Sjet’ se, mala, mjeseca aprila – Janj, BiH

Petar Žiža – Lead voice
Nikola Bašić – Lead voice
Momčilo Kerlec, Mirko Džakić, Dušan Đakić – Bass

Janj is a geographical, historical, and cultural area of the western part of Central Bosnia (Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is located between the Vrbas River, the Pliva River, and the Vitorog Mountain. The area’s name comes from the small but beautiful river Janj, the tributary of Pliva. It is inhabited primarily by the Orthodox Serbs.
The uniqueness of the Janj area lies in its strong roots in tradition. Many aspects of the culture, including folk costumes, craft, music, or traditional working methods (such as working with draft horses and cutting grass with a scythe to provide animal food), are still cultivated and constitute the common identity of the Janjani. What particularly enchanted us was the unique singing with a potent, deep emission.

"Sjet se mala mjeseca aprila'" is a set of songs that in this particular region are called “bećarac”. They tell about everyday life, the beauty of nature, and feelings such as love, longing, and nostalgia. The lyrics can also be humorous.

“Bećarac” from Janj is a transitional form between the old singing style and the new one called “na bas” that ends with the fifth interval.

Lyrics (ENG)
Do you remember, my little girl, that April
Do you remember, my darling, when you were mine
Laying on my arm, you promised me
That I'll be your love
Do you remember the past
I was a married man, you were someone else's woman
My little girl, let me
Unbutton your bodice
So I can see if your heart
Is beating the same as mine
My little girl, let me
Unbutton your bodice
So I can see if your heart
Is beating the same as mine

Lyrics (SR)
Sjet' se, mala, mjeseca aprila
Sjet' se, dušo, kad si moja bila
Klela si se na ramenu mome
Da ću biti ljubav srcu tvome
Sjet se, mala, prošloga vremena
Ja oženjen, a ti tuđa žena
Daj, dozvoli mala moja
Da raskopčam njedra tvoja
Da ja vidim srce, srce tvoje
Da li kuca kao moje
Daj, dozvoli, mala moja
Da raskopčam njedra tvoja
Da ja vidim srce, srce tvoje
Da li kuca kao moje

---
About us – Balkan Polyphony is a field research project that collects traditional music from the Balkan area. We are not interested in any ideologies. We don’t take sides in any historical conflicts. What interests us is traditional culture and its musical intricacies.