Our Arsen Has Passed: He Will Be Remembered as a Romantic, the Balkan Chanson Singer

The passing of Arsen Dedić on Monday evening was one of the top news stories in print, electronic media, and online portals in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina..., reports the Patria News Agency.

He was one of the most beloved musicians and performers in the former Yugoslavia. He is one of the founders of the chanson genre in our region, with a recognizable vocal and witty poetic style, a versatile artist, composer, flutist, conductor, arranger, music producer, and poet, assessed Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS).

Along with a detailed biography of Arsen Dedić, RTS also reminds that "with a large number of awards and recognitions, with an extensive artistic opus of over 30 albums, Arsen tirelessly worked in recent years, despite his deteriorating health.".

'He will be remembered as a romantic, the Balkan chanson singer, with a completely unique style of high artistic value,' states RTS.

'Arsen Dedić's musical footprint on the SFRY music scene is immense. You won't be mistaken if you say that what Charles Aznavour, Jasques Brel, Leonard Cohen, Serge Gainsbourg, and Scott Walker represented for the world, Arsen was for the music scene of the twenty-two-million-strong Yugoslavia,' assesses the B92 portal.

Arsen's passing has prompted numerous comments on portals, including: 'The best are leaving, but all their works, their songs, do not die! Rest in peace, maestro!'; 'Another man who symbolized the spirit of that bygone, South Slavic spirit has left'; 'The greatest Yugoslav composer, singer, poet, but above all, a great man, our dear Arsen, has died';

'He will be remembered as a romantic, the Balkan chanson singer, with a completely special style of high artistic value'; 'If possible, I beg, let Arsen not be just a Croatian composer,' because with his music, he transcended these regions and our primitive nationalisms.'

Arsen Dedić's admirers on portals also quote his numerous verses, including '...from the time of poetry and peace, only an empty house remained...', and among the most numerous links to Arsen's music on portals are: 'What you know about me', 'Moderato cantabile', 'Your tender years', 'Girl for a day', 'If you come closer', 'The girl from my neighborhood', and Ujević's 'Departure' - 'There to travel...'.