Sephardic Art Song A Musical Legacy of T

ABSTRACT
Title of Dissertation: SEPHARDIC ART SONG: A MUSICAL

LEGACY OF THE SEPHARDIC DIASPORA
Lori Şen, Doctor of Musical Arts, 2019
Dissertation directed by: Professor Linda Mabbs, School of Music

Professor Martha Randall, School of Music
This dissertation explores the rich Sephardic Art Song repertoire. It comprises
a geographical and historical overview of the Sephardim; an introduction of the
Ladino (Judeo-Espagnol) language; a musical overview of traditional Sephardic
songs; and the development of the genre from its emergence to the present, including
a list of all the 20th- and 21st-century composers that have contributed to the
Sephardic Art Song genre and a catalog of their works; a discussion on performance
practice, including a diction guide for Ladino; and three recital performances of a
selection of works from this repertoire. The recordings of these live performances are
available for view.
The Sephardim are a diasporic population of Jewish people, whose ancestry
can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, specifically to the Jews that were
expelled from Spain in 1492 as a result of the Spanish Inquisition. As they migrated
all over the world, the Sephardim carried with them their culture, traditions, Judeo-
Espagnol language, and oral literature. Traditional Sephardic songs constitute a large
portion of this literature and have been preserved to this day through oral
transmission from generation to generation. The 20th century witnessed an emergence
of a Sephardic song repertoire in the form of classical art song, as Western classical
composers, such as Alberto Hemsi, showed interest in collecting and transcribing
these folksongs, and in arranging them in the Western classical tradition for voice and
various instruments, in various degrees of complexity. As of today, there are over
forty-five 20th- and 21st-century Western classical composers that have made
significant contributions to the Sephardic Art Song genre with their arrangements of
over a hundred and ninety Sephardic folksongs, as well as their original compositions.
The composers discussed and the selection of 20th- and 21st-century works
performed in this dissertation are the following: Yehezkel Braun, Seven Sephardic
Romances; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Three Sephardic Songs; José Antonio de
Donostia, Canciones Sefardíes; Frederic Hand, Sephardic Songs; Alberto Hemsi,
Coplas Sefardies; William Kenlon, Two Sephardic Songs; Manuel García Morante,
40 Canciones Sefardies; Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Six Chansons Populaires
Séphardiques; Lorenzo Palomo, Cinco Canciones Sefardíes; Sid Robinovitch, Rodas
Recordada; Joaquín Rodrigo, Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes; Wolf Simoni, Cuatro
Cánticas Sefardíes; Manuel Valls, Canciones Sefarditas; Andrew Zohn, 8 Sephardic
Songs.
SEPHARDIC ART SONG: A MUSICAL LEGACY OF THE SEPHARDIC
DIASPORA
by
Lori Şen
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the

