Himzo Polovina

Himzo Polovina was a Bosnian singer, collector and writer of sevdalinkas, and a neuropsychiatrist by profession. He was born on 11 March 1927 in Mostar and died on 5 August 1986. Many consider him the most prominent singer and collector of sevdalinkas of all time, and his deep understanding of the songs left a great mark on Bosnian culture.

His father, Mušan Polovina, whose family came from near Foča, had served as an Austro-Hungarian soldier in the First World War and met his wife, Ivanka Hlebec, in Ljubljana. Mušan played the šargija and sang sevdalinkas, lining up his children to sing along in unison. Himzo also acted and recited in the drama section of the society Itihad, where he played in Hasanaginica with his brother Mirza and sister Samija, and just before the Second World War he began to learn the violin with the Czech-born professor Karel Malaček.

From 1947 he toured the towns and villages of Yugoslavia with the folk ensemble Abrašević, often performing in folk costume, and as a medical student he sang with several student and amateur ensembles. He went on to qualify as a neuropsychiatrist, used music therapy in his work and remained a respected doctor at the Jagomir hospital in Sarajevo until his death.

In January 1953, when Radio Sarajevo still broadcast live, colleagues persuaded him to audition. Despite a speech impediment with the letter "r", he won over the experts with "Mehmeda je stara majka karala", a song with only two of them, and was accepted. His singing career lasted more than thirty years: he recorded some twenty records, made a great many archive recordings for the radio and often sang at charity concerts in hospitals, care homes and children's homes. His version of "Emina", with verses added after the death of Emina Sefić, the woman the song is about, is considered by many the best.

Among the old songs he saved from being forgotten are "Voljelo se dvoje mladih", "Dvore gradi Komadina Mujo", "Jutros prođoh kroz čaršiju" and "Mila majko, šalji me na vodu"; his albums include Narodne pjesme iz Bosne i Hercegovine (1972), Kradem ti se u večeri (1976) and Sevdah i suze (1984). He received the Estrada award of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Yugoslavia. He died of a heart attack after a concert in Plav, Montenegro, while on holiday with his family; according to his brother Mirza, the last song he sang was "Emina". He is buried at the Bare cemetery in Sarajevo.