Sixth Army, and continued to do so until the end of 1947.

In a relatively short time, Radio Sarajevo supplemented their staff with new musicians, and thus Mustafa Krilić, Milorad Todorović and Jovica Petković also began to play the accordion at the radio. For a while, this ensemble, which also included Šerbo, played under the name “Sarajevo Quartet of Accordions”. When the number of musicians at Radio Sarajevo increased even more, Šerbo was appointed head of the Folk Orchestra. At Radio Sarajevo, only the best and the most talented applicants could pass the audition for vocal soloists. Only the greatest of them sang with the Folk Orchestra: Zaim Imamović, Beba Selimović, Zehra Deović, Safet Isović and Nada Mamula. As a strict pedagogue, Šerbo did not allow just any singer to record for the radio. Therefore, the recordings he made were included into permanent archival recordings. This quiet and unobtrusive genius with serious look radiated with a great authority, which he built due to the serious approach to work.

Over his decades-long career he composed or arranged more than 120 songs and round dances. The songs which he composed on the lyrics of his colleagues were accepted already during his life, and are now considered folk songs, since they were composed based on sevdalinka.  They include“Tebi, majko, misli leteˮ, “Stara stazaˮ, “Vratnik pjevaˮ, “Bulbul pjeva okolo Mostaraˮ, “Mi smo momci Sarajlijeˮ, “Kraj pendžera Jusuf stariˮ, “Sevdalinko, pjesmo najmilijaˮ and many others. Šerbo was incredibly gifted and, according to testimonies of his colleagues from the orchestra, he had an extraordinary hearing and had all the orchestra parts in his head. He learned notes relatively late in his life; however, he had the absolute pitch and could play a melody he heard only once without any problems. This is confirmed by a true anecdote. When Croatian composer Ivo Tijardović once played a part from his operetta “Little Floramye” on the piano for Šerbo, the latter sat at the piano and repeated everything so perfectly that the maestro was amazed. Tijardović then said that Šerbo is a musical genius!

Although his contribution to the development and recognition of the traditional music is immeasurable, Šerbo was extremely modest. He was best described by his nephew Mirsad Telalagić, who reminiscences as follows: “He was an extremely modest man, silent, he did not talk a lot. He would never say that he had done something so significant, that he was very knowledgeable about sevdalinka. He was an extremely modest man and it was his greatest virtue.”

His playing was melodically clear, delightful and refined, permeated with the traditional music of Bosnia and Herzegovina, impeccably performed and supremely arranged. He had a perfect and confident command of the accordion, and he could play the piano and perform an opera aria equally well. He was also a master of the starogradska muzika (urban traditional folk music), which is confirmed by recordings of starogradska songs with renowned performers. He was the role model for later musicians, and it was based on his music that musicians such as Omer Pobrić, Dinko Mujanović, Elvidin Krilić and others developed their own expression. He was awarded many plaques and prizes for his work, including the highest state recognition – Performing Award of Yugoslavia.

Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo passed away at the age of 62, on 28 July 1987. Nazif Veledar, PhD, the author of the Leksikon znamenitih Bošnjaka (Lexicon of Famous Bosniaks), which was published by Bosniak Cultural Community “Preporodˮ, included Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo among 1,300 famous Bosniaks.

References:

• Gunić, Vehid, (2006), “Najbolje sevdalinkeˮ, Tuzla: Bosnia ARS,

• Ovčina, Mirsad, program “Iz sehareˮ dedicated to the activity of Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo, Radio BIR, 2011.