University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts
2019
Advisory Committee:
Professor Linda Mabbs, Chair
Professor Martha Randall, Co-chair
Professor Carmen Balthrop
Professor Jessica Roda
Professor Rita Sloan
Professor Juan Uriagereka
© Copyright by
Lori Şen
2019
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my heartfelt love and gratitude to Professor Martha
Randall and Professor Linda Mabbs for their mentorship and guidance throughout my
dissertation, but also for being intellectual inspirations and role models for me during
my studies at the University of Maryland. I would also like to thank my dissertation
committee members, Professor Rita Sloan, Professor Carmen Balthrop, and Professor
Juan Uriagereka, and Professor Jessica Roda, a late but exceedingly welcome
addition to my committee. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and full support
throughout my research and performances.
My dissertation journey has been fulfilling in many respects, but I have
especially found great joy in meeting and learning from friends and colleagues, who
have shared with me their passion, talent, and knowledge along the way without
reservation. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Dr. Patricia Caicedo,
Manuel García Morante, Dr. Jessica Roda, and Linet Şaul, for inspiring me and for
generously sharing their knowledge and work with me. Very special thanks to Dr.
William Kenlon and Dr. Brian T. Field, who eagerly contributed to my Sephardic Art
Song project with their original compositions. Many thanks to Sofiya Schug, who
introduced me to Rodrigo’s Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes; the work that triggered this
whole project. I would also like to thank Alex Chan, Jeremy Lyons, Emily Robinson,
Meghan Shanley, Shawn Alger, Carol Anne Bosco, Caroline Rohm, Juliana Franco,
and William Kenlon, with whom I had the pleasure of creating beautiful music on
stage. I am grateful that our paths crossed and I look forward to many collaborations
in the future.
ii
I would like to thank the Ethnomusicology division at the University of
Maryland for welcoming me so warmly in their department over the past two years.
My special thanks go to Dr. Laura Schnitker and fellow TAs, who have widened my
perspective with their knowledge and encouraged me to look at my own research
through different lenses. I cherish our many meaningful conversations.
Some special words of gratitude go to my friends near and far, who have been
an immense support system during this exciting but challenging time in my life;
particularly, Beni Çukurel, Noam Auslander, Yonatan Saadon, Shoshana Kohen
Çikurel, Aydın Cem Keser, Gökçe Başar, Tania M. Jenkins, Professor Jeanette
Thompson, Juliana Franco, Sequina DuBose, Alex Chan, Maxwell Yamane, and
Víctor Hernández-Sang—I am grateful for our friendship.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank my family for their support and
encouragement over the years. None of what I have accomplished thus far would
have been possible without your love and support; I owe you an immeasurable debt of
gratitude for helping me become the Lori I am today.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments........................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables ............................................................................................................... vi
List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................. vii
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER 1: THE SEPHARDIM ............................................................................ 13
1.1. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ........................................................................... 13
1.2. THE LADINO LANGUAGE .......................................................................... 15
1.3. SEPHARDIM TODAY ................................................................................... 18
CHAPTER 2: TRADITIONAL SEPHARDIC SONGS ............................................ 20
2.1. CATEGORIES ................................................................................................. 20
2.1.1. Romances .................................................................................................. 20
2.1.2. Coplas ....................................................................................................... 21
2.1.3. Cantigas..................................................................................................... 22
2.2. TEXTS ............................................................................................................. 22
2.3. THE MUSIC .................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 3: SEPHARDIC SONGS IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES ........ 27
CHAPTER 4: THE SEPHARDIC ART SONG CATALOG .................................... 30
4.1. LIST OF COMPOSERS AND WORKS ......................................................... 30
4.2. LIST OF WORKS CATEGORIZED BY INSTRUMENTATION ................. 32
4.3. LIST OF SONGS ............................................................................................. 34
CHAPTER 5: PERFORMANCE PRACTICE .......................................................... 44
5.1. PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................ 44
5.2. DICTION ......................................................................................................... 48
5.3. MUSIC ............................................................................................................. 53
5.4. AUDIENCE ..................................................................................................... 56
CHAPTER 6: PERFORMANCES ............................................................................ 61
6.1. RECITAL 1 – PROGRAM NOTES ................................................................ 61
6.1.1. Lorenzo Palomo, Cinco Canciones Sefardíes (2006) ............................... 62
6.1.2. Manuel Valls, Canciones Sefarditas (1975) ............................................. 63
6.1.3. Andrew Zohn, 8 Sephardic Songs (2011) ..................................................... 64
6.2.1. José Antonio (Aita) de Donostia, Canciones Sefardíes (1941) ................ 66
6.2.2. Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques (1982) .... 67
6.2.3. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Three Sephardic Songs (1959) .................. 68
6.2.4. Manuel García Morante, 40 Canciones Sefardies (1983) ......................... 70
6.2.5. Alberto Hemsi, Coplas Sefardies (1933-1973)......................................... 72
6.3.1. Joaquín Rodrigo, Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes (1965) ............................. 75
6.3.2. Yehezkel Braun, Seven Sephardic Romances (1968) ............................... 78
6.3.3. Frederic Hand, Sephardic Songs (1996) ................................................... 80
6.3.4. Wolf Simoni, Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes (1935/36)................................. 82
6.3.5. William Kenlon, Two Sephardic Songs (2018) ........................................ 83
iv
6.3.6. Sid Robinovitch, Rodas Recordada (2005) .............................................. 86
Appendix A: RECITAL DVD TRACK LISTINGS .................................................. 89
Appendix B: TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS ......................................................... 92
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 112
v
List of Tables
Table 1: List of Composers in Chronological Order and Their Works ..................... 30
Table 2: List of Works Categorized By Instrumentation ........................................... 32
Table 3: List of Songs in Alphabetical Order ............................................................ 34
Table 4: Vowel Sounds in Ladino ............................................................................. 51
Table 5: Consonant Sounds in Ladino ....................................................................... 52
vi
List of Abbreviations
acc Accordion
alt Alto (voice)
bar Baritone (voice)
bcl Bass clarinet
bn Bassoon
cl Clarinet
db Double bass
fl Flute
gtr Guitar
hn Horn
hp Harp
mez Mezzo-soprano (voice)
ob Oboe
org Organ
perc Percussion
pf Piano
picc Piccolo
sop Soprano (voice)
str String instruments
tam Tambourine
ten Tenor (voice)
timp Timpani
tbn Trombone
tpt Trumpet
v Voice (solo)
va Viola
vc Cello
vn Violin
vii
INTRODUCTION
In the 21st century, the Western classical art song genre has secured its place
among the undergraduate and graduate voice performance curricula in schools as an
outcome of the growing interest in performing this repertoire in concert halls
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Around the mid-19th century, classical singers
began to include art songs in their recital and concert repertoire, which was
considered to be an innovative approach at the time. The conventional19th century
concert hall repertoire mainly consisted of arias, as the art song belonged to soirées in
more intimate spaces, such as the “music salons of the cultivated bourgeoisie” or
homes of the elite.1 By early to mid-20th century, it had already become quite
common for classical singers to juxtapose operatic repertoire not only with works
from the pioneers of the art song genre, the German Lied and French Mélodie, but
also the vocal literature of the United States and the British Isles. The performances
included both the operatic and the popular, ranging from duets from La Bohème to
Noel Coward’s Bitter Sweet, from film music to ballads and folk songs.2 In his article
on voice recitals in smaller cities in the United States, James F. Richardson mentions
Pavarotti’s first recital in New York in 1973 as follows:
“Luciano Pavarotti has never strayed from his Italian arias and songs. The
Times likened his programming to that of John McCormack “with the
English-Irish side of the song literature. As McCormack did, so Mr. Pavarotti
1
Kravitt, Edward F. “The Lied in 19th-Century Concert Life.” Journal of the American Musicological
Society Vol. 18, No. 2, 1965, p. 208.
2
Richardson, James F. “Vocal Recitals in Smaller Cities: Changes in Supply, Demand and Content
Since the 1920’s.” Journal of Cultural Economics, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1981, pp. 21-35.
1
does, this kind of semi-pop concert with style and vocal beauty. No
intellectual records are broken, but everybody has a marvelous time.” The
clear implication is that if you have that kind of voice you can get away with
that kind of program.”3
In a similar manner, Spanish soprano Victoria de los Angeles was applauded for her
performances of works in German, French, and her native Spanish, in the United
States in 1950s.4 There are many more examples of classical singers’ incorporation of
vocal repertoire from their homelands and culture into their recital programs
throughout the 20th century. This way, audiences, as well as singers, became exposed
to repertoire and languages outside the canon and developed an appreciation for
works that represented different cultures and genres.
In her book Los sonidos de las naciones imaginadas: La canción artística
latinoamericana en el context del nacionalismo musical, Colombian soprano,
musicologist, and Iberian and Latin American art song expert Patricia Caicedo draws
attention to the lack of publications, recordings, and performances of the Latin
American art song literature, and its exclusion from curricula in schools outside Latin
America.5 Consequently, the limited access to any repertoire, as well as absence of
resources, result in a lack of interest among classical singers in performing them;
however, this is about to change. Today, classical singers and teachers have a vast
repertoire to choose from, although most students and professional singers may not be
fully aware of that. The recent developments in publishing, recording, and internet
3
Ibid., p. 26.
4
Ibid.
5
Caicedo, Patricia. Los sonidos de las naciones imaginadas: La canción artística latinoamericana en
el contexto del nacionalismo musical. Barcelona: Mundo Arts and Fundación Autor, 2018, pp. 195-
196.
2
streaming, allow musicians and scholars to have access to the Western classical vocal
literature of Iberia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, the Middle
East, but also the vocal works inspired by melodies and folk literature of native and
indigenous peoples, diasporic populations, and some other ethnic and minority
groups. There seems to be a growing interest and effort in making repertoire outside
the canon more available and accessible, which perhaps is a positive outcome of the
globalization the world is experiencing today. For example, thanks to Caicedo, we
now have access to more resources on the Latin American vocal repertoire. She
continuously shares her scholarly work with the world through her published books,
academic articles, and compilations of music scores, but also with the annual
Barcelona Festival of Song she founded in Spain, in 2005, which is a festival and
summer program dedicated to the Iberian and Latin American art song repertoire.
Presumably, the classical music world will gradually witness more of such
contributions in different art song genres, as more passionate music scholars like
Caicedo will emerge, either for personal reasons or in reaction to the increasing
appreciation of diversity in vocal literature.
My personal interest in the field of psychology offered me another perspective
in looking at this expanding diversity in vocal literature. In his article on Psychology
Today, psychologist Gregg Henriques explores the concept of identity, which he
claims to be one of the most central concepts in clinical-personality psychology.6 Our
identities are a combination of many subcategories (such as national identity, class
identity, cultural identity, religious identity, regional identity, political identity, sexual
6
Henriques, Gregg. "Jordan Peterson: Part One of a Five Part Blog Series." Psychology Today. August
7, 2018. Accessed November 10, 2018. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-
knowledge/201808/jordan-peterson-part-one-five-part-blog-series.
3
identity, and more), some of which we are born into, while some are developed over
the course of a lifetime through our experiences that shape our perspectives (or more
scientifically speaking, through the plasticity of our brains). Many other psychologists
take this identity discussion one step further and suggest that however different our
identities may be, there is a universal existential issue pertaining to who we are.
Today, we are exposed to different cultures, identities, perspectives, and ideas more
than ever before; however, the outcome of such exposure (and/or globalization) is not
uniformity across populations, but rather, a stronger appreciation of diversity. In his
book, Globalisation and the Complexity of Self: The Relevance of Psychotherapy, Les
Todres wonders what “the future of psychotherapy in an increasingly plural and
global culture”7 might be. One could ask the same question for music. The reason I
am raising this question is simply because as classical singers, our performances are
only meaningful and successful, if we are able to connect and communicate with the
audience. How can we develop new strategies in communicating with audiences that
reflect and appreciate such diversity?
My desire to come up with my own answer to this question became further
intensified through my experiences as a teaching assistant for the general education
course MUSC215 World Popular Musics and Identity, offered by the
Ethnomusicology division at the University of Maryland School of Music. This
course introduces students to different popular music genres from all around the
world through lenses of various identity categories listed in the previous paragraph.
Throughout the semester, students are expected to develop critical thinking skills
7
Todres, Les. “Globalisation and the Complexity of Self: The Relevance of Psychotherapy.” In:
Embodied Enquiry. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2007, p. 103.
4
through lectures and discussions about K-pop and gender, ska and Jamaican national
identity, heavy metal and globalization, hip hop and racial identities, and more. The
significance of assessing these popular genres from a perspective that can be
summarized as “Why is this music meaningful and to whom?” is strongly emphasized
many times over the semester, while students are discouraged from branding a piece
of music simply as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on their own taste. Regardless of the genre
or identity category at hand, these discussions have frequently culminated in a
conversation about authenticity. The Oxford English Dictionary defines authenticity
as follows: “The fact or quality of being real; actuality, reality,” “The quality or fact
of accurately reflecting a model or exemplar, or of being traditionally produced or
presented,” “The quality of truthful correspondence between inner feelings and their
outward expression; unaffectedness, sincerity.”8 The students’ comments on authentic
artists resonated with these definitions. Whether they enjoyed an artist (or a genre or
performance) or not, they expressed an evident appreciation for those that they
thought were authentic. In other words, as long as an artist exhibited the
characteristics, behaviors, and identities associated with a certain musical genre
accurately and sincerely, their work was worthy of attention and appreciation.
Striving for authenticity is hardly a new concept for Western classical
musicians. In the case of classical singers, it is one of our main goals to perform a
piece of music in the most authentic manner possible. Classical singers perform their
best in order to achieve this goal through extensive research on the work: the
historical and musical background and context, the composer, the poet, stylistic
8
"authenticity, n." OED Online. July 2018. Oxford University Press.
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/13325?redirectedFrom=authenticity (accessed November 10, 2018).
5
elements of the genre and the era, instrumentation, the text, language, diction, and
performance practice. Resources for such research are in abundance; however, this is
only true for the vocal repertoire that is considered to be among the canon, such as
frequently performed operas, the German Lied, French Mèlodie, and American and
British art songs. There seems to be a more recent proliferation of sources on Russian,
Eastern European, and Spanish vocal literature, although not as in depth. However, as
discussed previously, the 21st-century classical vocal repertoire comprises works that
represent more nations, cultures, and ethnic groups, but also Western classical
arrangements of works that belong to different genres, one of which is folk music.
Today, singers embrace the freedom of deciding what work is appropriate to
include in a recital; it is quite common to encounter programs that include folk songs,
musical theater songs, and even popular songs. Being inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s
dual approach to objects as “objects as objects” and “objects as representations,”
Caicedo uses Duchamp as an example in challenging the traditional definition of an
art work. She arrives at the conclusion that the viewer or consumer of a creative
work, in fact completes the creative process by being an active interpreter. Therefore,
she argues, while complying with the musical and stylistic elements, a performer can
decide to categorize a folk song or a popular song as an art song, just as Duchamp as
an artist decided when objects were merely objects and when objects were art.9
When considering the diversity and range of vocal repertoire available to a
classical singer today, in order to achieve authenticity in performances, the singer
must also consider the cultural codes and customs associated with the work to be
9
el contexto del nacionalismo musical. Barcelona: Mundo Arts and Fundación Autor, 2018, pp. 180,
191-194.
6
performed, as well as the social environment, geography, and the musical genre the
work is rooted in. I agree with Patricia Caicedo in her statement that in the 21st
century, a musical performance requires an interdisciplinary approach, including
“other disciplines, such as anthropology, history, theater, psychology, music, and
literature.”10 This approach may result in incorporating various vocal styles and
perhaps a wider repertoire of gestures and body language into an art song
performance. The 21st-century classical singer is expected to be more versatile than
ever before. Going back to Pavarotti’s first recital in New York in 1973, just as his
“semi-pop concert” had received high praise by virtue of his impeccable style and
vocal beauty, classical singers today can also easily achieve success with whatever
repertoire they wish to sing, as long as they do it with style, vocal beauty, and
authenticity.
Hopefully, my discussion so far has set the scene for why I think the
Sephardic Art Song repertoire is worth exploring. With my dissertation, I wish to
draw attention to the establishment of Sephardic folk songs in the Western classical
world in the 20th and 21st centuries. To provide a brief definition, Sephardim are a
diasporic population of Jewish people, who can trace their ancestry back to the Jews
that were expelled from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. Initially, the
larger population migrated to Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire at the time;
however, the wars and circumstances in the 19th and 20th centuries led to further
displacements, relocating a significant percentage of this population to Israel and
across the ocean to the Americas. Currently, the Sephardic population is spread all
10
Caicedo, Patricia. The Latin American Art Song: the sounds of the imagined nations. Maryland:
Lexington Press, 2019, p. 120.
7
around the world. What is particularly fascinating about the Sephardim is that not
only did they bring with them their traditions, culture, music, and language to
wherever they went, but they also preserved their Sephardic identities in various
degrees throughout centuries. Of course, many Sephardic communities naturally
adopted the identities and languages surrounding them in their new homeland, and
some were almost completely assimilated into a new culture. Still, Sephardic
traditions, Sephardic oral literature, and the Ladino language were able to survive to
this day. The language of Sephardim, Ladino, in and of itself provides a valuable
insight into the history and culture of them. Ladino is essentially 15th-century
Castilian with contributions from many languages the Sephardim were exposed to
throughout their journey in history. Ladino and the Sephardic oral literature,
including Sephardic folk songs, were orally transmitted from generation to generation
during these hundreds of years, which is how they were mainly preserved. Other
contributions in pursuit of understanding and preserving the Sephardic culture have
been made by anthropologists, linguists, musicologists, ethnomusicologists, and
musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. Hence, the existence of Sephardic folk songs
in written form is a fairly recent development.
In the early 20th century, composers, ethnomusicologists, and scholars, such as
Alberto Hemsi, showed great efforts in transcribing, compiling, and arranging
Sephardic folk songs, which were only preserved in oral tradition until then. These
scholars’ works are of crucial importance in terms of preservation of the genre;
although these works did not trigger interest or popularity among larger populations
back then. These songs were still mostly performed in the homes and intimate
8
community spaces of the Sephardim. In her article, “Re-Making Kinship. From
Community to Family: A Sephardic Experience in France,” Jessica Roda draws
attention to the revivalist movement of the 1960s and the development of world music
and world art scenes in the early 1980s, and she elaborates on how Jewish music,
especially Sephardic music, attracted interest as a world music genre at the time.11
Consequently, Jewish music “was gradually showcased for the general public,”12 and
began to be heard in urban public spaces, arts events, and music festivals.
“Beginning at the outset of the 1960s in Europe and North America, this
enthusiasm for “World music” grew in tandem with committed political action
at the local, national and international levels to promote the recognition of
identities other than national ones. In this regard, stagings of musical practices
is sometimes used to forge closer ties among communities. Throughout the
World, public and private funding especially supports artistic events
emphasizing intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. The goal of such events
is to promote peace, deconstruct conflicts and encourage “living together.”13
I would like to suggest that we could transfer this concept to our performances of
Western classical music as well. The increasing diversity in Western classical vocal
literature not only expands and enriches our musical palette, but it also offers us more
tools and resources to better communicate with a diverse audience, to promote peace,
and to encourage living together.
11
Roda, Jessica. "Re-Making Kinship. From Community to Family: A Sephardic Experience in
France." Théologiques vol. 24, no. 2, 2016, pp. 97–120.
12
Roda, Jessica. “Jewish Performance as a Means for Constructing the Society of “Living Together.””
European Journal of Jewish Studies Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2014, p. 105.
13
Ibid.
9
One could argue that, in a way, the Sephardic folk song genre is among the
genres that represent this ideology of living together, as these songs can be traced
back to times in Medieval Spain, when Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in
harmony together for centuries—if one would overlook the peak conflict times during
the Reconquista period. These songs also represent the many cultures the Sephardim
encountered throughout their journey in history. Sephardic folk songs can be rooted
in a Jewish culture; however, they also possess the literature and music of Spain, as
well as the Middle East and Eastern Europe, to name a few. Turkish and Arabic
maqam scales are incorporated into the melodies, as frequently as Balkan rhythms.
Substitution of Christian themes in Sephardic songs can be observed,14 while some of
the songs tell stories of biblical and historical figures. Some of the songs are quite
festive and simple in character, while some address the human condition. In short, the
Sephardic vocal literature encompasses a wide range of themes and musical styles.
In the 20th century, Western classical composers began to show interest in
arranging these Sephardic folk songs in the Western classical tradition. I would like to
propose that perhaps the 20th century witnessed a revival of the Sephardic song
repertoire in the form of classical art song, as Western classical composers, such as
Alberto Hemsi, showed interest in collecting and transcribing these folksongs, and in
arranging them in the Western classical tradition for voice and various instruments, in
various degrees of complexity. As of today, there are over forty-two 20th- and 21st-
century Western classical composers that have made significant contributions to the
14
Seroussi, Edwin. “From Spain to the Eastern Mediterranean and Back: A Song as a Metaphor of
Modern Sephardic Culture.” In: Music in the Jewish Experience. Bar-Ilan University Press, 2012, pp.
41-82.
10
Sephardic Art Song genre with their arrangements of over a hundred and ninety
Sephardic folksongs, as well as their original compositions.
With my dissertation, I wish to highlight what I consider to be a revival of
Sephardic folk songs in the Western classical world in the form of classical art song,
and to share my research findings with musicians, who are interested in exploring this
repertoire. In Chapter I, one may find a historical and cultural overview of the
Sephardim and background information on the Ladino language. Chapter II is
reserved for the traditional Sephardic folk songs; categories, and the elements and
stylistic features of Sephardic music. The development of the Sephardic Art song
genre in the 20th and 21st centuries is briefly discussed on Chapter III, while Chapter
IV presents a catalog of all the Sephardic vocal works created in the Western classical
tradition in these centuries by Western classical composers. The works listed on this
catalog are based on my personal research and findings up until my submission of this
dissertation. My research experiences and growing network in the Sephardic music
world lead me to believe that there are more works out there, all of which will
hopefully make it to my catalog eventually. Greatly inspired by Patricia Caicedo’s
presentation on Iberian and Latin American Art Song performance practice at the 14th
Barcelona Festival of Song in July 2018, I decided to add a chapter on the
performance practice of the Sephardic Art Song repertoire myself. Chapter V presents
suggestions on how to approach to performing a Sephardic piece to achieve a more
authentic performance. This chapter also includes a diction guide for Ladino, as I
