ZEHRA DEOVIĆ

Her songs and voice left an indelible trace in our folk music, and her performances are considered memorable. She was a true musician, a brilliant vocal performer who belonged to the very top of distinguished performers of Bosnian and Herzegovinian urban love song – sevdalinka. Her great talent, dedicated work and persistence earned her a place among legendary performers of sevdalinka.

Zehra Deović was born in Foča on 9 December 1938. The Deovićs were an old family of Foča, who draw their origin from Sulejman-bey Devo, a vizier of Buda. Besides the Devo mahala (neighborhood), there also used to be the Devo (Deo) Mosque in Foča until the latest aggression, when members of the army of Republika Srpska burned it down on 4 May 1992. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War Zehra's father Halim was killed and she, as a three-year old girl, fled Foča with her mother Abida, the brother and the sister, like many families from Eastern Bosnia. They found refuge with their relatives in Sarajevo neighborhood of Bistrik. In 1946, they returned to their native Foča, and Zehra completed primary and high school there. She inherited love for songs from her mother, who had a nice voice although, like other Muslim women, she sang very rarely, only for her children or in the circle of the most immediate family. It is from her that Zehra learned the song “Mlad se Jusuf oženioˮ (Young Jusuf got married), which she would record in several versions during her career. She showed love for singing from the early childhood. At a very young age she became a member of the Youth Cultural-Artistic Society “Jedinstvoˮ, where she drew attention to herself with her impressive talent. She had her first public performances with “Jedinstvo”, and as early as in 1953 she performed in many big cities in Yugoslavia. She gave her first significant performance in 1957, in the Center of Guard in Belgrade, when she already got the audience appeal. Upon completing the high school, in 1960, she enrolled in the Teachers' College (department of music) in Sarajevo. At the same time she became a member of cultural-artistic society “Slobodan Princip Seljo”, where she continued her singing career.

Zehra Deović began the professional career of vocal performer in 1960, upon joining Radio Sarajevo. As an experienced performer, she had no difficulties passing the audition for vocal soloists out of eighty applicants. The song with which she presented herself to the committee and which threw open the door to Radio Sarajevo was sevdalinka “Dvije su se vode zavadileˮ (Two waters got into a fight). According to research by historian Alija Bejtić, this famous song preserved remembrance of a horrible flood that befell Foča between 19.2. and 9.3.1731. Seven neighborhoods in Foča were flooded, and the Ćehotina River was so high that it “did not surrender to the Drina itself”, as Bejtić wrote. This song remained the “identity card” of Zehra Deović.

Zehra Deović recorded her first phonograph record (with four songs) for “Jugoton” in 1962. Popularity of the record was increased due to a song which we now consider folk: “Tebi, majko, misli leteˮ (My thoughts fly to you, mother) by Nikola Škrbo. In her over fifty-year long career, she recorded more than a dozen of singles, three long-play records, and dozens of songs were published within many compilations. Her records were published by record houses “Jugotonˮ, “PGP RTBˮ, “Diskosˮ and “Beograd diskˮ. During her career she cooperated with Folk and Tambura Orchestra of Radio-television Sarajevo, Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo, Jovica Petković, Jozo Penava, Omer Pobrić, Dragan Knežević, Elvidin Krilić and others. It was for her that Jovica Petković composed the song “Da sam ptica” (If I were a bird) on lyrics by Mustafa Mujezinović, and she put a unique stamp on it with her own molding. In Zehra Deović's repertoire there were no songs which were sung “for form's sake”. She selected each song carefully and did not reach for fame. Only top composers wrote for Zehra, such as Jozo Penava, Safet Kafedžić or Selver Pašić. One should also single out songs which she recorded in duos with other outstanding performers of sevdalinka Zora Dubljević and Safet Isović. Over five decades of work resulted in numerous tours and performances in the country and abroad. She left a significant number of memorable recordings with Folk and Tambura Orchestra of Radio-television Sarajevo. Songs such as “Dvije su se vode zavadileˮ (Two waters got into a fight), “Gdje si, dragi, živa željo mojaˮ (Where are you, darling, my ardent desire), “Pšeničice, sitno sjemeˮ (Wheat, tiny seeds) or “Evo, danas osmi danˮ (Here comes the eighth day) belong to the pearls of our folk music. She particularly loved songs which sang about the Drina River, such as “Tri su seje zbor zborileˮ (Three sisters conversed), “Lijepo ti je pogledatiˮ (It is nice to see), “Rodni gradeˮ (My home town), “Srce moje izmorenoˮ (My exhausted heart) etc.

