Đe god koja, kažu da je moja – Janj, BiH

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

Miloš Škorić- Kosač

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 name of the area 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 food for animals) are still cultivated and constitute the common identity of the Janjani. What particularly enchanted us was the unique singing with a very powerful, deep emission.

,,Đe god koja, kažu da je moja” 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)

Whenever they see a married woman, they say “She’s mine”
Whenever they see a newly married, they say “She’s ours”
Whenever they see a maiden, they say “You shouldn’t touch her”

Lyrics (SR)

Đe god koja, kažu da je moja
Đe god snaša, kažu da je naša
Đe god beba, kažu da ne treba

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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.