noticed that such information is neglected in most of the published music scores.
11
Finally, Chapter VI offers my own program notes on the works I have performed in
my dissertation recitals.
It is my hope that my dissertation will be helpful to those who are interested in
exploring the Sephardic Art Song repertoire and the many unique flavors it offers.
12
CHAPTER 1: THE SEPHARDIM
1.1. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Sephardim (singular, Sephardi) are commonly known as the Jews who trace
their ancestry to the Iberian Peninsula, specifically to the Jews that were expelled
from Spain in 1492 as a result of the Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisition
was established by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs of the time, King Ferdinand II of
Aragon (1452-1516) and Queen Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504). In their pursuit to
achieve a religious unity in the country, they gave the Muslim Moors and Jews of
Spain only two choices: convert to Catholicism or leave. As a result, some did
convert to Catholicism to avoid persecution. Some of those who converted to
Catholicism continued to practice Judaism in secret; they were given the name
Marranos. About 300,000 Jews from Spain went into exile in different directions:
Portugal (from where they were also expelled); Northern Europe; Eastern Europe;
and the Mediterranean Basin (including the Ottoman Empire, Northern Africa and the
Middle East).15 Thus, the Sephardic culture spread to Greece, Turkey, North Africa,
Palestine, Amsterdam, and Livorno, as the Sephardim migrated to these areas
following the Spanish expulsion. These people, unfortunately, did not get to take
many of their possessions with them as they were forced to leave, but they did carry
with them something that no one could take from them: “the 15th-century Spanish
language, from which would come a vernacular Judeo-Spanish language [which we
15
Ayoun, Richard, Sephiha Haïm-Vidal, and Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki. The Judeo-Spanish
People: Itineraries of a Community = Los Djudeo-Espanyoles: Los Kaminos De Una Komunidad.
Bilingual ed. Place of publication not identified: Design Graphic France, 2003.
13
will talk about later]…[but they] also carried with them their culture, especially their
oral literature, comprising poems, tales and romansas, or poems turned into songs,
expressing the pain of being exiled and the nostalgia for their former homeland.”16
Now, what exactly is the Sephardic culture? Although the word Sephardim
comes from Sepharad, which means ‘Spain’ in medieval Hebrew,17 the term has a
much broader meaning. As Haim Henry Toledano states in his book The Sephardic
Legacy, Sephardic tradition is a system of values, institutions, ethnic traits and
attitudes that originated in North Africa and the Middle East (especially Baghdad)
and evolved among Jews living within the orbit of the Islamic world in these areas
beginning in the early Middle Ages, before it arrived in the Iberian Peninsula.18
Therefore, it would be wrong to assume that the Sephardic culture is a kind of a
Jewish culture dipped in some Spanish culture. In order to have a better perception of
the Sephardic culture, the term diaspora should be well defined and understood first.
The word ‘diaspora’ comes from Greek, which means scattering and
dispersion. In his article Jewish music and diaspora, Edwin Seroussi states that
diaspora is “referred in Greek Antiquity to a population of a specific geographical
origin that became scattered throughout a wider area […and] in the past half century
diaspora was adopted to describe every possible physical or imagined, voluntary or
forced displacement of individuals or communities from their real or imaginary
16
Ibid.
17
Trivaletto, Francesca. The familiarity of strangers: The Sephardic diaspora, Livorno, and cross-
cultural trade in the early modern period. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009, pp.
ix.
18
Toledano, Haim Henry. The Sephardic Legacy: Unique Features and Achievements. Scranton and
London: University of Scranton Press, 2010, pp. 5-10.
14
homeland for multiple reasons (political, economic, racial, religious, etc.).”19 He later
adds that “diaspora is most effective as an explanatory tool when applied, simply, to
‘the existence of an identified population that feels that it is away from its homeland,
however imagined, however distant in time and space’ and more subtly, that ‘it
involves more than demographics…--some sort of consciousness of separation, a gap,
a disjuncture must be present.’”20
Based on this definition one can conclude that the Jewish populations in
Western Europe, North Africa and the Arab and Persian Near East in the early
medieval period were already diasporic populations. The forced and voluntary
migrations from these locations later on created further displacements, of course. As
Seroussi points out, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and later Portugal, resulted
in a “classic example of a second-stage displacement that sometimes generated an
overemphasized longing for a lost homeland. … [and] music became the field of
cultural expression in which diaspora had one of its strongest showings against its
rhetorical negation.”21
1.2. THE LADINO LANGUAGE
As mentioned in the previous section, the Jews expelled from Spain carried
with them their most precious belonging: the 15th-century Spanish language. This
language of the Sephardim can be referred to as Ladino, Judeo-Espagnol or
19
Seroussi, Edwin. "Jewish Music and Diaspora." In The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music,
edited by Joshua S. Walden. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2015, pp. 27-40.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid.
15
Djudezmo. As discussed by Jeffrey Malka in his book Sephardic Genealogy,
“Ladino is essentially 14th- and 15th-century Castilian, with contributions from
Gallego-Portuguese, Catalan-Valencian, Aragonese, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, and
other languages,”22 such as Greek, French, Italian and Balkan languages.
Surprisingly, there is very little presence of Hebrew in Ladino. In her book The
Manual of Judeo-Spanish, Marie-Christine Varol states that “using a large number of
Hebrew words in Judeo-Spanish identifies the speaker as male, a rabbi or learned
man, quite conservative, even “overly religious,” and this is not generally well
thought of by others….Ladino was an artifice aimed at more easily teaching the
Hebrew of religious texts orally to children who knew Spanish in Spain and Judeo-
Spanish in the Diaspora.”23 However, strong traces of Turkish, French, Italian and
Greek can be found in Judeo-Spanish, as the Sephardim did not live self-sufficiently
in their own state. They may have had quarters in the large towns they settled in, but
they were never the only inhabitants of those towns. “It was at the end of the 19th
century that Castilian Spanish was “discovered” by the Jews and Judeo-Spanish by
the Spaniards. [And of course,] the effects would be felt on both sides.”24
It is crucial to point out that “Judeo-Spanish is not a series of juxtapositions
[of all these languages mentioned]; but it is a complex code one of whose constituent
parts is multilingualism and the play on languages.”25 A certain linguistic creativity is
inherent to Judeo-Spanish, which has even been used as a vehicle for expressing
22
Malka, Jeffrey S. Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World.
New Jersey: Avotaynu, Inc., 2002, pp. 3, 58-67.
23
Varol-Bornes, Marie-Christine. Manual of Judeo-Spanish: Language and Culture. Translated by
Ralph Tarica. Bethesda, MD: University Press of Maryland, 2008, pp. 13-14.
24
Ibid, p. 17.
25
Ibid, p. 18.
16
verbal revenge, through humor, in an oppressive society. The following is an example
from Varol’s book: In the Ladino language, Doctor Maymunidis! is what one calls
someone who poses and claims to be smart. Maimonides (1135-1204), also known as
Rambam, was a 12th-century philosopher from Cordoba, and is considered as one of
the greatest Jewish scholars of all times. Based on this information, one might
conclude that Doctor Maymunidis would be an appropriate name for someone smart;
however, that is hardly the case. In Turkish, maymun means monkey and the Greek
–idis is how the Greeks of the Black Sea area form family names. Therefore, Doctor
Maymunidis is simply a sarcastic comment and a less apparent way of calling
someone a monkey in the Ladino language. I would like to quote Varol here to better
clarify this complex characteristic of the Ladino language:
“Irony, distance, puns, the endless plays on meanings and stylistic nuances
bouncing back and forth, make this language of quotations, double entendres,
discreet jokes that seem undecipherable, of implied or overly-clear meanings,
into an original and eternally renewed linguistic system steeped in a
devastating sense of humor that can only be achieved through a knowledge of
several languages—a knowledge that gives it its strength, its richness and its
freedom.”26
The areas in which Ladino was spoken went beyond the lands of the Ottoman
Empire, where the Sephardim were accepted in great numbers under the ruling of
Sultan Bajazet II around the time of expulsion from Spain. According to Varol,
“There was a Judeo-Spanish community in Bucharest and another in Vienna that saw
a considerable development in the 19th century. Vienna even became one of the
26
Ibid.
17
principal publishing centers of Judeo-Spanish at the beginning of the 20th century.
Finally, France and North and South America became an emigration pole for Spanish
Jews between the two world wars. [After the Second World War] nothing was left of
the prestigious community of Salonika, and the communities of Yugoslavia, Greece,
France, Austria and Romania were decimated. The Bulgarian community managed to
immigrate, mainly to Palestine, and the Turkish community was preserved. Today
Judeo-Spanish is spoken sporadically in large European and American cities, and in a
more consistent way in Turkey (in Istanbul and Izmir) and in Israel.”27 The term
Ladino refers to the more corrupt Judeo-Spanish vernacular spoken mainly by the
Sephardim of the Eastern Mediterranean.
1.3. SEPHARDIM TODAY
The Sephardim had migrated to Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Arab
and Persian Near East after their expulsion from Spain in 1492; however, there has
been further displacements since then—some voluntary, some not. Today Sephardim
are inclusive of “the Ladino-speaking Sephardim of Turkey and other Balkan
countries; the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardim of Amsterdam, London, and New
York and other U.S. cities; the Middle East Sephardim of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria; and
the Sephardim of North Africa,”28 as well as Latin America.
Especially in the 21st century, it is rather challenging to define Sepharadism
from an ethnical, geographical or linguistic point of view. I agree with Haim Henry
27
Varol-Bornes, Marie-Christine. Manual of Judeo-Spanish: Language and Culture, 2008, p. 12.
28
Malka, Jeffrey S. Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World,
2002, pp. 3-7.
18
Toledano in his statement that the only valid definition can be a cultural one. He
defines Sephardim as all Jews who trace their ancestry to any main historical region
of Sephardic culture and tradition mentioned above, “and who share and cherish the
Sephardic tradition and heritage as it was transmitted from one generation to
another.”29 The fascinating fact is that a certain Spanish element in the Sephardic
identity endured long after any connection to Spain did. In her book The Jews of
Spain, Jane Gerber exemplifies this as she writes:
“How strange it seems that Sephardim scattered in Turkey and Bulgaria,
Curaçao and Pernambuco, sang ballads about medieval Spanish knights and
maidens in their Medieval Spanish language, Ladino. Throughout the
Turkish-speaking world, the conversation of Sephardic Jews, especially
women, would be peppered with Spanish proverbs. The classical genres of
Spanish oral literature would be preserved for centuries in the Balkans in
romances as each important life-cycle event was marked by Jewish festivities
rich in Spanish song.”30
29
Toledano, Haim Henry. The Sephardic Legacy: Unique Features and Achievements, 2010, p. 9.
30
Gerber, Jane S. The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience. New York: The Free
Press, 1992, p. xv.
19
CHAPTER 2: TRADITIONAL SEPHARDIC SONGS
2.1. CATEGORIES
The traditional Sephardic song repertoire comprises a number of categories
and themes. The secular musico-poetic Sephardic song repertoire can be divided into
three main genres: Romances, Coplas and Cantigas, and the collections of these
songs are named Romancero, Coplas and Cancionero respectively. These genres are
defined based on musical parameters, such as structure, melody and rhythm, and
based on the text and the relationship between the music and text. Their function in a
community also contributes to their categorization. In addition to these secular
categories, most resources also mention two other types of Sephardic songs; which
are Oraciones (meaning prayer songs) and Endechas (or Oinas, meaning dirges).
2.1.1. Romances
Romances are narrative poems with a well-defined textual and musical
structure, similar to the French Ballade. Each line has 16 (or 12) syllables, divided
into two 8 (or 6)-syllable parts with an assonant rhyme scheme. The order of these
verses are, of course, of crucial importance, as there is always a narrative that is
mostly related to the Spanish Middle Ages – involving stories and tales of kings and
queens, knights, prisoners, faithful and unfaithful wives, as well as classical,
historical and biblical themes. As Susana Weich-Shahak states in her articles about
the Sephardic song repertoire, Romances are characterized by being rendered as solo
songs; they usually have no instrumental accompaniment. They are mostly sung by
20
women, who are also responsible for the preservation and transmission of this
repertoire.31
2.1.2. Coplas
Coplas are strophic poems that have definite structures and they are sung with
strophic melodies. Their distinctive characteristic is that their music clearly reflects
the influence of the surrounding musical cultures. These songs are associated with
Jewish tradition and history, values and beliefs, and social and political events. They
can revolve around important community figures, economic hardship, specific
holidays or moral themes. Similar to romances, Coplas have coherent texts; however,
unlike the romances, they are in strophic form. This genre flourished in the 17th and
18th centuries, when they were published in Istanbul, Salonica, Vienna and Livorno –
and therefore, the texts tend to be more modern.32 According to Weich-Shahak, the
Coplas are rendered mostly in group singing, often accompanied by handclapping.
And since many Coplas appear in written sources, they belong to the realm of men,
who would be able to read the Hebrew letters used for writing Ladino in printed texts
at the time.
31
Weich-Shahak, Susana. “The Performance of the Judeo-Spanish Repertoire.” The Performance of
Jewish and Arab Music in Israel Today. Amnon Shiloah, Ed. Musical Performance, Vol. 1, Pt. 3.
Amsterdam: Harwood Academic, 1997, pp. 9-26.
Guy Mendilow Ensemble. Tales From the Forgotten Kingdom: Ladino Songs Renewed. [CD].
Mendilusian Music, BMI. Linear notes, 2012.
32
Ibid.
21
2.1.3. Cantigas
Cantigas are similar to coplas in their versatility of texts and music, but more
importantly, in their adoption of the surrounding musical cultures. Some of these
songs are translations or adaptations of Turkish and Balkan songs, and they can
feature dance tunes, such as foxtrot and tango, and can also quote stage works,
including operettas and zarzuelas. Cantigas differ from the other two genres in textual
and musical structure. Cantigas mostly have four stanzas and often a refrain as well.
They are set to strophic melodies with a different tune for the refrain. Unlike
romances and coplas, cantigas do not have a narrative or coherent texts. Their subject
matter is mostly lyric, dealing with love, longing, courting, mourning, and even
drinking.33
2.2. TEXTS
The texts of traditional Sephardic songs are generally anonymous. This is a
very common characteristic of the folk genre, as the texts of folk songs are rarely
written down and are usually orally transmitted. This creates a problem when tracing
back the origins of these texts. Some scholars of Sephardic music were able to
discover the time and origin of a large portion of these songs, although not
necessarily the authors or poets of the texts specifically. The texts of Sephardic songs
are quite straightforward and they rarely require a literary research to reveal any
potential undertones. As mentioned above, Sephardic songs can have a variety of
themes, including the stories and tales from the Spanish Middle Ages, themes
33
Ibid.
22
associated with the Jewish culture and history, and lyrical themes. Although the
majority of these songs have anonymous texts, the origins of more recent additions
throughout the 20th and 21st centuries can be traced back to other popular music
genres that surrounded Sephardic communities during these times. Some of the texts
are simply translations of texts that were adopted from other genres, such as
zarzuelas, tangos, French chansons, and Greek and Turkish songs. Some 20th-century
Sephardic folk song musicians, such as Flory Jagoda (b.1926) and Jack Mayesh
(1899-1969), contributed to the genre with their own original compositions, as well as
adaptations of songs from other genres translating the texts into Ladino.34
2.3. THE MUSIC
To understand and appreciate the complex musical attributes of this repertoire,
it is imperative to consider the influences of diverse cultural contacts experienced by
the Sephardic population since their expulsion from Spain in 1492. As Samuel
Armistead, Joseph Silverman, and Israel Katz emphasize in their book, Judeo-
Spanish Ballads from Oral Tradition, “No society is static and it would be
unreasonable and unrealistic to view the Sephardim and their culture merely as some
sort of living time capsule. Over the centuries, the Sephardic communities have
undergone radical changes and have experienced a rich diversity of cultural contacts.
Their ballad tradition is a mirror of their cultural history. … and it is a dynamic,
eclectic tradition drawn from a great variety of sources, both medieval and modern;
Jewish, Christian, and Islamic; Hispanic, but also Balkan and Near Eastern, and
34
Bass, Howard, Susan Gaeta and Tina Chancey. Trio Sefardi. Personal Interview. 20 November 2018.
23
indeed French and Italian as well. … For all its seeming conservatism, it is essential,
then, to view the Sephardic ballad tradition—like any other—as a vital, dynamic,
creative phenomenon, forever involved in the ongoing process of becoming
something different from what it was before.”35
Since this repertoire represents such a wide range of cultural exchange, the
musical analyses of these songs require a vast musical knowledge, including the
Western classical music of all periods starting from Medieval; Spanish, Moroccan,
Balkan and Greek musical traditions; and Turkish folk and classical forms, including
maqam.36 Maqām (pl. maqamat) is defined as “the main modal unit of Arabic,
Turkish and Persian music, or the Middle Eastern modal practice in general.”37
Maqamat scales are melodic modal scales that do not have a rhythmic component.
This modal system differs greatly from the Western chromatic system, which can also
be referred to as the 12-tone notation system. For example, the Turkish Maqamat
system involves twenty-four pitches that are quarter tone apart from another. Each
Turkish maqam scale is consisted of seven pitches of different interval sequences and
each scale has a different melodic development. The notation of these extra pitches
require some accidentals we are not familiar with in the Western classical notation.
The Arabic Maqamat system has even more pitches, some of which are microtones,
i.e. smaller than quarter tones. There are about seventy-two maqam scales that are
35
Armistead, Samuel G., Joseph H. Silverman and Israel J. Katz. Judeo-Spanish Ballads from Oral
Tradition: Epic Ballads (Vol. 1). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986, pp. 1-2.
36
Cohen, Judith. “Women and Judeo-Spanish Music.” Bridges, vol. 3, no. 2, 1993, pp. 113-119.
37
Apel, Willi. “Maqam,” Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,
1955, p. 486.
24
used in the Middle Eastern art music. Thus, composition and analyses of such music
can be quite complex.38
Sephardic music possesses some Maqam flavor, although not in such
complexity. Some common maqam intervals, such as augmented seconds are
essential to this repertoire, as they are the intervals that give the songs an oriental
flavor. In the 20th and 21st century Sephardic art songs, these intervals are
incorporated in the songs with a tonal compositional approach and the melodies are
both in modal and tonal character.
Another musical characteristic of the Sephardic song repertoire is compound
rhythms used in complex rhythmic patterns. Rhythms such as 5/8, 7/8 or 9/8, for
example, are very unusual in Western music. This is partly a Greek and Balkan
influence, as interesting dance rhythms can be observed in their music.
The Sephardic song repertoire is essentially vocal, although musical
instruments were also used at times, mostly on special occasions. When instruments
were involved in the performances of these songs at family gatherings or at bigger
occasions, the typical instruments used were percussion instruments, such as
tambourine, and mandolin (or oud), which is a string instrument that belongs to the
lute family. Other percussion instruments used included castanets, finger-cymbals,
darbuga (or dumbelek), and baraban. Castanets are consisted of two hollowed-out
shell-shaped pieces of hardwood, ivory, or other substance hinged together by a cord.
38
Saltiel, Aron and Joshua Horowitz. Sephardisches Liederbuch / The Sephardic Songbook. Frankfurt;
New York: C.F. Peters, 2001, p. VII.
Apel, Willi. “Maqam.” Harvard Dictionary of Music, 1955, p. 486.
25
They are usually held in the hand and struck together.39 “Finger-cymbals are two
pairs of tiny cymbals attached to the thumb and middle finger of each hand. Darbuga
or Dumbelek is a cup-shaped drum made of clay or metal, with one skin. Baraban,
which was used by the Bulgarian communities, is a big cylindrical double-skin
drum.”40 At bigger events, such as weddings, musicians of different backgrounds,
who knew the Sephardic repertoire would be hired to play the Sephardic wedding
songs, as well as Turkish dances and European dance music, such as waltz foxtrot and
tango. These musicians could be Greeks, Turkish Romani or Turkish musicians.41
The traditional Sephardic songs, as opposed to their Western classical art song
versions, incorporate a lot of improvisation as well. This is hardly surprising as these
songs were transmitted orally for hundreds of years, and oral transmission encourages
personal improvisation that often consists of lavish ornamentation and relatively free
rhythm.42 Therefore, the melodies of the same Sephardic songs can differ
tremendously from community to community, or generation to generation. It is
important to acknowledge the work of all the Sephardic music scholars, who have
spent significant amounts of time and effort to travel to all Sephardic communities all
around the world, interview the members of these communities, have them sing to
them, transcribe and study all the songs and poems collected, and publish
compilations of these folksongs.
39
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Castanets.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia
Britannica, Inc., February 09, 2018. Accessed November 6, 2017,
https://www.britannica.com/art/castanets
40
Weich-Shahak, Susana. “The Traditional Performance of Sephardic Songs, Then and Now.” The
Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music. Joshua S. Walden, Ed. Cambridge, United Kingdom:
Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 104-118.
41
Ibid.
42
Bahat, Avner. “The Musical Traditions of the Oriental Jews: Orient and Occident.” The World
ofMusic vol. 22, no. 2, 1980, p. 48.
26
CHAPTER 3: SEPHARDIC SONGS IN THE 20TH AND 21ST
CENTURIES
The early 20th century Western Classical composers’ interest in collecting and
arranging these Sephardic songs can be traced back to the prevailing nationalist
movement in music in the 19th century. In late 19th century and the first decade of the
20th century Russia, the young Jewish composers of the time were inspired by the
nationalist movement in Russian music exemplified by the Russian Five (or the
Mighty Handful), and they became attracted to “the new universalist aesthetics of
modernist abstraction with a particular commitment to representing Jewish identity in
music.”43 They collected and transcribed perhaps thousands of Yiddish folksongs.
This Jewish national revival inspired some other European Classical composers to
incorporate Jewish musical elements in their compositions as well. A similar interest
was observed in the Sephardic musical realm pioneered by the Turkish-Jewish
composer and ethnomusicologist Alberto Hemsi (1898-1975).44 Perhaps Hemsi was
not the first to collect and transcribe Sephardic folksongs and poems, as there were
other musicologists that had begun similar projects. However, Hemsi not only
contributed to these transcriptions with his own field work, but he also arranged and
harmonized about sixty of these songs with a Western Classical approach. In other
words, Alberto Hemsi can be considered as the Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) or the
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) of Sephardic Art Song.
43
Loeffler, James. “From Biblical Antiquarianism to Revolutionary Modernism: Jewish Art Music,
1850-1925.” The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music. Joshua S. Walden, Ed. Cambridge, United
Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2015, p. 177.
44
Loeffler, James. “From Biblical Antiquarianism to Revolutionary Modernism: Jewish Art Music,
1850-1925.” The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music, 2015, pp. 167-186.
27
It is important to point out that the invention of the phonograph by Thomas
Edison in the late 19th century had contributed to the interest in collecting folksongs,
as well as other genres, as it was only after this invention that sound recording and
reproduction became possible. This, of course, facilitated the process of collection of
songs and the circulation of music in general. The scholars interested in exploring the
Sephardic folksong genre, were then able to record these songs in their fieldwork
across the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa regions and Israel.
Hemsi was not the only one that showed interest in arranging these songs in
the Western classical tradition. As of November 2018, there are over forty-two
Western classical composers, who have arranged over a hundred and ninety different
Sephardic songs in a variety of ways. These arrangements are for voice and various
instruments with varying degrees of complexity. While some composers arranged
Sephardic folk songs in the Western classical tradition, some preferred to create
original works inspired by Sephardic melodies and/or texts. The list of Sephardic Art
Song composers, the titles of their works, and the list of all songs arranged or
composed can be found in the next chapter (Chapter 4).
Here are a few definitions that are essential to better understand the distinction
between a folk song and an art song: “Song is a piece of music performed by a single
voice, with or without instrumental accompaniment. Works for several voices are
called duets, trios, and so on; larger ensembles sing choral music. Folk songs are
usually sung unaccompanied or with accompaniment provided by a single
instrument—e.g., a guitar or a dulcimer. They are usually learned by ear and are
infrequently written down; hence, they are susceptible to changes of notes and words
28
through generations of oral transmission. Composers of most folk songs are
unknown.”45 “Art songs, by contrast, are intended for performance by professional
singers (or at least well-trained ones), and generally accompanied by piano or an
instrumental ensemble.”46 The notes are written down, and both notes and the text are
not casually altered after that.”
20th- and 21st-century composers not only brought Sephardic songs back to
life, but perhaps also initiated a new genre of Sephardic Art Song.
45
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Song”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Published in April
01, 2014. Accessed in April 20, 2017. < https://www.britannica.com/art/song>
46
Ibid.
29
CHAPTER 4: THE SEPHARDIC ART SONG CATALOG
4.1. LIST OF COMPOSERS AND WORKS
The list below comprises the names and dates of 20th- and 21st-century
Western classical composers that have contributed to the Sephardic Art Song genre
with their arrangements of Sephardic folk songs and/or original compositions. The
composers are listed in chronological order, along with the titles of their works in this
genre and years of composition.
Table 1 List of Composers in Chronological Order and Their Works