The story about song “Ni bajrami više nisuˮ (Even Bayrams are no longer) is also interesting. Zehra got lyrics of the song from Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo, who donated her the melody and who believed that only Zehra could perform it. The author of lyrics was unknown, all until the appearance of Zehra Deović in program “Bisernicaˮ at Radio Sarajevo edited by Jasna Spaić. A lady phoned claiming that lyrics for the song were written by her uncle Ismet Mulalić from Livno. He attended tanners' school at Visoko and courted a girl named Esma Oruč from Visoko. When he came from Livno to take his graduation certificate, he learned that his Esma had got married. It was then that he wrote the verses: Ni bajrami više nisu/ kao što su nekad bili/ ašikluci, gdje ste sada/ kao nekad u mahali?/...Bosno moja, moj uzdahu/ Esmo moja, moj sevdahu! (Even Bayrams are no longer/ what they used to be / courtings, where are you now/ as you used to be in the neighborhood?/ ... My Bosnia, my sigh/ my Esma, my yearning!) It is assumed that the lyrics were written in about 1938. Although the song was well-known in broad musical circles, since it is certain that it was performed even in Belgrade in the late 1930s and the early 1940s, it was tacitly forbidden to record and perform it in the postwar socialist Yugoslavia, because of its first verse. Zehra was brave enough to record the song in 1969, and it was published by “Beograd diskˮ. On the record Zehra was accompanied by orchestra of Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo. For the fear of possibly losing the job at Radio Sarajevo or other complications, instead of Šerbo, orchestra of then rising accordion player Omer Pobrić, who played the second accordion in Šerbo's orchestra, was signed on the record.

Upon the beginning of Bosniaks' national revival, in 1990, Zehra Deović recorded an album of nasheeds, qasidas and sevdalinkas “Kad procvatu behariˮ (When blossom blooms), accompanied by the choir of Gazi Husrev-beg Madrasa. The album was very well accepted, since the song “Mejraˮ became hugely popular in the 1990s, as well as later on. She also participated in memorable programs “Evening of Nasheeds and Qasidasˮ in Zetra in Sarajevo and at Bilino Polje stadium in 1990. During the war years, even under the most severe siege, she recorded the song “Mladost moga Sarajevaˮ (Youth of my Sarajevo) on the lyrics by Džemaludin Latić, which was published within the project “To shahids of Bosnia and Herzegovina ˮ.

She was awarded many recognitions and prizes for her dedicated work, the most significant ones being Performing Award of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1980) and Performing award of Yugoslavia (1980). During the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina she actively participated at many charity concerts in the country and abroad. Her last album “Poklon Bosniˮ (A gift to Bosnia) was published in 2013, by Music Production of BHRT. It includes her best-known songs, as well as the song “Safete, Sajoˮ, dedicated to her years-long colleague and a doyen of folk music Safet Isović.

Zehra Deović passed away in Sarajevo on 30 October 2015. During her entire career she remained loyal to her orientation - sevdalinka. She saved dozens of songs from oblivion, and the contribution which she gave to our musical heritage is immeasurable.

References:

• Bejtić, Alija (1956), “Povijest i umjetnost Foče na Driniˮ, Naše starine – Godišnjak Zemaljskog zavoda za zaštitu spomenika kulture i prirodnih rijetkosti N. R. Bosne i Hercegovine, vol. III, Sarajevo.

• Ovčina, Mirsad, program “Iz sehareˮ, interview with Zehra Deović, Radio BIR, 2011