Bosnian Music in Austria

by Ursula Hemetek

In the minority focus, topics of political relevance were repeatedly taken up, as in this case. From 1992, some 100 000 people from Bosnia sought refuge in Austria because of the civil war in former Yugoslavia. Through contact with Sofija Bajrektarević, a Bosnian ethnomusicologist who had fled to Austria, the idea arose to deal with the musical activities of the refugees. Two third-party funded projects were submitted and also approved:

1996-1997: Signs of life of a threatened culture (Bosnians in Austria), research project Jubilee Fund of the Austrian National Bank, project collaborator: Sofija Bajrektarević

1998-2000: Bosnian music, research project Anniversary Fund of the Austrian National Bank, project collaborator: Sofija Bajrektarević

The first project had the additional title: "Integrative and divisive tendencies in the perception of culture and identity using the example of the music of Bosnian communities in Vienna - Bosnian Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks". A special genre of Bosnian traditional urban music "Sevdalinka" was in the focus of ethnomusicological field research. Sevdalinke were very important in the life of the Bosnian refugees in Austria, because they created a musical connection to their country of origin and, so to speak, evoked the feeling of "home" on the musical level. This genre of song carried the identity of all ethnic groups in Bosnia before the war, and thus represented an integrative element.

Both research projects focused on musically active refugees, in the first project mainly from the Vienna area, in the second from all over Austria. The most important research partners of both projects were the Sevdalinka singer Ševko Pekmezović and the Saz player Himzo Tulić as well as other protagonists such as Siniša Štork and Sadija and Hašim Sadiković.

The field research recordings gathered during those year are extremely numerous. Thus, from the repertoire of Ševko Pekmezović about 300 Sevdalinke could be documented and many more musical activities from the Bosnian community (archive). There are two department’s publications deriving from these research projects: a detailed project report in book form (klanglese 1) and a CD with an extensive supplement (sound documents). Furthermore, 2 diploma theses were written on the topic (by Željka Kamhi 2001 and Belinda Rešidbegović 2002). The presentation of a bilingual stage programme with Sevdalinke and literary texts in German and Bosnian took place for the first time in December 1995 and was subsequently successfully presented in various contexts. This activity - applied ethnomusicology - was developed at the suggestion and with the participation of the research partners.