Dates Composer Works
1884?-1944? Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires
Judéo-Espagnoles (1920)
1886-1956 Jose Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardíes (1941)
1887-1974 Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los
Sefardíes de Salonica (1964)
1890-1971 Léon Algazi Quatre Mélodies Judéo-Espagnoles (1951)
1891-1982 Joachim Stutschewsky Two Sephardic Prayers (1973)
1895-1968 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Three Sephardic Songs (1959)
1897-1984 Paul Ben-Haim Three Songs Without Words (1953)
1898-1975 Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies (1933-1973)
Coplas Sefardies, Op.7
30
Dates Composer Works
1991-1970 Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs (?)
1901-1981 Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs (1977?)
1901-1999 Joaquin Rodrigo Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes (1965)
1905-1995 Herbert Fromm Four psalms (1971)
1907-1991 Wolf Simoni (a.k.a. Louis Saguer) Cuatro C ánticas Sefardíes (1935/36)
1908-2004 Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques (1982)
1915-1984 Richard J. Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song,
Volume I: The Ladino Collection (2007)
The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book (1981)
1915-2004 Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes (1965)
1918-2007 Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares de Sefarad (2000)
1920-1984 Manuel Valls (Gorina) Canciones Sefarditas (1975)
1922-2014 Yehezkel Braun Seven Sephardic Romances (1968)
b.1932 Samuel Milligan Nine Sephardic Songs (2015)
b.1934 Mario Davidovsky Ladino Songs (2017)
Sefarad: Four Spanish-Ladino Folksongs (2004)
b.1937 Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs (?)
b.1937 Manuel García Morante 40 Canciones Sefardíes (1983)
b.1938 Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardíes (2006)
b.1938 Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee: A Cycle of
Five Judeo-Spanish Folk Songs (1998)
b.1942 Sid Robinovitch Rodas Recordada (2005)
b.1942 Diane Thome Levadi (1986)
b.1945 Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs (1992)
b.1947 Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs (1996)
b.1953 Daniel Akiva Jewish-Spanish Song Cycle (1999)
b.1953 Raymond Goldstein Sephardic Songs (1986, 1998, 2003)
b.1953 Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefard í (1999)
Songs from the Diaspora (2007)
b. 1954 Betty Olivero Cantes Amargos (1984)
Juego de Siempre: 12 folk songs in Ladino (1991/4)
b.1955 Ofer Ben-Amots Kantigas Ulvidades (2010)
Songs from the Pomegrenate Garden
(Kantes del Verdgel de Granadas) (2004/5)
b.1955 Dušan Bogdanović Deux chansons Sépharades (2010)
b.1957 Turgay Erdener Adio Querida (?)
b.1960 Osvaldo Golijov Ayre (2004)
b.1967 Brian T. Field Durme, durme, kerido ijico (2018)
b.1968 Shai Cohen Two Ladino Songs* (2004)
*In Hebrew, inspired by Ladino texts
b.1970 Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs (2011)
b.1971 Renan Koen Sephardic Songs (?)
b.1978 Delilah Gutman 13 Jewish Songs (2014)
b.1983 William Kenlon Two Sephardic Songs (2018)
b. ? Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder (2013)
b. ? Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies (1985)
31
4.2. LIST OF WORKS CATEGORIZED BY INSTRUMENTATION
Below is a list of works in the Sephardic Art Song genre categorized by
instrumentation. The categories are as follows: voice and guitar, voice and harp, voice
and organ, voice and piano, voice and tape, voice and violin, voice and chamber
ensemble, and voice and orchestra. The chamber ensemble and orchestra instruments
are indicated in abbreviations next to each work title.
Table 2 List of Works Categorized By Instrumentation
Voice & Guitar

Daniel Akiva Jewish-Spanish Song Cycle
Dušan Bogdanović Deux chansons Sépharades
Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies
Richard J. Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, Volume I: The Ladino Collection
The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book
Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder
Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardíes
Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes
Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares de Sefarad
Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs
Voice & Harp

Samuel Milligan Nine Sephardic Songs
Voice & Organ

Herbert Fromm Four psalms
Voice & Piano

Léon Algazi Quatre Mélodies Judéo-Espagnoles
Ofer Ben-Amots Kantigas Ulvidades
Songs from the Pomegrenate Garden (Kantes del Verdgel de Granadas)
Paul Ben-Haim Three Songs Without Words
Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs
Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires Judéo-Espagnoles: du XVle Siécle (Smyrne)
Yehezkel Braun Seven Sephardic Romances
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Three Sephardic Songs
Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs
Jose Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardíes
Turgay Erdener Adio Querida
Brian T. Field Durme, durme, kerido ijico
Raymond Goldstein Sephardic Songs
32
Voice & Piano (continued)
Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies Op.7
Coplas Sefardies Op.8
Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs
Renan Koen Sephardic Songs
Manuel García Morante 40 Canciones Sefardíes
Richard J. Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, Volume I: The Ladino Collection
The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book
Yom Gila, Sephardic Song of Joy
Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques
Joaquin Rodrigo Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes
Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee: A Cycle of Five Judeo-Spanish Folk Songs
Wolf Simoni (a.k.a. Louis Saguer) Cuatro C ánticas Sefardíes
Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los Sefardíes de Salonica
Joachim Stutschewsky Two Sephardic Prayers
Voice & Tape

Diane Thome Levadi
Voice & Violin

Delilah Gutman 13 Jewish Songs
Voice & Chamber Ensemble or Orchestra

James E. Bobb Adio Kerida (v, vc, hp)
Shai Cohen Two Ladino Songs* (mez, vn, va, vc, fl, cl, tpt, 2tbn)
*In Hebrew, inspired by Ladino texts
Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs (v, 2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn, 4hn, 2tpt, 3tbn, timp, perc, hp, str)
Mario Davidovsky Ladino Songs (sop, fl, ob, 2gtr, vn, vc)
Sefarad: Four Spanish-Ladino Folkscenes (bar, tam, perc, fl, cl, vn, vc)
Brian T. Field Durme, durme, kerido ijico (v, 2vn, va,vc)
Osvaldo Golijov Ayre (sop, fl, cl, hn, vn, vc, db, hp, acc, gtr, perc, laptop)
Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs (sop, fl, gtr, db)
William Kenlon Two Sephardic Songs (v, cl, pf or v, va, pf))
Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs (sop, fl, pf)
Richard J. Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song,
Volume I: The Ladino Collection (v, pf, gtr, fl, per)
The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book (v, gtr, pf, fl)
Betty Olivero Cantes Amargos (v, 2fl, 2cl, bcl, 2vn, va, vc, db, hp, 2pf, perc)
Juego de Siempre: 12 folk songs in Ladino (mez, fl, cl, perc, hp, vn, va, vc)
Sid Robinovitch Rodas Recordada (sop, alt, bar, gtr, cl, vc)
Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardí (v, fl, cl, pf, vn, vc)
Songs from the Diaspora (sop, pf, 2vn, va, vc)
Manuel Valls (Gorina) Canciones Sefardítas (v, fl, gtr)
33
4.3. LIST OF SONGS
The list below serves as a catalog of the Sephardic art song repertoire, i.e.
Sephardic folk songs that have been arranged by 20th- and 21st-century Western
classical composers and original compositions inspired by Sephardic texts or
melodies. The songs are organized in alphabetical order. Some songs have been
published under different titles, although they are arrangements of the same texts
and/or melodies. These titles are gathered within the same box, with all variations of
titles indicated when appropriate. The name of the composer, title of the song set or
song cycle, the location/order of the song within the larger work, and the information
on instrumentation is provided for each arrangement and original composition.
Table 3 List of Songs in Alphabetical order

