Sofka Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Софка Николић; 1907 – 27 July 1982) was a Bosnian and Yugoslav singer of
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
considered to be the first major music star in Yugoslavia. She recorded over 55
LP records
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
.
Biography
She started to sing as a minor at local fairs and events and she later went on to sing in
kafanas of
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
and
Mostar
Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is sit ...
, where she was best-known for performance of Bosnian love songs
sevdalinka
Sevdalinka (), also known as Sevdah music, is a traditional Musical genre, genre of folk music originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevdalinka is an integral part of the Bosniak culture, but is also spread across th ...
s. The first LP by Nikolić was recorded in 1927 and it contained several hits like ''
Kolika je Jahorina planina'' and ''Kad bi znala, dilber Stano''.
Her major concerts were in the 1920s, after which she moved to
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and married fellow musician Paja Nikolić. His orchestra was a regular on Nikolić's concert tours, including a number of concerts abroad in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Sofka Nikolić's musical adaptations of folk poems and original compositions attracted a large number fans. Her songs was praised by
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
,
Aleksa Šantić,
Branislav Nušić
Branislav Nušić ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Нушић, ; – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil servant.
Life
Bra ...
and other famous artists.
Nikolić had one daughter who died in an accident in 1936, after which Nikolić retired from public life.
A street in
Bijeljina is named after her.
Selected singles
*''Ali paša na Hercegovini''
* ''Cojle, Manojle''
* ''Kolika je Jahorina planina''
* ''Kad bi znala, dilber Stano''
*'' Moj dilbere ''
* ''Čuješ seko''
*'' Igrali se vrani konji''
*'' Ja nabacih udicu''
* ''Lijepa li je u Alage ljuba''
* ''Zapevala bulbul ptica''
* ''Zone, mori Zone''
* ''Zulfe, mori Zulfe ''
* ''Od kako je Banja Luka postala''
* ''Oj Boga ti, siva ptico sokole''
* ''Sagradiću šajku''
* ''Svu noć mlada''
*'' Uzmi sine Stanu''
* ''Tri put ti čuknam''
* ''Po mesečini, kraj šimšira''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolić, Sofka
1907 births
1982 deaths
Musicians from Šabac
Yugoslav women singers
Serbian folk singers