“Sevdah – the word is Turkish and suggests desire, yearning, thwarted love – has existed for hundreds of years in this region, often composed of just a voice and a saz (a Turkish lute). Yet it took Bosnia’s suffering to focus the world’s attention on this small nation’s music. Sevdah bears comparison to Portuguese fado and Spanish flamenco; all three are vocal arts rooted in Arabic courtly love songs from a millennium ago.”