Song Composer Work/Song Number Instrumentation
A la nana, a la buba Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.5 v, gtr
A la una nací yo Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.32 v, pf
Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.1 v, fl, cl, pf,
vn, vc
A la una yo naci Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs, No.2 v, gtr
A la una yo naci Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardies, No.4 v, gtr
A la una yo naci Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.8 v, gtr
A la una yo naci Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs, No.4 v, fl, gtr, db
A la una yo naci Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
A la una yo Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee, No.4 v, pf
A la una Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires v, pf
Judéo-Espagnoles, No.2
A la una Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.2
Alma y Vida y Coraçon Wolf Simoni Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes, No.1 v, pf
Abraxéx abaxo, galanica gentil Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.22, No.6 v, pf
Achot Ketana Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.10 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Adío querida Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.39 v, pf
Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.3 v, fl, gtr
Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs, No.1 v, gtr
Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.2 v, gtr
Samuel Milligan Nine Sephardic Songs, No.5 v, hp
Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs, No.3 v, fl, gtr, db
Dalilah Gutman 13 Jewish Songs, No.10 v, vn
Turgay Erdener v, pf
Adio Kerida James E. Bobb v, vc, hp
Adio Kerida Renan Koen v, pf
Tu madre cuando te parió Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Adonay Shamati Shimacha Joachim Stutschewsky Two Sephardic Prayers, No.2 v, pf
Adonenu, elohenu Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.2
34
Ah, el novio no quere dinero Samuel Milligan Nine Sephardic Songs, No.6 v, hp
Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs, No.2 v, fl, gtr, db
Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.8, No.4 v, pf
Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf, gtr
Volume I: The Ladino Collection
Aire de mujer Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.2 v, gtr
Al kenar de la nixava Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.3 v, fl, cl, pf,
vn, vc
Al pasar por casablanca Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.3 v, gtr
Al ruido de una fuente Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.2 v, pf
Alevantéx vos toronja Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.1 v, pf
Allí en el midbar Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Alta, alta es la luna Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.6 v, pf
Aman minnush Renan Koen v, pf
Ansí dize la nuestra novia… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.6 v, pf
Aquel conde y aquel conde… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.2 v, pf
Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.31 v, pf
Aquel rey de Francia Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.4 v, pf
El rey de Francia Frederic Hand Sephardic Songs, No.1 v, fl, gtr, db
Arboles lloran por la luvia Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.2 v, pf
Los arvoles llorosos Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee, No.3 v, pf
Arvoles lloran Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Arvoles joran Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires v, pf
Ariadna en su Laberinto Osvaldo Golijov Ayre, No.1 sop, fl, cl,
hn, vn, vc,
db, hp, acc,
gtr, perc, laptop
Arvolera Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.2 sop, fl, pf
Leon Algazi Quatre Mélodies v, pf
Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Arvolicos d'almendra Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.8
Aunque me Dex mi mama Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.4 v, pf
Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.4 v, 2fl, 2ob,
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Avre tu puerta cerrada Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.5 v, gtr
Avrix mi galanica Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.5 v, pf
Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.6 v, gtr
Mario Davidovsky Ladino Songs, No.3 sop, fl, ob, 2gtr,
vn, vc
Avrid, mi galanica Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.22, No.4 v, pf
Avridme galanica Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.7 v, fl, cl, pf,
vn, vc
Avridme galanica Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.1
Avrij, mi galanika Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, gtr
Galanica Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Sefardies de Salonica, No.2
Ay ke buena Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.3 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Ay ke buena! (reprise) Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.12 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Ay mancebo Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.5 v, pf
35
Benendicho su nombre Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.3 v, pf
Bendicho su nombre Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf
Bendicho su nombre Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Bueno asi biva la coshuegra Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.2 v, pf
Caminí por altas torres Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.11 v, pf
Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.5 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
Canción de Cuna Wolf Simoni Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes, No.3 v, pf
(Durmite mi alma)
Cantar de amanecida Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.6
Cantar de marinero Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.9
Cantes Amargos Betty Olivero Cantes Amargos (trilogy) v, 2fl, 2Cl, bcl,
2vn, va, vc, db,
hp, 2pf, perc
Celebrating birth Mario Davidovsky Sefarad, No.1 bar, tam, perc,
(Canta, gallo canta) fl, cl, vn, vc
Cien donzellas van a la misa Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.22, No.5 v, pf
Chichi Bunichi Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.9 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Come la rosa en la gűerta Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.7 v, gtr
Komo la rosa Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf, gtr
Como la rosa Daniel Akiva Jewish-Spanish Song Cycle, No.3 v, gtr
Como la rosa en la güerta
Como la rosa en la güerta
Como esta asentada solitaria Raymond Goldstein v, pf
Criador hasta cuando Raymond Goldstein v, pf
Cuando el rey Nimrod Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, pf
Raymond Goldstein v, pf
Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.5 sop, fl, pf
Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, fl, gtr
Abraham Avinu Wolf Simoni Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes, No.4 v, pf
Kuando el rey Nimrod Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf
Cuando la comadre dize Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.3 v, pf
Cuatro años de amor Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.40 v, pf
De enfrente la vide venir Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.45, No.1 v, pf
De la juma sale el moro Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.1 v, pf
De las altas mares traen una cautiva Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.22, No.1 v, pf
De las altas mares Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.26 v, pf
De las mares altas Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.1 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
De qué lloras blanca niña Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.6 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
Descanso de mi vida José Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardies, No.2 v, pf
Dia de alhad Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.6 v, pf
Dicho me avían dicho… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.4 v, pf
Dime Rozina Yehezkel Braun Seven Sephardic Romances, No.6 v, pf
Dolores tiene la reina Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.6 v, fl, cl, pf,
vn, vc
36
Don Amadí Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.37 v, pf
Yehezkel Braun Seven Sephardic Romances, No.1 v, pf
Dos amantes Ofer Ben-Amots Songs from the v, pf
Pomegrenate Garden, No.1
Dos amantes tengo mama Renan Koen v, pf
Dunulá Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Durme, durme Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.27 v, pf
Dušan Bogdanović Deux chansons Sépharades, No.1 v, gtr
Daniel Akiva Jewish-Spanish Song Cycle, No.2 v, gtr
Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.1 v, pf
Durma, durme mi alma donzeya Renan Koen v, pf
Durme, durme, hermosa donzella… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.2 v, pf
Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardies, No.5 v, gtr
Durme, durme Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.2 v, gtr
Durme, durme Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Durme, durme Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf, gtr
Durme, durme hermozo hijico Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.25 v, pf
Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.4 v, gtr
Durme hermozo hijico Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Durme durme, kerido ijiko Renan Koen v, pf
Durme, durme, kerido ijico Brian T. Field v, 2vn,
va, vc
Durme, durme, kerido ijico Brian T. Field v, pf
Durmite mi alma : canción de cuna Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.44, No.2 v, pf
Échate a la mar y alcançalo Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.2 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
El buen viar Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.6 v, pf
El dio grande Leon Algazi Quatre Mélodies v, pf
El Dió alto Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
El Dio alto Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
El mi querido bevió vino Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.2 v, fl, cl, pf,
vn, vc
El rey de Francia tres hijas tenía Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.3 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
El rey por muncha madruga Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.4 v, gtr
El rey que muntscho madruga Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.3 v, pf
Eli Eliyahu Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs, No.6 v, gtr
En la mar (ay una tore) Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.36 v, pf
En la mar hay una torre Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
En la mar Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires v, pf
Endecha Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.4
Enriva de la tu seja Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.5 v, pf
Entendiendo mancebico José Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardies, No.5 v, pf
Entre las huertas Ofer Ben-Amots Songs from the v, pf
Esta armada ke viene Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.7 v, pf
Esta montaña d'enfrente Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.35 v, pf
Esta noche es alavada Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.5 v, pf
Esta Rachel la estimoza Yehezkel Braun Seven Sephardic Romances, No.2 v, pf
37
Estas casas Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.7 v, pf
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Estávase la galana Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.2 v, pf
Estávase la mora Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, pf,
Volume I: The Ladino Collection gtr, per
Estáve la mora en su bel estar Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.8, No.6 v, pf
Et Shaarei Razon Joachim Stutschewsky Two Sephardic Prayers, No.1 v, pf
Fel sharah canet betet masha Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs, No.7 v, gtr
Galeas las mis galeas Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.5 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Hija mía, mi querida Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.2 v, pf
Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.6 v, gtr
Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.5 v, pf
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Hombre, en qué te lo contienes? Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.44, No.5 v, pf
(endecha)
Ir me kero madre Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.7 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Ir me quiero José Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardies, No.4 v, pf
Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.7 v, fl
Ir me quero la mi madre Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Ir me kero madre Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.2 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Juego de siempre Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.1 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Kondja mia Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.11 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
La borracha Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee, No.5 v, pf
La cantiga de la ley Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.3 v, pf
La mal casada Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee, No.1 v, pf
La rosa enflorece Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.3
Los bilbilicos Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.5
Los bilbilicos Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Los bilbilikos Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf
Los bilbilikos Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires v, pf
La Serena Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.7 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
Mario Davidovsky Ladino Songs, No.1 sop, fl, ob, 2gtr,
vn, vc
Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.7 v, gtr
La soledad de la nochada Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardies, No.3 v, gtr
La vida do por el raki Renan Koen v, pf
Las estreyas Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Las estreas Lucien L. Bernheim Cinq Chansons Populaires v, pf
38
Lavava y suspirava Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.33 v, pf
Levadi (Alone) Diane Thome sop, tape
Levantéis vos José Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, pf
Los siete Ermanos Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Malaña, tripa de madre Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.1 v, pf
Malato está el fijo del Rei Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Malato 'sta el hijo del rey Ofer Ben-Amots Songs from the v, pf
Mama yo no quero Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.6 v, pf
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Mama, yo no tengo visto Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs, No.3 v, pf
Mañanita de San Juan Osvaldo Golijov Ayre, No.1 sop, fl, cl,
hn, vn, vc,
db, hp, acc,
gtr, perc, laptop
Me parto y me vo' Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.44, No.4 v, pf
Mercar vos quiero la mi mujer Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.6 v, pf
Mi alme triste Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.45, No.5 v, pf
Mi coracón Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.4 v, gtr
Mi korason Ofer Ben-Amots Songs from the v, pf
Mi padre era de Francia Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs, No.1 v, pf
Mi padre era de Fransia Renan Koen v, pf
Mi sposica está en el baño... Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.5 v, pf
Mi suegra la negra Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.5
Roberto Sierra Songs from the Diaspora, No.4 sop, pf, 2vn,
va, vc
Mizmor l'David Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, fl
Montañas Altas Andrew Zohn 8 Sephardic Songs, No.8 v, gtr
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Three Sephardic Songs, No.1 v. pf
Montanyas altas Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, pf
Morena me llaman Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.16 v, pf
Joaquin Rodrigo Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.4 v, pf
Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, fl
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Morena me yama Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares de Sefarad, No.3 v, gtr
Morena me yaman Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.4 v, gtr
Morenica a mi me llaman Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.4 v, pf
Morenika a mi me yaman Renan Koen v, pf
Morenica sos Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.8 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Moxé suvio laxamayim Mario Davidovsky Sefarad, No.3 bar, tam, perc,
fl, cl, vn, vc
Munchos mueren de su muerte Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.4 v, pf
Nacimiento de Moxé Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.29 v, pf
39
Nani, nani Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.7 v, pf
Lorenzo Palomo Cinco canciones sefardies, No.2 v, gtr
Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs, No.2 v, pf
Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, fl
Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.4 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Nanni Osvaldo Golijov Ayre, No.5 sop, fl, cl,
hn, vn, vc,
db, hp, acc,
gtr, perc, laptop
No paséch por la mi sala… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.3 v, pf
No paseis por la mi sala Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.3 v, gtr
No vo comer ni vo beber Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.28 v, pf
Noches buenas Leon Algazi Quatre Mélodies v, pf
Noches, noches, buenas noches Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.8 v, pf
Noches, noches Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Noches, noches Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf
O! que nueve mezes Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
O que mueve mezes Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Ondi vas djoyiha miya Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.2 v, pf
Onete bonete Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.45, No.6 v, pf
(cantiga de pasatiempo)
Para qué quero yo más bivir Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.38 v, pf
Partos trocados Pedro Elias Siete Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, gtr
Paxarico tú te llamas Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.24 v, pf
Paxaro d'hermozura Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.5 v, fl, gtr
Paxaro de hermozura Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Pasharo d'ermozura Renan Koen v, pf
Pájaro de hermosura José Antonio de Donostia Canciones Sefardies, No.3 v, pf
Por la puerta yo pasi Ulrike Merk Sephardische Lieder, No.9 v, gtr
Por que llorax blanca niña Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.22 v, pf
William Kenlon Two Sephardic Songs, No.2 v, pf, cl
(or v, pf, va)
Pregoneros Betty Olivero Juego de Siempre, No.6 mez, fl, cl, per,
hp, vn, va, vc
Pregoneros van y vienen Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.9 v, pf
Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.4 v, fl, cl,
pf, vn, vc
Psalm 1 Herbert Fromm Four Psalms, No.1 v, org
Puncha, puncha la rosa huele Samuel Milligan Nine Sephardic Songs, No.4 v, hp
Puncha, puncha Renan Koen v, pf
La rosa huele William Kenlon Two Sephardic Songs, No.1 v, pf, cl
(or v, pf, va)
El punchon y la rosa Simon Sargon At Grandfather's Knee, No.2 v, pf
¿Quen es este paxarico? Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.45, No.3 v, pf
Quen supiense es entendiense Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.51, No.6 v, pf
Quien quiere tomar consejo Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.4 v, pf
Rahel Dušan Bogdanović Deux chansons Sépharades, No.2 v, gtr
Reina de la gracia Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.4 v, pf
40
Respóndemos Joaquin Rodrigo Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, pf
Rodas Recordada Sid Robinovitch sop, alt, bar,
cl, gtr, vc
Salerica de oro Leon Algazi Quatre Mélodies v, pf (fl, vc)
Scalerica de oro Raymond Goldstein v, pf
Scalerica de oro Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, fl, gtr
Skalerika de oro Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, gtr
Secretos quero descuvrir Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.6
Sentada en mi ventana Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.44, No.3 v, pf
Sephardic Chant Richard Neumann v, pf
(Mizmor le David, Psalm 29)
Sephardic melody Paul Ben-Haim Three Songs Without Words, No.3 v, pf
Sí savias, gioya mía Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.6 sop, fl, pf
Siete hijos tiene Haná Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.15 v, pf
Los siete hijos de Hanna Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, gtr
Los siete ijos de Hanna Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf, gtr
Los siete fijos de Hanna Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Sivdá de mi chikés Ofer Ben-Amots Kantigas Ulvidades, No.3 v, pf
Soldadito, Soldadito Mario Davidovsky Sefarad, No.2 bar, tam, perc,
fl, cl, vn, vc
Solo kon ti Ofer Ben-Amots Kantigas Ulvidades, No.1 v, pf
Tanto fuites y venites Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.5 v, pf
This mountain in front Mario Davidovsky Sefarad, No.3 bar, tam, perc,
(Esta montaña d'enfrente) fl, cl, vn, vc
Torondón Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.45, No.4 v, pf
Tres hermanicas eran Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.34, No.3 v, pf
Tres ermanikas eran Renan Koen v, pf
Tres Hermanicas Wolf Simoni Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes, No.2 v, pf
Tres hijas tiene el buen rey Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.8, No.3 v, pf
Tres hijas tiene'l buen rey Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.30 v, pf
Roberto Plá Sales Cuatro Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, gtr
Triste está la infanta Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.18, No.1 v, pf
Un cabretico Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.44, No.6 v, pf
(canción de noche de Pascua)
Una hija tiene el rey Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.1 v, pf
Una madre comió asado Osvaldo Golijov Ayre, No.2 sop, fl, cl,
hn, vn, vc,
db, hp, acc,
gtr, perc, laptop
Una matica de ruda Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.40 v, pf
Roberto Sierra Cancionero Sefardi, No.5 v, fl, cl,
pf, vn, vc
Una matika de ruda Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, gtr
Una muchacha en Selanica Shimon Cohen Seven Sephardic Folk Songs, No.1 v, pf
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Una niña que yo amo Mieczyslaw Kolinski Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.4 sop, fl, pf
Una ventana enfrenti di otra Menahem Bensussan Seven Sephardic Folksongs, No.4 v, pf
41
Una noche yo me armi Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Three Sephardic Songs, No.3 v, pf
Una noche Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, pf
Una noche Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Una pastora yo amí Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.20 v, pf
Una tadre fresquita de Mayo Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.6 v, pf
Vamos para la urilla Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.41, No.5 v, pf
Ven querida Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.3 v, pf
Manuel Valls Canciones Sefarditas, No.2 v, fl
Ven mos amaremos Ofer Ben-Amots Songs from the v, pf
Ven y verás Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Three Sephardic Songs, No.2 v, pf
Vengáx en buen'hora, Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.8, No.5 v, pf
Siñora coshuegra
Ya abaxa la novia Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.6 v, pf
Ya salió de la mar la galana Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.3 v, pf
Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.4
Ya salió de la mar Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, fl, pf
Ya salió de la mar Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Ya viene el cativo Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.21 v, pf
Mario Davidovsky Ladino Songs, No.2 sop, fl, ob,
2gtr, vn, vc
Ya vien el cativo Daniel Akiva Jewish-Spanish Song Cycle, No.4 v, gtr
Yah, Anna Emtzacha Osvaldo Golijov Ayre, No.10 sop, fl, cl,
hn, vn, vc,
db, hp, acc,
gtr, perc, laptop
Yéndome para marsilia Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Yo boli de foja en foja Joaquin Nin-Culmell Six Chansons Populaires v, pf
Sefardiques, No.1
Yo boli Richard Neumann The Nico Castel Ladino Song Book v, pf
Yo boli Vicente Emilio Sojo Nueve Canciones de los v, pf
Yo kon amor Ofer Ben-Amots Kantigas Ulvidades, No.2 v, pf
42
Yo m'enamorí d'un aire Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.13 v, pf
Alexander Knapp Four Sephardi Songs, No.4 v, pf
2cl, 2bn, 4hn,
2tpt, 3tbn, timp,
perc, hp, str
Linda de mi corasón Lorenzo Palomo Cinco Canciones Sefardies, No.1 v, gtr
Yo m'enamorí d'un ayre Renan Koen v, pf
Yo m'enamorí d'un ayre Richard Neumann Anthology of Jewish Art Song, v, gtr
Yo me alevantí un lunes Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.13, No.5 v, pf
Yo me levantara un lunes Manuel Garcia Morante 40 Canciones Sefardies, No.17 v, pf
Yo me levantí un lunes Matilde Salvador Endechas y Cantares v, gtr
de Sefarad, No.7
Yo tomí una muchacha… Alberto Hemsi Coplas Sefardies, Op.7, No.1 v, pf
Yom gila (Sephardic Song of Joy) Richard Neumann v, pf
‫מה שואל‬ Shai Cohen Two Ladino Songs, No.1 mez, vn, va,
vc, fl, cl,
tpt, 2tbn
‫איך בין הגיבורים‬ Shai Cohen Two Ladino Songs, No.3 mez, vn, va,
vc, fl, cl,
tpt, 2tbn
43
CHAPTER 5: PERFORMANCE PRACTICE
5.1. PERFORMANCE
A vocal performance requires a combination of physical and mental skills to
achieve effective communication with an audience, whether it may be in the form of
public speaking or a musical performance. A large number of resources on public
speaking, musical performance, and psychology seem to agree that when it comes to
communication, what matters is not necessarily what one says, but how one says it.
The content is, of course, significant; although, perhaps only valuable when
communicated effectively and accurately. Resources emphasize that successful
communication has non-verbal components that are crucial in achieving a better
connection with an audience, such as eye contact, body posture, gestures,
distance/physical contact, facial expression, voice tone/inflection/volume, fluency,
timing, and content.47 Thus, one can conclude that communication is not merely a
verbal and intellectual endeavor, but also a physical one. Similarly, a musical
performance is not merely physical realizations of musical ideas, but a powerful
medium of expression and communication; “performers are expected to animate the
music, to go beyond what is explicitly provided by the notation or aurally transmitted
standard – to be ‘expressive.’”48
In their performances of art songs, singers adopt the conventions associated
with the art song performance practice, which are deeply rooted in the Western
47
Alberti, Robert E. "It's Not What You Say-It's How You Say It!" Psychology Today. November 19,
2013. Accessed November 13, 2018. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-and-
sensibility/201311/it-s-not-what-you-say-it-s-how-you-say-it.
48
Clarke, Eric. “Understanding the Psychology of Performance.” Musical Performance: A Guide to
Understanding, edited by John Rink. Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 59-72.
44
European classical, or more specifically, German Lied tradition. When comparing and
contrasting this tradition with the performance practice of the Latin American and
Iberian Art Song, Patricia Caicedo draws attention to the more rigidly structured and
physically contained performances of the Lied, as well as “a strict adherence to the
score.”49 She further presents a philosophical argument on why the Euro-centric
perspective values the intellectual experience more than the physical, and therefore,
encourages a physically contained musical performance. Then she asks, “What
happens then when Lied is produced and interpreted in contexts where the body has
permission to express itself without censorship, as in Latin America?”50 Considering
the culture-specific elements that contribute to a musical genre and its performance
practice, how could a singer possibly exhibit authenticity when performing a Latin
American song in the Lied tradition? Likewise, how can one possibly perform the
Sephardic Art Song repertoire in an authentic manner without embracing its
multicultural aspect, which comprises Jewish, Iberian, Eastern European and Middle
Eastern elements?
The obvious (although frequently overlooked) and perhaps the easiest
approach in understanding the performance practice of a genre that is rooted in a
particular culture and/or geography, is studying that culture and/or geography, but
also the people, their gestures and body language. One could argue that folk music is
one of the genres that reflect the people and culture of a region (or nation) in the most
visible way. A folk singer represents their culture and environment; “their
49
Lexington Press, 2019, p. 119.
50
Ibid., pp. 143-144.
45
neighborhood, customs, and social-cultural-historical-geographical milieu.”51 Perhaps
this characteristic of the folk genre makes it suitable for political expression. In any
case, when preparing a Western classical vocal work that represents non-Western
European regions and cultures, minority groups, and diasporic populations, a singer
may want to consider studying the folk music of that region or population. YouTube
offers many wonderful videos of performances that are simply one click away;
performance analysis is an effective way to assess some of the key elements pertinent
to performance practice.
Sephardic music is among the popular genres performed in world music
concerts and festivals, although the Western classical audience might not be familiar
with it. Some notable singers associated with traditional (but popular) Sephardic
vocal music are Flory Jagoda (b.1926), Yasmin Levy (b.1975), and Gerard Edery
(b.1958). There are also numerous Sephardic music ensembles that regularly perform
in music festivals around the world and contribute to the genre with their recordings.
Although the names mentioned above do have a Sephardic heritage, most musicians
of the Sephardic folk genre today are non-Sephardic or non-Jewish artists.52
In her fieldwork among Sephardic communities in France regarding the
Sephardic experience, anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Jessica Roda observed
that for Sephardic people, an authentic Sephardic music performance evoked a feeling
of connection to a shared “Jewish past in the Ottoman Empire.”53
51
Ibid., p. 126.
52
Seroussi, Edwin. “From Spain to the Eastern Mediterranean and Back: A Song as a Metaphor of
Modern Sephardic Culture.” In: Music in the Jewish Experience. Bar-Ilan University Press, 2012, pp.
41-82.
53
Roda, Jessica. The singularity of performers in the revival of Judeo-Spanish music and language in
France. Selected Papers from the Fifteenth British Conference on Judeo-Spanish Studies. Department
of Iberian and Latin American Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, 2012, p.189.
46
“During and after these performances, this common sephardicness is
embodied through an exchange of emotion as well as sounds, eye contact,
touch, words and stories related to the shared past. During the event, it can be
argued that the singer embodied the figure of the Sephardic mother who
transmits secular cultural heritage to the next generation.”54
In another article, Roda shares with the reader her ethnographic observation of the
Tres Culturas festival in Murcia, Spain, and her ethnography of the Sandra Bessis
Trio performance at the festival. Roda remarks Sandra Bessis’s gestures and body
movement throughout the trio’s performance of Sephardic songs, such as, “Gesture is
at the heart of Sandra’s performance, resembling an actual score in which we can read
the meaning of the text…Bessis sits down to perform the song Ven kerida…leading
Sandra to move her hands even more, along with her lower body, in a few dance
steps, before she begins singing, while gently swaying.”55
Her observations suggest to me that the gestures and body language used in
Sephardic music performances are closer to those employed in Iberian and Latin
American music performances, and possibly in Middle Eastern music performances,
than the German Lied or French Mèlodie. Considering the many cultures that formed
the Sephardic culture, the folk elements of the music, as well as the non-Western
musical elements that give the music its unique flavor, it would only be appropriate to
allow the body to have more freedom when performing the Sephardic Art Song
repertoire. Although, it should be emphasized that the gestures incorporated must be
54
France." Théologiques vol. 24, no. 2, 2016, p. 114.
55
Roda, Jessica. “Jewish Performance as a Means for Constructing the Society of “Living Together.””
European Journal of Jewish Studies Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2014, pp. 115-118.
47
within the cultural codes and styles associated with Sephardic music, and must serve
the music and text.
5.2. DICTION
Today, it is rather easy to find sources on how to pronounce a variety of
languages. We singers make use of diction books, dictionaries with transliterations of
words in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), as well as the ones such as the
Nico Castel books full of IPA translations of Italian, German, and French operas, and
online sources that provide IPA translations of classical vocal works in various
languages. The emergence of publications of vocal works that the Western Classical
world was less familiar with, enriched the vocal literature in the 20th century; these
vocal works had texts in less common languages. Now, we are able to access IPA
transcriptions of a wide range of languages and texts; however, it is crucial to point
out that most of the languages we are dealing with in classical music are standardized
languages or dialects of large populations living together in specific countries or
geographic areas. How do we approach singing in a language of a diasporic
population that is not standardized nor uniform?
In his presentation on the challenges of working with Ladino (or Judeo-
Espagnol), Hispanic studies scholar Dr. Isaac Jack Levy emphasizes how each
Sephardic community spells and pronounces Ladino in their own way.56 After
reminding his audience that although considered a Romance language Ladino was
initially written in Hebrew and Arabic characters, he acknowledges the lack of
56
Lévy, Isaac J. “The Challenges of Working with Judeo-Espanyol.” Judeo Espaniol: The Evolution
of a Culture. Edited by Raphael Gatenio. Thessaloniki: ETS Ahaim Foundation, 1999, pp. 79-88.
48
uniformity in the transcriptions of Ladino into Latin characters. Due to the differences
in consonant and vowel sounds between Ladino and modern Spanish, Ladino and
Hebrew, and Ladino and Arabic, the consonant and vowel sounds in Ladino were
transcribed differently by scholars depending on their own native languages.57 For
example, the sound [k] could be written with a c, q, qu, k, or ch, depending on the
person transcribing it. One Sephardic community could use the letter j for the [x]
sound, while others used the same letter for other sounds, such as [ʎ] or [ʒ]. Similarly,
one could find the word [diʃo] written as disho, dixo or dišo.58 A similar complexity
presents itself in the case of a diphthong as well. Dr. Levy describes how some
Eastern Sephardic communities avoid the diphthong [ei] in written form, although it
exits in Ladino. For example, the word reina, meaning queen, could be spelled rena,
but pronounced [reina].59
What adds to the complexity of pronunciation of Ladino is its adoption of
words and sounds from other languages that different Sephardic communities were
exposed to, such as Turkish, Italian, French, Serbo-Croatian, Greek, Arabic, etc. The
pronunciation of Ladino can be significantly different from community to
community, as well as the content of vocabulary used,60 based on the languages
surrounding these communities. In his presentation, Dr. Levy discusses in detail the
difficulty of achieving a standardized spelling system in Ladino due to its variations,
but also the challenges in translating texts from Ladino into other languages.
57
Ibid.
58
Ibid.
59
Ibid.
60
Ibid.
49
The information above is crucial for those who are interested in performing
Sephardic songs, since the texts of these songs will reflect the lack of uniformity in
the spelling and pronunciation of the Ladino language. In her fieldwork, Jessica Roda
observed that the members of the Sephardic community in France found Sephardic
song performances to be more authentic when the Ladino text was pronounced
accurately.61 Some of the music scores offer help in how to pronounce the Ladino
texts of the songs. While few composers have included IPA transcriptions of the
Ladino texts they used in their published works, some others preferred to add a table
of vowels and consonants to serve as a guide for diction; however, most published
Sephardic Art Song works do not come with any information on how to pronounce
the texts. I have created the following tables (Table 4 & Table 5) to serve as a diction
guide for those who are interested in performing Sephardic songs. I would like to
emphasize that the consonants and vowels listed below, as well as their IPA
translations, are by no means an attempt to achieve a standardized spelling or
pronunciation system for Ladino. I acknowledge the complexity of the task and the
endeavors of many linguists in their pursuit of achieving this almost-impossible goal.
I am also fully aware that my educational, cultural, and professional background do
not sufficiently equip me with the appropriate tools to even propose a standardized
spelling system, especially for such a complex language as Ladino. My intention here
is merely to help singers, who would like to perform this repertoire, in deciphering
the texts.
61
Roda, Jessica. The singularity of performers in the revival of Judeo-Spanish music and language in
France. Selected Papers from the Fifteenth British Conference on Judeo-Spanish Studies. Department
of Iberian and Latin American Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, 2012, p.189.
50
It should be noted that there are exceptions to the rules presented below, as
well as differences in pronunciation from community to community. The following
tables are a fusion of information presented in a number of sources,62 as well as my
personal experience with the language as a member of the Turkish Sephardim
community.
VOWELS
VOWELS
Spelling
Spelling IPA
IPASymbol
Symbol Ladino
Ladino Spanish
Spanish English
English Other
Other
ii [i]
[i] mi,
mi, ija,
ija, amariyo
amariyo mi,
mi, ija
ija // beet
bee t finiti
finiti (Italian)
(Italian)
ee [e]
[e] de,
de , el,
e l,kero
ke ro de,
de, ella,
e lla,pero
pe ro __ legale
le gale(Italian)
(Italian)
aa [ɑ]
[?] espanyol
espanyol español,
español,almaalma __ bas,
bas, âme
âme (French)
(French)
oo [o]
[o] boka
boka boca,
boca, oro,
oro, canción
canción __ dolce,
dolce, sospiro
sospiro (Italian)
(Italian)
uu [u]
[u] komunidad
komunidad comunidad
comunidad boot
boot fugare (Italian)
fugare (Italian)
uu [w]
[w] fuego,fui,
fuego, fui,agua
agua puesta, cuarto
puesta, cuarto __ guerra (Italian)
guerra (Italian)
öö [ø]
[ø] mösyö
mösyö __ __ hören (German)
hören (German)
üü [y]
[y] büro
büro __ __ für, grün
für, grün (German)
(German)
Table 4 Vowel Sounds in Ladino
62
Edery, Gerard. “The Gerard Edery Sephardic Song Book: for Voice and Guitar.” Owings Mills,
MD.:Tara Publications, 2003.
Harris, Tracy K. Death of a Language: The History of Judeo-Spanish. London and Toronto:
Associated University Presses, 1994, pp. 279-280.
Horowitz, Joshua & Saltiel, Aron. Sephardisches Liederbuch: 51 Judenspanische Lieder = The
Sephardic Songbook: 51 Judeo-Spanish Songs. Frankfurt: C.F. Peters, 2001, p.XII.
Meizel, Katherine Lynn. Eastern Mediterranean Sephardic Tradition in Art Song. Ann Arbor,
Michigan: UMI Dissertation Services, 2004, pp. 59-62.
Varol, Marie-Christine. Manual of Judeo-Spanish: language and culture. Bethesda, MD: University
Press of Maryland, 2008, p. 27.
Wall, Joan, et al. Diction for Singers: A Concise Reference for English, Italian, Latin, German,
French, and Spanish Pronunciation. Second ed. Redmond, WA: Diction for Singers.com, 2012.
51
CONSONANTS
Spelling IPA Symbol Ladino Spanish English Other Explanation
b [b] barko, bever, djumba barco boy batti (Italian)
b [β] debasho tubo, haba _ _ between [b] and [v]
c [s] recintados, haces cerrar, cielo save souffler (French) preceding i, e
c [k] cuando, calleja, con castillo, corason carpet café (French) preceding a, o, u
ç [s] coraçón cerrar, cielo save souffler (French)
ch [tʃ] chiko, noche, muncho _ church certo (Italian)
d [d] despues, danyo, bodre después dog diva (Italian)
d [ð] dedo, boda mido, verdad those _
dj [dʒ] djente, djénero, adjile _ gender gentile (Italian)
f [f] fransé, faktor, bafo factor fair fato (Italian)
f [x] fui, esfuenyo gente _ Bach (German) between [k] and [h]
g [g] grande, guay, godro grande gallon gala (Italian)
g [dʒ] gente, género, gentil _ gender gentile (Italian) if a word begins with ge
g [ɣ] agua, djugueves fraguar, juego _ _ between [ɡ] and [h]
h [x] haham, hazino gente _ Hanukah (Hebrew) sometimes as [X]
j [ʒ] ijo, kaleja, mojado _ vision journal (French)
ǰ [dʒ] ǰusto _ just, gender gentile (Italian)
k [k] kuanto, ke, asukar cuanto, que carpet café (French)
kh [k] zekhut, malakhim cuanto, que carpet café (French)
ky [kj] kyöshé, kyuprí _ thank you _
l [l] luna, leche, kale luz leaf libertà (Italian)
ll [j] or [ʎ] ella, lluvia llama yes soleil, brillant (French)
m [m] mamá, kome, meza llama, mesa mother mentre (Italian)
n [n] numero, nada, lonso número never numero (Italian)
ny [ɲ] anyo, inyervos, Espanya año _ champagne (French)
ñ [ɲ] montañas año _ champagne (French)
p [p] papú, premio premio pebble porto (Italian)
r [ɾ] ratón, bodre, karo caro _ tesoro (Italian)
rr [r] perro, karro, borracho carro _ guerra (Italian)
s [s] sielo, sin, lonso cielo, sin save souffler (French)
s [z] rosa, casa musgo, hazlo zebra rosa, casa (Italian) between two vowels
s [z] frutas, noches musgo, hazlo zebra rosa, casa (Italian) if a word ends in s
sh [ʃ] kosho, disho, bushkar _ share scena (Italian)
š [ʃ] dišo _ share scena (Italian)
t [t] tadre, todo, tambien, pato también tender tanto (Italian)
v [v] bever, vozós, livro, vedre _ victory voce (Italian)
x [ʃ] kosho, disho, bushkar _ share scena (Italian)
y [j] yerva, luvya, ya, boyo llama year soleil, brillant (French)
z [z] meza, kaza, razon musgo, hazlo zebra rosa, casa (Italian)
ž [ʒ] ižo, mužer _ vision journal (French)
Table 5 Consonant Sounds in Ladino
52
5.3. MUSIC
As mentioned on Chapter 3, Sephardic songs that are arranged in the Western
classical tradition, as well as the original Sephardic vocal works of the 20th and 21st
centuries, are rooted in the folk song genre. Performances of traditional Sephardic
songs encourage creativity, as ornamentation and rhythmic freedom are two of the
essential musical characteristics of the genre. The Sephardic song repertoire was
orally preserved for centuries through oral transmission from generation to
generation; oral transmission encourages improvisation.
In his study of Isaac Levy’s Chants judeo-espagnols, Edwin Seroussi draws
attention to the elimination of non-tempered pitches as a result of piano being the
instrument of accompaniment, the structuring of free melodies with no clear pulse
into fixed rhythms, and simplified (and sometimes eliminated) melismas.63 He
concludes that the main stylistic elements of the traditional Sephardic songs were
naturally removed in the process of arranging them in the Western classical tradition.
A similar consequence is observed in the Spanish Art Song genre. While working on
a song64 by the Spanish composer Montsalvatge with the Latin American and Iberian
Art Song expert Patricia Caicedo, she frequently commented on my approach in
singing the motives that represented ornamentations. These motives were usually
groups of sixteenth notes, grouped in fours or fives. The feedback I got from her was
that I was simply singing them too accurately, in terms of rhythm. The notation was
there to provide the pitch sequence of that specific ornamentation; however, the
63
Seroussi, Edwin. “Reconstructing Sephardi Music in the 20th Century: Isaac Levy and his “Chants
judeo-espagnols.” The World of Music, Vol.37, No.1, 1995, p. 45.
64
The song was “Chévere” fromCinco Canciones Negras by Xavier Montsalvatge (1912-2002).
53
rhythm was meant to serve as a guide only and was supposed to be much freer. She
emphasizes this stylistic detail in her book as follows:
“Even when songs are printed in scores, in performance there are elements
that cannot be captured on paper: vocal inflections, pronunciation, particular
intonations, character, and pauses. All these subjective elements are derived
from the knowledge that the performer has of the work and its context; these
elements from the complex fabric of elements involved in the performance of
song…Style is nothing more than a reflection of culture and environment
projected onto a specific individual…as a result of their training process,
academically trained performers often lose intuitive skills needed to learn
melodies by ear, their ability to imitate vocal inflections and, in general, they
lose spontaneity and skills folk musicians have to learn by ear and imitation.
In addition to this, academic musicians are governed by written music, which
limits them to producing only sounds that are written on paper, losing sight of
the fact that musical notation was from the beginning, an attempt to capture
the music made by ear and the notation itself can not contain all the twists,
accents, intentions and emotionality of the sound experience.”65
Catalan composer and pianist Manuel García Morante supported this argument in my
personal interview with him on his 40 Canciones Sefardíes. Morante’s late wife,
Argentinian mezzo-soprano Myriam Alió, had a Sephardic heritage and sang many of
the traditional Sephardic songs in their home. Having collaborated with great classical
singers of his time, such as Victoria de los Ángeles, Conxita Badia, Carmen
65
Lexington Press, 2019, pp. 122-123, 133-134.
54
Busamente, and Myriam Alió, Morante was thoroughly familiar with the Western
classical vocal repertoire. Thus, as his wife sang these traditional Sephardic songs, he
enjoyed creating his original accompaniments to them, which were based on his
Western classical training and knowledge on the art song repertoire. Eventually, he
decided to notate these arrangements and publish them under the title 40 Canciones
Sefardíes. During our conversation about his work, Morante mentioned how these
Sephardic melodies had many ornamentations, which ended up being notated in a
rigid structure as a result of limitations that come with the Western classical notation.
When I inquired about how to approach singing them, he responded that the
ornamentations were meant to be sung in free and flexible rhythm, in accord with the
style.66
My research and observations suggest that both the singer and the
accompanying instruments are expected to be more flexible in rhythm in the
Sephardic Art Song genre, albeit within a stylistic context. Singers interested in
performing this repertoire should familiarize themselves with the stylistic elements
and performance practice of the Iberian Art Song repertoire, but also those of
zarzuelas, French foxtrots and chansons, tangos, Turkish songs, Greek tragoudis, and
other genres that influenced the Sephardic repertoire.67 This may result in
incorporating different vocal styles into the performance and experimenting with
vocal gestures and timbre. This goes without saying that healthy vocal production
should not be compromised in the process.
66
Morante, Manuel García. Personal interview. 3 July 2018.
67
Seroussi, Edwin. “The Growth of the Judeo-Spanish folksong repertory in the 20th century.”
Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies, Vol. Division D, Volume II: Art, Folklore and
Music, 1989, pp. 174-175.
55
5.4. AUDIENCE
Any performance can only be meaningful and successful, if the performers are
able to connect and communicate with the audience. It was argued in the introduction
of this dissertation that it is more likely for the audience to enjoy a musical
performance when they are able to identify themselves with some aspect of the
performance, and when they find the performance to be authentic. If so, in selection
of recital repertoire, it is worth taking into consideration who the audience might be.
In their book, Art of the Song Recital, Shirlee Emmons and Stanley Sonntag divide
the art song recital audience into two; the musically sophisticated, more
comprehending listeners, and the popular audience. They further categorize the
popular audience as follows:
“… (1) those who have been attracted by the program because the music is
most important to them; (2) those who are supporters of the singer—fans,
relatives, students; (3) those who are, at best, curious to hear and assess the
singer’s skills; (4) those who have been brought to the concert by someone
else, perhaps even against their will; and (5) those who are basically inimical,
with a “show-me” state of mind.”68
Art of the Song Recital was published in 1979 and the book highlights some salient
points that are still appropriate in the 21st century; however, I would argue that the
21st-century recital audience is comparatively much more diverse. This may be a
positive result of the more diverse and continuously expanding art song repertoire in
our current day. As mentioned before, today, the Western classical recital repertoire
68
Emmons, Shirlee & Sonntag, Stanley. The Art of the Song Recital. New York: Schirmer Books,
1979, p. 24.
56
encompasses opera, operetta, oratorio, art song, musical theater, and sometimes even
the folk songs and popular music genres. Art song in and of itself is now a rather rich
genre, sometimes adopting works and melodies from other genres. Folk songs have
inspired the Western classical composers for centuries.
In her book, Caicedo describes the audiences of different song genres, such as
art song, folk song, and popular song. She discusses how the art song audience tends
to be members of elite, upper-middle class and/or highly educated communities, who
are rather familiar with the literature, characteristics of the genre, and performance
practices. The art song audience also refrains from actively participating in the
performance and show their appreciation by applauding between songs or sets/cycles.
The folk song audience, on the other hand, tends to belong to middle or lower social
groups, and they tend to actively participate in the performance by singing along,
clapping hands, and moving their bodies.69 Thus, Caicedo concludes that folk song
performances allow more flexibility in communication with the audience.
The traditional and popular Sephardic song performances exhibit this
flexibility. Throughout the centuries, these songs were only sung in intimate spaces,
such as the homes of the Sephardim and small community spaces, and mostly in life
cycle events, such as weddings. Hand-clapping and singing along have always been
contributions of the audience to the performance. Jessica Roda’s observations of the
audience during a performance of Sephardic songs by the group Presenya in Paris, in
2009, are as follows:
69
el contexto del nacionalismo musical. Barcelona: Mundo Arts and Fundación Autor, 2018, pp. 185-
189.
57
“Throughout the performance, I observed the active participation of the
audience as they sang and swayed to the music, chattered enthusiastically with
one another, smiles and interacted with the artists on stage. The interaction
and dialogue that occur between the artists and the audience facilitated the
transmission and reception of the songs. Such performances confirm the
exchange of knowledge from musicians to audience members. … For the
artists, these moments of sharing and communicating with the community are
extremely significant because they not only validate their art, but also
legitimize their performance of Sephardic heritage. To be recognized as artists
of the Sephardic musical tradition, they need to forge a relationship with
members of the community, who express their agreement, disagreement,
satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the performance. This active participation
of audience members through words, gestures, clapping and singing serves to
validate their involvement with the performers.”70
How can we achieve such communication with an audience in the Western
classical performances of the Sephardic repertoire, considering the conventions of the
art song performance that do not allow such flexibility? At this point, it might be a
good idea to go back to the question, “who is the audience?” Questions, such as the
following, may help in determining who might be attending the performance. Are the
Sephardic songs being programmed with some other art song repertoire, such as Lied
and mélodie? Are they programmed as a section of an Iberian and Latin American Art
Song recital? Or perhaps as a section of a recital of folk songs arranged in the
70
France." Théologiques vol. 24, no. 2, 2016, pp. 113-114.
58
Western tradition? What is the instrumentation of the selected repertoire? Is the
recital repertoire consisted of exclusively Sephardic songs? Where will this recital be
performed? What is the performance space like? Is it a big concert hall or is it an
intimate space? Is the stage leveled above the audience or at the same level as the
audience? Is the recital a part of a festival? Does the festival have a theme?
The Sephardic Art Song repertoire not only consists of works for voice and
one accompanying instrument, such as piano, guitar, harp, violin, and viola, but also
of works for voice and chamber ensemble and voice and orchestra. These works also
form a hypothetical spectrum with the folk song genre on one end and the
conventional Western European art song genre on the other; some of the Western
classical arrangements are closer to the folk genre in sound, range, instrumentation,
and simplicity, while some are closer to the art song end of the spectrum in similar
parameters and the works’ harmonic complexities. Depending on context, repertoire
can be selected from this variety to better serve the audience. Perhaps the works on
the folk song side of the spectrum could be performed in a more flexible manner,
even with contributions from the audience, whereas the conventional art song
performance practices could be preserved for those works that are on the other end of
the spectrum.
In my own Sephardic Art Song recitals, I observed that the audience members
were intrigued by this unique and beautiful repertoire; although many were not
familiar with the Sephardic culture, nor the music. I have also experienced a certain
connection with the Jewish audience members, who have expressed a feeling of
nostalgia, home, and belonging after listening to these songs. Without doubt, this
59
repertoire is unique and fascinating for many, and will certainly add a different flavor
to any recital program.
60
CHAPTER 6: PERFORMANCES
6.1. RECITAL 1 – PROGRAM NOTES71
APRIL 28, 2017

LEAH SMITH LECTURE HALL
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
Cinco Canciones Sefardíes Lorenzo Palomo

I. Linda de mi corasón (Canción sefardí) (b. 1938)
II. Nani (Canción de cuna sefardí)
III. Pequeña serenata sefardí
IV. Romance sefardí
V. Nana sefardí
Jeremy Lyons, guitar
~
Lecture: Sephardic Art Song: A Musical Legacy of the Sephardic Diaspora – Part I
~
Canciones Sefarditas Manuel Valls

I. La rosa enflorece (1920-1984)
II. Ven querida, ven amada
III. Adio, querida
IV. Durme, durme
V. Paxaro d’hermozura
VI. Abrix, mi galanica
VII. Irme quiero, la mi madre
VIII. Ya viene el cativo
Jeremy Lyons, guitar & Caroline Rohm, flute
8 Sephardic Songs Andrew Zohn

VIII. Montañas altas (b.1970)
VI. Fel sharah canet betet masha
Jeremy Lyons, guitar
71
Text and translations can be found in Appendix B.
61
6.1.1. Lorenzo Palomo, Cinco Canciones Sefardíes (2006)
Lorenzo Palomo (b.1938) is a contemporary Spanish composer and conductor.
Lorenzo Palomo is a contemporary Spanish composer and conductor. He currently
lives in Berlin, Germany, where he had been a member of the music staff of the
Berlin Opera (Deutsche Oper Berlin) as conductor and pianist from 1981 to 2004. As
a composer, Palomo’s works display strong influences of his native Córdoba, as well
as the life-style and music of Andalusia that embrace many diverse cultures. He
further enjoys combining these diverse musical elements with the passionate
flamenco style. Palomo has become a musical ambassador for Spain with his more
than 200 works for piano, chorus, orchestra, voice and guitar, which have been
performed all around the world. One of his most famous works is his Spanish Songs,
which was premiered by Montserrat Caballé (b.1933) at the Carnegie Hall in New
York, in 1987. His Madrigal y Cinco Canciones sefardíes was premiered by Ofelia
Sala (soprano) and Maria Smirnova (harp) at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2004.
I will let Palomo present you the following work in his own words: “Writing
the present work, I primarily intended to preserve its magic, simplicity and traditional
character. Canciones sefardíes are melodies, which have been left Spain by Jewish
music. They especially captivate by their enormous simplicity. Subject is always love,
pain of unrequited love, the history of a young love or a lullaby. All of these songs
exude purity and tenderness.”72
72
Palomo, Lorenzo. Madrigal y Cinco Canciones Sefardíes. Score. FH 3251. Leipzig: Friedrich
Hofmeister Musikverlag, 2006.
62
6.1.2. Manuel Valls, Canciones Sefarditas (1975)
Manuel Valls (1920-1984) was a Catalan composer, pianist, music critic and
educator. He achieved success as a composer through his symphonic, choral, chamber
works, as well as operas, art songs, and works for solo piano, while simultaneously
teaching composition at the University of Barcelona and writing music reviews for
the daily newspaper El País. His Canciones Sefarditas is a collection of popular
Sephardic tunes arranged for voice, flute and guitar. Just like Lorenzo Palomo, Valls
clearly intended to preserve the simplicity of these folk tunes and to evoke a medieval
atmosphere through his selection of instruments and treatment of harmony.
Although each song has multiple verses, Valls preferred to treat his
arrangements more as little appetizers instead of entire meals. The set includes one of
the most popular Sephardic love songs, La rosa enflorece (Los bilbilicos), and a
farewell to the loved one, Adio querida, among other love songs, songs of longing
and a lullaby. Those who are familiar with Verdi’s La Traviata may find similarities
between Adio querida and the aria Addio del passato. Although some suggest that
Verdi may have been inspired by this beautiful Sephardic song, it is quite the
opposite. A portion of the Sephardic song repertoire can be traced back to the
medieval times; however, a large number of these songs were altered or created (or
recreated) throughout the history under the influence of the surroundings of the
scattered Sephardim communities. In this particular case, the Sephardic tune is
derived from the famous Verdi aria.73
73
Madsen, Catherine. “In Search of Sephardic Music.” Pakn treger No. 48, Summer 2005/5765.
Retrieved 17 March 2017, from http://www.klezmershack.com/articles/madsen/bresler/
63
6.1.3. Andrew Zohn, 8 Sephardic Songs (2011)
Andrew Zohn (b.1970) is an American guitarist and composer, internationally
recognized for his performances. He is currently a faculty member at the Schwob
School of Music (Columbus State University) in Georgia. Zohn began composing for
the guitar in 1998 and published his 8 Sephardic Songs for voice and guitar in 2011.
The reason I picked the following two songs among the eight is because I
think that they will provide a different flavor when compared to the previous
repertoire presented on the program. Montañas altas is simply another song of
yearning and desire for the beloved. Fel sharah canet betet masha, on the other hand,
is quite an interesting tune. It is interesting for it is referred to as “a secret world hit
with many names, a tune that can be traced all over South Eastern Europe and in
some parts of the Mediterranean area, the Middle East, Caucasus, Central Asia, the
Far East and North America.” It has not yet been proved where it exactly came
from—or when and by whom it was originally written—and it has been suggested
that the origins of the melody are either Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Bosnian,
Bulgarian, Chinese, Greek, Iranian, Scottish, Sephardic (Ladino), Serbian or Turkish
or that the song was brought by the Crusaders. There is even a documentary named
Whose is this song? in which a lady named Adeela Peeva follows the route of this
song, which she had thought to be Bulgarian until she is told one day in Istanbul that
it is Greek (by a Greek) - Serbian (by a Serb) or Turkish (by a Turk) respectively.
Throughout the film, she traces the tune in Greece, Turkey and all over the Balkans.74
74
Peeva, Adela. "Adela Media Film and TV Production Company." Whose is This Song? - Adela
Media. Accessed April 25, 2017. http://www.adelamedia.net/movies/whose-is-this-song.php.
64
NOVEMBER 16, 2017

GILDENHORN RECITAL HALL
Lecture: Sephardic Art Song: A Musical Legacy of the Sephardic Diaspora – Part II
~ intermission ~
Canciones Sefardíes José Antonio (Aita) de Donostia

I. Levantéis vos (1886-1956)
II. Descanso de mi vida
III. Pájaro de hermosura
Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques Joaquín Nin-Culmell

I. Yo bolí de foja en foja (1908-2004)
Three Sephardic Songs Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

I. Montañas altas y marinadas (1895-1986)
II. Ven y veràs
III. Una noche yo me armi
40 Canciones Sefardies Manuel García Morante

I. Cuando el rey Nimrod (b.1937)
II. Pregoneros van y vienen
III. Una tadre fresquita de Mayo
IV. Adio, querida
Coplas Sefardies Alberto Hemsi

I. No paséch por la mi sala, Op.7-3 (1898-1975)
II. Arboles lloran por luvia, Op. 51-2
III. Ansí dize la nuestra novia, Op.7-8
Alex Chan, piano
75
Text and translations can be found on Appendix B.
65
6.2.1. José Antonio (Aita) de Donostia, Canciones Sefardíes (1941)
Donostia (1886-1956) was a Basque ethnomusicologist and composer, who
can be found in scholarly resources by various names (Aita Donostia, José Gonzalo
Zulaica Arregui, Father Donostia, and Father San Sebastian). I found out about
Donostia through a Basque soprano friend, Olatz Saitua, whom I met this past
summer at The Science of the Singing Voice program in Sweden. As soon as I
mentioned my dissertation to her, she told me about Donostia and his Sephardic
songs, and generously sent me the musical score of Canciones Sefardíes (1941) later
on.
Donostia studied civil and ecclesiastical subjects, as well as harmony and
composition, at the Capuchin College in Lecároz, in the late 19th century; however, he
was a largely self-taught composer. Upon his ordination as a priest in 1908, he began
teaching at the Capuchin College. During this time, he also collected and studied
Basque popular songs and pursued his interest in composing. He supplemented his
interest by taking harmony, counterpoint, and composition lessons from various
musicians, but he also studied Gregorian chant, the influence of which is prevalent in
his Sephardic songs. In 1918, he travelled to Madrid and Paris in pursuit of a musical
career. It is notable that he got to meet Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and Albert
Roussel (1869-1937) during his travels, and to study with Vincent d’Indy (1851-
1931) and Eugène Cools (1877-1936).
Donostia’s music is based on two elements: Gregorian chant and Basque
popular song. Although he was initially influenced by Romanticism, his acquaintance
with French Impressionism “led to a more personal and refined language, with a
66
concise expressiveness.”76 He has numerous sacred vocal works; however, he
achieved more popularity through his Basque choral music and Preludios vascos for
piano. He published two books of compilations of Basque songs, which together
include about 2000 melodies.77
The songs you will hear today are from his Canciones Sefardíes, which is a
set of five songs, although there are ten songs mentioned in Donostia’s introduction to
the set. They are simple in character and speak of love and pain of unrequited love.
6.2.2. Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques (1982)
Joaquín Nin-Culmell (1908-2004) was a Cuban-American pianist, composer
and an emeritus professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley. He was
born into a musical family in Berlin, Germany. His father was the Cuban composer
and pianist Joaquín Nin (1879-1949) and his mother was Rosa Culmell, a Cuban
singer of French and Danish descent. Nin-Culmell moved to New York at the age of
six with his mother, only to return to Europe nine years later. He began his studies in
music in Barcelona with Conchita Badía (1897-1975), who was a Spanish pianist and
composer, as well as a former student of Enrique Granados (1867-1916), Manuel de
Falla (1876-1946), and Pablo Casals (1876-1973). Nin-Culmell later studied piano,
harmony, counterpoint and fugue, and composition at the Schola Cantorum and the
Paris Conservatory, where his teachers included Paul Dukas (1865-1935), Alfred
Cortot (1877-1962), and Ricardo Viñes (1875-1943). He also had the opportunity to
76
Itziar Larrinaga. "Donostia, José Antonio de." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press, accessed November 1, 2017,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/08009.
77
Ibid.
67
study with Manuel de Falla, and premiered his Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas in
1936. After moving back to the US in 1939, Nin-Culmell taught at a couple of
institutions before he became a faculty member at the University of California,
Berkley, in 1950. He continued to compose, premiere the works of Spanish
composers, and perform as a concert pianist internationally during his lifetime.
Nin-Culmell’s Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques is a set of six songs
composed in 1982. Nin-Culmell dedicates the set to the Jewish martyrs in Latin: “In
memoriam omnium martyrum iudaeorum,” which also serves as his description of the
set. These songs are also simple in character and quite straightforward dramatically
and stylistically. Although the songs are vocally simple as well, the melismatic vocal
lines with little ornaments of grace notes and intervals of augmented seconds create a
Middle Eastern soundscape with hints of a Spanish flavor.
6.2.3. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Three Sephardic Songs (1959)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1986) was an Italian composer, pianist,
music critic and essayist of Sephardic descent. Throughout his lifetime, he credited
his musical talent to his maternal grandfather, who had a great influence on
Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s musical development throughout his childhood. He received
his formal training in piano and composition at the Cherubini Royal Institute of
Music in Florence and Liceo Musicale of Bologna. Even in the early years of his
musical career, he became acknowledged as a prolific composer with exceptional
gifts. In 1925, many years after his grandfather’s death, he found a small book of
manuscripts of his grandfather’s musical settings of several Hebrew prayers. These
68
manuscripts became a source of both musical and philosophical inspiration for
Castelnuovo-Tedesco and triggered his interest in using Jewish themes in his
compositions.78 In 1939, he moved to New York with his family due to the increasing
anti-semitic activity in Italy. About a year later, he moved to California and signed a
contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer that began his relationship with several
Hollywood studios and his career as a film composer.79
Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s catalogue includes songs, operas, oratorios, ballets,
choral and orchestral works, works for guitar, piano, and chamber ensembles. His
compositions display traces of Impressionism, neo-Romanticism, and some neo-
Classicism; however, there were four major influences in his work: works of
Shakespeare, Jewish music, Tuscan folksongs and poetry, and his devotion to his
adopted country, the US.80
His Three Sephardic Songs for voice and piano (or harp) was published in
1959. The first song in the set, Montañas altas is a love song of yearning and desire.
According to Israel J. Katz, the song does not exist in any of the published Sephardic
song collections, and therefore, it is probably a more recent tune – possibly a
translation of a Turkish or Greek song.81 The second song, Ven y verás, is more
commonly known as Arboles lloran por luvia. This particular tune exists in multiple
versions, some of which are clearly interpreted as love songs, whereas some
78
Lakeway, Ruth. C. and Robert C. White. Italian Art Song. Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
1989, pp. 258-260.
79
Westby, James. "Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press, accessed November 6, 2017,
80
Lakeway, Ruth. C. and Robert C. White. Italian Art Song, 1989.
81
Meizel, Katherine L. Eastern Mediterranean Sephardic Tradition in Art Song. Thesis, Ph.D.,
University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004, pp. 41-45.
69
emphasize elements of lament. I have included Alberto Hemsi’s arrangement of this
song in the program today to present two different interpretations of the same song.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s setting is a song about love and longing for the loved one.
The third and last song, Una noche yo me armí, is more commonly known as
Ventanas altas. In her research on Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s setting, Katherine Meizel
found out that this song is documented as a wedding song among the Jewish
communities. Moreover, the melody of this song is derived from a popular Greek
song carried by Salonikan immigrants to Jerusalem in the 19th century, and the text is
a combination of this song from Salonika and text from another song, Ni blanca ni
morena.82 The original traditional version of Ventanas altas has a very rhythmic
quality; however, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s setting dismisses the rhythmic quality of
this song and creates an entirely different atmosphere with his arpeggiated chords and
fluid piano accompaniment.
6.2.4. Manuel García Morante, 40 Canciones Sefardies (1983)
Morante (b.1937) is a living pianist and composer, born in Barcelona, Spain.
Upon completion of his musical studies in Barcelona, and then Paris, he began his
career as a pianist. He collaborated with renowned singers, such as Victoria de los
Ángeles, Carmen Bustamante, and Conchita Badia on international recitals. He began
to focus more on composition from 1979 on and worked on his vocal compositions
with his wife, the Argentinian mezzo-soprano Myriam Alió. His vocal compositions
include five operas and 554 art songs. About half of Morante’s art songs are
82
Ibid.
70
arrangements of traditional Catalan, Asturian, Sephardic, Mallorcan, Andalusian,
Japanese, Cantabrian, and Irish songs.83
His 40 Canciones Sefardies was published in 1983. Unfortunately, the
collection has received some criticism by the great scholars of Sephardic song, such
as Israel J. Katz and Samuel G. Armistead, for not being truly original, as Morante
has made some changes in the original texts and has altered prosody as well. The
melodies are borrowed from traditional Sephardic songs; however, some of
Morante’s arrangements alter the character and undertones of these songs
significantly. Despite the fact that the arrangements are rather westernized and
possess less of the traditional Sephardic flavor, I think they are still quite unique in
character. Instead of displaying the folky attributes of these songs and keeping the
simplicity of them, Morante prefers to paint atmospheres and scenes with the piano
accompaniment. He enhances the text with some rather haunting harmonies and
melodies supplemented by the piano.
My selection of songs from the Morante collection is solely based on my
desire to present you songs from a wide range of the Sephardic repertoire. I tried my
best to pick the songs that I thought would complement the rest of the program in
terms of theme and character. Cuando el rey Nimrod is a very popular narrative song
on the birth of Abraham, the biblical prophet. Pregoneros van y vienen is a rather
haunting war song. These two songs will be followed by Una tadre fresquita de
Mayo, which Israel Katz refers to as a modern and picaresque song. The light, lyrical
83
Tritó Edicions (n.d.). Manuel García Morante (1937). Retrieved November 02, 2017, from
https://www.trito.es/en/composers/30252/manuel-garcia-morante
71
character of this song will lighten up the mood before the somber, but beautiful Adío
querida, which is a farewell to the loved one.
6.2.5. Alberto Hemsi, Coplas Sefardies (1933-1973)
Alberto Hemsi, in my opinion, is one of the most significant composers in the
Sephardic Art Song genre, if not the most. His contribution to the genre goes well
beyond his Coplas sefardies (1933-1973), which is a compilation of about sixty
arrangements of Sephardic songs in ten opuses. In the early 20th century, a number of
musicologists and folklorists showed interest in collecting and transcribing the
Sephardic folk songs of the Ladino-speaking Mediterranean Jews. Hemsi was one of
the handful of them, who traveled from country to country and town to town to
interview Sephardic communities, and transcribed over several hundreds of song
fragments and texts. What puts Hemsi apart from the other scholars is his more
westernized approach in his notation and arrangements, which I believe qualifies
these songs to be considered among the classical art song repertoire. Irene Heskes
states in her review of Hemsi’s songs that “Hemsi refers to a strong historic
continuity with the Iberian past as inherent to the song texts. Melodically, however,
he renders transcriptions in a more westernized notation, thereby moving away from
an essence of old Hispanic and Near Eastern melos and modality.”84
Another reason why I became particularly drawn to Hemsi’s work is because
he was from Turgutlu (a.k.a. Cassaba in the Ottoman Empire), a district in Manisa, in
Turkey, which is just outside my hometown, Izmir. Hemsi was born into an Italian
84
Heskes, Irene. Notes, vol. 56, no. 2, 1999, pp. 496–500. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/900052.
72
Sephardic family in Turgutlu, and he studied composition with Shemtov Shikayar and
cantorial music with Isaac Algazi (1889-1950, also a collector of Sephardic folk
songs) at the Société Musicale Israélite in Izmir. He received a scholarship to study at
the Milan Conservatory, where he studied theory, solfège, orchestration, history,
composition, and piano, until his studies were interrupted by war service. After
serving in the Italian army during World War I and getting severely injured, he
returned to Izmir in 1919, and began his career as a pianist, choral conductor, and
music teacher. By 1920, he had already begun to collect and transcribe the Sephardic
songs and poems in Izmir and Rhodes. He then extended his research to Thessaloniki,
Jerusalem and Alexandria.
Hemsi’s Coplas comprise both romances (ballads) and cantigas (songs). His
collection is rich of themes and characters, and includes life-cycle songs, lullabies,
serenades, dirges, and love songs, as well as Biblical, religious and paraliturgical
compositions. The selections you will hear today are two wedding songs (No.1 & 3)
and a love song (No.2).
FEBRUARY 24, 2018

ULRICH RECITAL HALL
Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes Joaquín Rodrigo

I. Respóndemos (1901-1999)
II. Una pastora yo ami
III. Nani, nani
IV. “Morena” me llaman
Alex Chan, piano
85
Text and translations can be found on Appendix B.
73
~
Seven Sephardic Romances Yehezkel Braun
I. Don Amadi (1922-2014)
II. Esta Rachel la estimoza
IV. Durme, durme
VI. Dime Rozina
VII. Morenica a mi me llaman
Alex Chan, piano
~
Sephardic Songs Frederic Hand
I. El Rey de Francia (b.1947)
III. Adio Querida
IV. A la una yo naci
Meghan Shanley, flute & Jeremy Lyons, guitar & Shawn Alger, double bass
~ intermission ~
Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes Wolf Simoni

I. Alma y Vida y Coraçon (1907-1991)
II. Tres Hermanicas
III. Canción de Cuna
IV. Abraham Avinu
Alex Chan, piano
Two Sephardic Songs William Kenlon

I. La rosa huele (b.1983)
Emily Robinson, clarinet & Alex Chan, piano
~
Rodas Recordada Sid Robinovitch
(b.1942)
Juliana Franco, soprano & William Kenlon, baritone & Emily Robinson, clarinet
Jeremy Lyons, guitar & Carol Anne Bosco, cello
74
6.3.1. Joaquín Rodrigo, Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes (1965)
Rodrigo’s Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes is where my dissertation journey
began. Therefore, it is only appropriate for my final dissertation recital to begin with
this set. As I had mentioned in my previous recitals, I found out about this set of four
songs through a student in the undergraduate Vocal Literature class I was assisting in
three years ago. I have to thank Sofiya Schug (student then, friend now), who knew
about my Sephardic heritage and thought that I would be interested in performing
these songs someday. This finding led me to further investigate whether there were
other 20th- or 21st-century vocal works in the Western classical music tradition that
could be traced back to a Sephardic influence. Not only have I found sufficient
amount of works to create a dissertation out of them, but I have also discovered so
many vocal works in this genre that I ended up having to create a catalog to be able to
keep track of them. Through my dissertation work, I hope to draw attention to the
revival of Sephardic ballads in the 20th and 21st centuries as Sephardic Arts Songs.
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was one of the ten children of a Catholic
Valencian family. He lost his eyesight at the age of three as a result of a diphtheria
epidemic. He began studying music at a young age with Eduardo López Chávarri
(1871-1970), who was a well-known composer, folklorist, and writer at the
Conservatorio de Valencia at the time. He also studied composition and harmony
with Francisco Antich (1860-1926) in Valencia. By the time he began traveling
throughout Europe in 1920, he had already become an excellent pianist and a good
violinist. In 1927, he began his studies at Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris as a
student of Paul Dukas (1865-1935). He lived mainly in France until after the Spanish
75
Civil War and returned home in 1939.86 While in Paris, he developed friendships with
other Spaniards living there, including Manuel de Falla (1876-1946). Falla was the
one to encourage Rodrigo “to compose nationalistic music that would employ
Spanish dance rhythms, gypsy and Moorish melodies, and accompanimental effects
of the guitar.”87 Another name that influenced Rodrigo’s career and compositional
style was Victoria Kamhi (1905-1997), whom he met in Paris in the late 20s. In his
program notes about Rodrigo, James Loeffler refers to their relationship as a
“turbulent romance,” and mentions the many obstacles they faced before their
marriage in 1933, such as religious differences, financial concerns, family opposition,
war, and exile.88 Evidently, Victoria Kamhi was a Turkish pianist of Sephardic
descent and was born into a cosmopolitan, well-to-do Istanbul Jewish family. Loeffler
speaks of her as “a proud, independent woman reluctant to relinquish her career or
conceal her religious background,” who found it challenging to share the household
with Rodrigo’s traditional, rural Spanish family. After World War II, Rodrigo
emerged as the leading Spanish composer as a result of the tremendous success of his
works. He composed in a wide spectrum of genres for voice, guitar, orchestra, choir,
piano, and other instruments. When Spanish folklorist and literary scholar Ramón
Menédez Pidal (1869-1968) suggested that Rodrigo arrange some Sephardic ballads,
he composed his choral work Dos Canciones Sefardíes del Siglo XV in 1950.89 This
86
Cockburn, Jacqueline, and Richard Stokes. The Spanish Song Companion. Lanham, MD: The
Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006.
87
Draayer, Suzanne R. A Singer’s Guide to the Songs of Joaquín Rodrigo. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow
Press, 1999.
88
Loeffler, James. “Piety and Passion: The Musical Legacy of Jewish Spain” Program notes for
Rodrigo’s Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes. The Amernet Quartet with special guests. Washington, D.C.:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Terrace Theater, November 23, 2015.
89
Ibid.
76
was followed by his Cuatro Canciones Sefaradíes (1965) for voice and piano, which
was premiered by the Venezuelan soprano Fedora Alemán (b.1912) in November
1965.
Cuatro Canciones Sefaradíes is a set of four songs with anonymous Sephardic
texts adapted by Rodrigo’s wife Victoria Kamhi, who was familiar with the Ladino
language. The set begins with Respóndemos, a prayer of supplication. Rodrigo
dedicates the song to Victoria’s father Isaac Kamhi. Loeffler argues that this
dedication is “a gesture of posthumous reconciliation,” as Isaac Kamhi had
disapproved of his daughter’s marriage outside the faith. The second song, Una
pastora yo ami, is a lament of unrequited love and a fairly modern song that is a
translation from Modern Greek.90 Nani, nani is an old romance, a classic Sephardic
lullaby. The set ends with an old, traditional lyric song about a Moorish girl,
“Morena” me llaman, which was documented in Spain as early as the 16th century
and in Sephardic tradition from the late-18th century.91 Loeffler presents this song as
“a complex folk meditation on the links between community and violence among
Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Spain’s medieval past,” which he believes is
conveyed through the speaker’s description of walking through the town’s streets.
In her book, A Singer’s Guide to the Songs of Joaquín Rodrigo, Suzanne
Rhodes Draayer describes Rodrigo as “a neo-Classical composer, favoring ancient
legends as well as modern poetry, set in traditional art song style. … Rodrigo’s songs
meld the old with the new—supreme lyricism, harmonic as well as nonharmonic
90
Armistead, Samuel, et al. “Another Anthology of Sephardic Folksongs (Review Essay).” Musica
Judaica vol. 7, no. 1, 1985, pp. 58-72.
91
Ibid.
77
dissonance, and a fine sense of poetic line.”92 Cuatro Canciones Sefaradíes is an
excellent representation of his compositional approach in the art song genre, as well
as his love of languages, literature, and history.
6.3.2. Yehezkel Braun, Seven Sephardic Romances (1968)
Yehezkel Braun (1922-2014) was born in Breslau, Germany, which is now
known as Wroclaw and belongs to Poland. When he was two, his family immigrated
to Palestine, where he began his musical studies at an early age. He studied at the
Israel Academy of Music (a.k.a. Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of Tel Aviv
University) in Tel Aviv, under the tutelage of Alexander Uriah Boskovich (1907-
1964). He later taught at his alma mater between1953-1990, during which time he
also served as the director for three years (1979-1981). In addition to his musical
studies, Braun also earned a Master’s degree in Greek and Latin philology at Tel
Aviv University. His interest in Hebrew and Gregorian chant led him to spend a year
(1975) at the Benedictine Monastery at Solesmes, France, where he studied Gregorian
chant with Dom Jean Claire (1920-2006).
Braun is now known as an Israeli composer and scholar, who belongs to the
generation of Israeli composers following Paul Ben-Haim (1897-1984) and Marc
Lavry (1903-1967).93 Ben-Haim and Lavry were immigrant composers that had
escaped Nazi Germany and they had actively sought ways to create a national sound
in their compositions through incorporating elements of Jewish and Middle-eastern
92
Draayer, Suzanne R. A Singer’s Guide to the Songs of Joaquín Rodrigo, 1999.
93
Levin, Neil W. “Yehezkel Braun.” Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
https://www.naxos.com/person/Yehezkel_Braun/26223.htm
78
music. Sharing a similar approach, Braun’s fascination with medieval chant,
traditional Jewish and Eastern-Mediterranean music, Israeli folk music, and Hebrew
poetry is evident in his works. His catalogue comprises vocal and instrumental works,
as well as music for film, theater, and dance.94 He also compiled and edited an
anthology of traditional Jewish melodies.95
Although Braun has several works that has elements of 12-tone style, his
songs are quite simple in character. His Seven Sephardic Romances (1968) are also
simple arrangements of Sephardic ballads, which are dramatically and stylistically
quite straightforward. These songs are reminiscent of the arrangements by José
Antonio de Donostia (1886-1956) and Joaquín Nin-Culmell (1908-2004) that you had
heard in my previous recital. Similarly, the melismatic vocal lines with little
ornaments of grace notes and intervals of augmented seconds create a Middle Eastern
soundscape with hints of a Spanish flavor.
Don Amadi is a version of the Medieval ballad La vuelta del marido (the
return of the husband), in which we encounter a hopeless wife faithfully waiting for
her missing husband’s return.96 It is followed by a wedding song, Esta Rachel la
estimoza, the story of another honest and faithful wife. I decided to exclude the third
song in the set, Nani, nani, as the setting was very similar to that of Rodrigo’s you
have just heard. However, I kept the second cradle song in the set, Durme, durme,
which is a beautiful setting of the traditional Sephardic lullaby. Dime Rozina is a
pretty little song, an expression of passionate love for a lady named Rozina. The set
94
The National Library of Israel. “Yehezkel Braun.” Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/music/archives/detailed_archives/Pages/Yehezkel_Braun.aspx
95
Levin, Neil W. “Yehezkel Braun.”
96
Judaica vol. 7, no. 1, 1985, pp. 58-72.
79
ends with Morenica a mi me llaman. Although you have just heard Rodrigo’s
arrangement of this song, I decided to keep it, as Braun’s setting is rather different in
character and text.
6.3.3. Frederic Hand, Sephardic Songs (1996)
Frederic Hand (b.1947) is a living American composer, arranger, guitarist, and
lutenist, from Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music
in New York, where he has been a faculty member since 1972. Hand also received a
Fulbright scholarship to study with English virtuoso classical guitarist and lutenist
Julian Bream (b.1933) in England. Since then, he has toured both as a soloist and with
his ensemble, Jazzantiqua, throughout North and South America, as well as Europe,
served as head of the guitar departments at SUNY Purchase and Bennington College,
and taught masterclasses and had residencies at the New England Conservatory of
Music, Yale University, Dartmouth College, Cleveland Institute of Music, Emory
University, and University of California at Santa Barbara, Colorado State, Miami
University and University North Carolina. Hand has also been the appointed guitarist
and lutenist with the Metropolitan Opera since 1984, having performed with
renowned singers as Placido Domingo (b.1941) and Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007).
His accomplishments include a Grammy nomination and an Emmy award.97
As a composer and arranger, his works have been published throughout the
world. His catalogue comprises vocal and instrumental works in a variety of genres,
including music for film and television. According to New Focus Recordings, Hand’s
97
Hand, Frederic. Biography, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://www.frederichand.com/biography/
80
compositions are difficult to categorize, as they “draw from various styles including
early music, Irish music, new age, contemporary composition, and jazz.”98 In 1995,
he was commissioned by the Seacliff Chamber Players to compose new settings of a
group of Sephardic songs. His Sephardic Songs for soprano, flute, guitar and double
bass was published in 1996, and comprises four songs, although the original
instrumentation had cello instead of a double bass. The cello part was transcribed for
the double bass later by double bass virtuoso and composer Norman Ludwin
(b.1956). In his notes about this set, Hand mentions his performance of Manuel
Valls’s Canciones Sefarditas, which I had performed on my first dissertation recital
last year. One particular song among Valls’s arrangements had stayed with Hand over
the years, which happens to be one of my favorite Sephardic songs as well. It is an
absolute pleasure to perform yet another arrangement of Adio Querida, which
includes an extra verse that is often excluded in other settings. Today, we will also
perform the first and last songs of the set. El Rey de Francia is a traditional, narrative
Sephardic song about one of the daughters of the King of France. In the story, she
shares her dream with her mother, who interprets it for her. Hand’s setting only offers
the introductory verse of the ballad. A la una yo naci is another popular Sephardic
song that can be found under different titles and in various arrangements. Wolf
Simoni’s setting of it will offer a different flavor, which you will hear after the
intermission.
98
Hand, C. W. Frederic Hand: Odyssey | Catalogue. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://www.newfocusrecordings.com/catalogue/frederic-hand-odyssey/
81
6.3.4. Wolf Simoni, Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes (1935/36)
Wolf Simoni (1907-1991) is a German composer with Italian heritage. He is
more commonly known by the name “Louis Saguer,” as he took this name after he
fled the Nazi Germany and became a French citizen in 1947.99 He began his musical
studies in piano and composition with two students of Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924),
including Gino Tagliapietra (1887-1954). He moved to Paris in 1929, where he
studied orchestration with Louis Aubert (1877-1968) and composition with Arthur
Honneger (1892-1955) and Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). Before settling in France in
1933, he returned to Berlin to study with Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) and worked as
an assistant to Hans Eisler (1898-1962). In Paris, he achieved success with his
performances of contemporary works on radio broadcasts as a pianist and
harpsichordist. He introduced contemporary works to audiences, including works by
Boulez, Dutilleux, and Messiaen, and accompanied renowned singers of his time.100
He has also made important contributions to the classical music world with his
compositions, which comprise both vocal and instrumental works. According to
Grove Music dictionary, “his most notable awards include the Grand Prix de Monaco
(1964) for the opera Mariana Pinéda, the first prize of the American Association of
99
Olivier, Philippe. “The Fate of Professional French Jewish Musicians Under the Vichy Regime.”
Articles & Essays, 1 December 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://orelfoundation.org/journal/journalArticle/the_fate_of_professional_french_jewish_musicians_und
er_the_vichy_regime
100
Desarbres, Hervé. Louis Saguer, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://brahms.ircam.fr/louis-saguer
82
Negro Music (1973) for a series of melodies on texts by Langston Hughes and the
Prix de la SACEM (1974).”101
His compositions reflect a fusion of modal, polytonal and atonal elements.102
His fascination with complex rhythm is evident in his Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes
(1935/36). I can say that this particular set of four songs has been the most
challenging to prepare among the works for voice and piano that I have performed in
my dissertation recitals, due to the frequent rhythm changes and unusual harmonies in
these songs. However, they are also among my favorites. The set begins with Alma y
vida y coraçon, a different setting of A la una yo naci you have just heard. The
influence of oral transmission in these songs can be observed through the differences
in text, as melodies and words of same Sephardic songs can differ from community to
community or generation to generation. Tres Hermanicas is a narrative song about
the doomed sister, who was unable to find love, and therefore, was banished from the
family. Canción de Cuna is a rather sad lullaby, in which the mother sings about her
husband’s unfaithfulness. The last song, Abraham Avinu, more commonly known as
Cuando el rey Nimrod, is a popular narrative song about the birth of Abraham, the
biblical prophet.
6.3.5. William Kenlon, Two Sephardic Songs (2018)
William Kenlon (b.1983) is an American composer based in Washington D.C.
and Boston areas. He specializes in music for chamber, choral, and jazz ensembles,
although his catalogue also includes works for orchestra, solo piano, and for solo
101
Musk, Andrea. “Saguer, Louis.” Grove Music Online, 2001. Retrieved 17 Jan. 2018,
fromhttp://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/om
o-9781561592630-e-0000024292.
102
Ibid.
83
voice with instrumental accompaniment.103 William is also a friend, whom I met at
the University of Maryland (UMD) about four years ago, when we began our doctoral
studies at the School of Music. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in
Composition at UMD last year and holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts
degrees in Composition from Tufts University and James Madison University
respectively. He has also studied at McGill University and at the New England
Conservatory, as well as with numerous composers from a variety of traditions and
backgrounds.104
While studying at UMD, William and I collaborated on several occasions,
mainly for performances of new music with the UMD TEMPO New Music
Ensemble. Having completed a voice minor degree at James Madison University,
William is also an excellent baritone and performs frequently as a singer in the D.C.
area. We will be performing the next piece in the program together, as he gladly
agreed to sing the baritone part when I approached to him about it. However, he is
making a much more significant contribution to my Sephardic Art Song project.
William recently expanded the existing Sephardic song repertoire with his brand new
set of two songs, Two Sephardic Songs for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano.
During a conversation last November, I had told William about my dissertation and
how I kept finding new 20th- and 21st-century works in this genre. When I asked him
if he would be interested in creating a new “Sephardic” work that we could
collaborate on, he was intrigued. About two months later, I was holding the score to
his Two Sephardic Songs, beautiful original settings of Puncha, puncha, la rosa huele
103
Kenlon, William. Biography, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from
http://www.williamkenlon.com/about.html#
104
Ibid.
84
and Por que llorax blanca niña. Although these two texts can be found in the
traditional Sephardic song repertoire, I am referring to William’s settings as
‘original,’ as they are entirely different than the folk versions you may be familiar
with. He described his compositional approach in this pieces as ‘being appropriate to
the style by using elements of Sephardic music, while keeping his own voice.’ He
found commonalities between his own established harmonic voice and the Sephardic
style. William’s compositional style often draws upon polytriadic harmonies and
Olivier Messiaen’s (1908-1992) modes of limited transposition. His music is
described as follows: “"pointed and groovy" (New Music Box), Kenlon's music has
garnered praise for its "lyrical personality that is original and strong" (Boston
Musical Intelligencer), and for its sophisticated tonal explorations: "solid without
being dense, clear without being sparse, and ever-changing without being random"
(ibid).”105
In choosing the songs, although the two folk songs are possibly centuries
apart, William found the protagonists to be similar in character—abandoned by the
loved ones. The speaker in La rosa huele is rather mournful. The last verse “If you
wish to see me again, come outside and I will speak with you. Look to the sea and
there you will find me.” implies suicide. Por que llorax blanca niña is a romance of
medieval Hispanic origin combined with a Sephardic ballad that originated in the
Eastern Mediterranean as a translation of a modern Greek tragedy.106 Although the
protagonist is clearly abandoned by her (perhaps) husband and has to take care of her
children, instead of accepting her fate, she challenges the man angrily.
105
Ibid.
106
Judaica vol. 7, no. 1, 1985, pp. 58-72.
85
We will be premiering only the first song of the set today due to time
constraints. The songs will be performed together at a later time this spring (2018).
6.3.6. Sid Robinovitch, Rodas Recordada (2005)
Sid Robinovitch (b.1942) is a Canadian composer from Manitoba. He seems
to have had quite an interesting journey towards his career in music, considering his
brief music education at Indiana University, and his background in social sciences
and communication with a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Illinois.
He has taught social sciences at York University in Toronto, while also studying with
composer Samuel Dolin (1917-2002) at the Royal Conservatory of Music. According
to resources, he decided to devote himself to his career in music as a composer in
1977, and has been composing prolifically since.107 Robinovitch’s compositional
style is described as “rooted in traditional or folk material, with a distinctly
contemporary flavor.”108 His catalogue includes works for piano, guitar, orchestra,
band, chamber ensembles, as well as vocal and choral works. He has also composed
music for television, radio and film.
A considerable number of Robinovitch’s works are based on world folklore,
including programmatic pieces inspired by folktales.109 He has arranged numerous
Sephardic folksongs under the titles Canciones Sefardies and Mosaic of Jewish
Folksongs, and has also contributed to the genre with his original composition Rodas
Recordada for soprano, alto, baritone, clarinet, guitar, and cello. This beautiful
107
Sid Robinovitch, composer. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
https://www.sidrobinovitch.com/
108
Ibid.
109
Levin, Neil W. “Sid Robinovitch.” Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/sid-robinovitch/
86
chamber piece is a setting of a poem by Spanish literary historian and author
Guillermo Diaz-Plaja (1909-1984). I will let the piece speak for itself, but I would
highly recommend that you read the poem before the performance. Robinovitch’s
delicate setting skillfully complements and enhances Diaz-Plaja’s prose. To share
with you the story behind this touching poem, I would like to quote Tomás L. Ryan
de Heredia, who has provided the notes about the poetry and the translations in the
musical score:
During the summer of 1933, a group of young Spanish scholars and

writers decided to make an expedition to certain of the Mediterranean
Sephardic communities in search of an ancient Hispanic folklore. One
member at that group, the then twenty-four year old Guillermo Díaz-
Plaja, was particularly successful in filling his notebook with
‘romances’ on the island of Rhodes, where he made the acquaintance
of a Sephardic lady who identified herself as “Mazaltó (Mazaltov) de
Jacob Israel.” She recited the ballad of the “Three Doves” to him
during a beautiful summer afternoon.
Some forty years after his first visit, Prof. don Guillermo Díaz-Plaja,
now a celebrated literary critic and member of the Royal Spanish
Academy, returned to the Sephardic community where his literary
career had been born. As he well knew, a tragic change had taken
place. After the capitulation of Italy to the Allies in 1943, the Germans
occupied Rhodes, and on July 23, 1944 shipped off to Auschwitz 1,673
Jews who were living on the island. All but 151 perished. Don
Guillermo tried to find again the house of Mazaltó de Jacob Israel in
the ‘calle ancha,’ the street running through the old ‘juderia’ (Jewry),
now called “Street of the Jewish Martyrs.” He took out his notebook
and, instead of a ‘romance’ wrote a poem in prose of his own,
hauntingly interwoven with memories of his first visit and the ballad of
the “Three Doves.”110
-Tomás L Ryan de Heredia
110
Robinovitch, Sid. Rodas recordada (Rhodes remembered): based on a poem by Guillermo Díaz-
Plaja. Toronto: Canadian Music Centre, 2005.
87
Upon reading about Diaz-Plaja’s poem and the story behind it, I found a
personal connection to this piece that made it much more meaningful for me. My
paternal grandfather’s side of the family is from Rhodes. Although the majority of the
family had moved to Turkey long before the Second World War, two of my
grandfather’s aunts remained in Rhodes until Germans occupied Rhodes and they
were sent to Auschwitz. My grandfather used to tell me this heartbreaking story when
I was a kid; the story of Mazaltó de Jacob Israel reminded me of it. Perhaps Mazaltó
de Jacob Israel and my great-aunts were friends, and perhaps, they shared their last
moments together. Today, I would like to perform this piece in remembrance of them.
88
Appendix A: RECITAL DVD TRACK LISTINGS
Recital 1 DVD (Video)
Tracks
1-5. Cinco Canciones Sefardíes, Lorenzo Palomo (11:02)

1. Linda de mi corasón
2. Nani
3. Pequeña serenata sefardí
4. Romance sefardí
5. Nana sefardí
6. Lecture (25:53)
Sephardic Art Song: A Musical Legacy of the Diaspora – Part I
7-14. Canciones Sefarditas, Manuel Valls (10:34)

7. La rosa enflorece
8. Ven querida, ven amada
9. Adio, querida
10. Durme, durme
11. Paxaro d’hermozura
12. Abrix, mi galanica
13. Irme quiero, la mi madre
14. Ya viene el cativo
15-16. 8 Sephardic Songs, Andrew Zohn (4:14)

15. Montañas altas
16. Fel sharah canet betet masha
Recorded April 28, 2017 in Leah Smith Lecture Hall

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park
Recorded and mastered by Antonino d’Urzo
89
Recital 2 DVD (Audio and Video)
Tracks
1. Lecture (24:03)
Sephardic Art Song: A Musical Legacy of the Diaspora – Part II
2-4. Canciones Sefardíes, José Antonio (Aita) de Donostia

2. Levantéis vos (1:25)
3. Descanso de mi vida (2:36)
4. Pájaro de hermosura (1:31)
5. Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques, Joaquín Nin-Culmell

Yo bolí de foja en foja (1:57)
6-8. Three Sephardic Songs, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

6. Montañas altas y marinadas (3:03)
7. Ven y veràs (1:47)
8. Una noche yo me armi (2:35)
9-12. 40 Canciones Sefardies, Manuel García Morante

9. Cuando el rey Nimrod (1:39)
10. Pregoneros van y vienen (2:06)
11. Una tarde fresquita de Mayo (1:24)
12. Adio, querida (3:20)
13-15. Coplas Sefardies, Alberto Hemsi

13. No paséch por la mi sala (3:46)
14. Arboles lloran por luvia (4:01)
15. Ansí dize la nuestra novia (1:14)
Recorded November 16, 2017 in Gildenhorn Recital Hall

90
Recital 3 DVD (Audio and Video)
Tracks
1-4. Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes, Joaquín Rodrigo

1. Respóndemos (2:50)
2. Una pastora yo ami (1:34)
3. Nani, nani (3:23)
4. “Morena” me llaman (1:17)
5-9. Seven Sephardic Romances, Yehezkel Braun

5. Don Amadi (0:57)
6. Esta Rachel la estimoza (2:30)
7. Durme, durme (2:19)
8. Dime Rozina (1:02)
9. Morenica a mi me llaman (4:00)
10-12. Sephardic Songs, Frederic Hand

10. El Rey de Francia (3:20)
11. Adio Querida (5:00)
12. A la una yo naci (3:09)
13-16. Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes, Wolf Simoni

13. Alma y Vida y Coraçon (3:42)
14. Tres Hermanicas (2:51)
15. Canción de Cuna (3:08)
16. Abraham Avinu (2:30)
17. Two Sephardic Songs, William Kenlon

La rosa huele (5:14)
18. Rodas Recordada, Sid Robinovitch (13:48)
Recorded February 24, 2018 in Ulrich Recital Hall

91
Appendix B: TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Lorenzo Palomo, Cinco Canciones Sefardíes (2006)111
Linda de mi corasón (Canción sefardí) My heart’s beauty
Yo m'enamori d'un aire, I fell in love with a scent, ah,

un aire d'una mujer; With the scent of a woman;
D'una mujer muy hermoza, Of a very beautiful woman,
linda de mi corasón. My heart’s beauty.
Tra la la la la... Tra la la la la...
Nani (Canción de cuna sefardí) Lullaby
Nani, nani quere el hijo, A lullaby, a lullaby the child wants,

el hijo de la madre… de chico se haga the mother's child…the little one who will
grande. grow.
Ay, ay, dúrmite, mi alma, dúrmite, Ah, ah, sleep, my soul, sleep,
mi vida, my life,
que tu padre viene con mucha alegría. For your father is coming with great joy.
Ay, avrimex la puerta, avrimex, mi dama, Ah, open the door, open it for me, my lady
que vengo muy cansado de arar las For I come home weary from plowing the
huertas. fields.
Ay, la puerta yo vos avro que venix Ah, I’ll open the door for you, for you
cansado come home weary,
y verex durmiendo al hijo And will see the child sleeping
en la cuna. in his cradle.
Pequeña serenata sefardí Little Sephardic serenade
La soledad de la nochada The solitude, the night’s solitude -

muy dezolada, ah, me vo morir. I am very lonely, oh, I will die!
Mi alma es triste y dolorosa, My soul is sad and suffers, oh!
nunca repoza, ah, del mal sufrir. It finds no rest from suffering so.
111
111
Translations by G. J. Racz.
Racz, G. J. Liner notes for Lorenzo Palomo: My Secluded Garden, Madrigal and Five Sephardic
Songs, Concierto de Cienfuegos, María Bayo, Pepe Romero, The Romero Guitar Quartet, Seville
Royal Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Editorial de Música Boileau, Barcelona
(tracks 1-11); Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag, Leipzig (tracks 12-17); EMEC/SEEMSA, Madrid
(tracks 18-20), 8.572139, 2001, 2008.
92
Romance sefardí Sephardic romance
A la una yo nací, At one o’clock I was born,

a las dos m’engrandecí, At two I grew up,
a las tres tomí amante, At three I fell in love,
a las cuatro me cazí… At four I married…
Alma, vida y corasón. My soul, my life, my heart!
Yendome para la Guerra, Going off to war,

dos bezos al aire dí, I blew two kisses into the air,
El uno es para mi madre, The first one for my mother,
Y el otro es para tí… The second one for you…
Alma, vida y corasón. My soul, my life, my heart!
Nana sefardí Sephardic lullaby
Durme, durme, hermosa doncella, Sleep, sleep, my beautiful maiden,

durme, hermosa, sin ansia y dolor. Sleep, my beauty, in calm and peace.
Heq tu esclavo que tanto desea I am your slave, who so wishes
ver tu sueño con grande amor. To watch with great love as you sleep.
Durme, durme, hermosa doncella, Sleep, sleep, my beautiful maiden,

durme, hermosa, sin ansia y dolor. Sleep, my beauty, in calm and peace.
Siente, gioia, el son de mi guitarra, Hear, oh, joy, the sound of my guitar,
siente, hermosa, mis males cantar. Hear, oh, beauty, singing of my sorrows.
Manuel Valls, Canciones Sefarditas (1975) 112
La rosa enflorece The rose blooms
La rosa enflorece en el mes de mai. The rose blooms in the month of May.
Mi alma se escurece sufriendo del amor. My soul darkens suffering from love.
Los bilbilicos cantan The nightingales sing

con sospiros de amor. with sighs of love.
Mi neshama y mi ventura estan en tu poder. My soul and my fate are in your power.
Ven querida, ven amada Come beloved, come my love
Ven querida, ven amada, Come beloved, come my love,

Ven al bodre de la mar, amada. Come to the edge of the sea, my love.
112
112
Translations by Gerard Edery and Lori Şen.
Edery, Gerard. “The Ladino Song Project.” Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
http://www.sefaradrecords.com/lyrics.php
93
Adio, querida Farewell, my love
Tu madre cuando te parió Your mother when she gave you birth
y te quitó al mundo, and brought you into the world,
corazón ella no te dió she did not give you a heart
para amar segundo. to love another.
Adío, adío querida… Farewell, farewell my love…

No quero la vida… I do not want life…
Me l’amargates tú… You have embittered it for me…
Va, buxcate otro amor, Go look for another love,

aharva otras puertas. Knock on other doors.
Aspera otro ardor, Wait for another flame,
que para mi sos muerta. As for me, you are dead.
Durme, durme Sleep, sleep
Durme, durme hermozo hijico, Sleep, sleep my beautiful son,

durme, durme con savor. sleep, sleep with pleasure.
Cerra tus luzios ojicos, Close your brilliant eyes

durme, durme con savor. sleep, sleep with pleasure.
A la scola tu te irás You will go to school

y la Ley te ambezarás. and you’ll study law.
Paxaro d’hermozura Beautiful bird
Por una caza chica, In a little house

vidi una hijica lived a girl,
de años era chika a young girl
le declaré l'amor. to whom I declared my love.
Paxaro d'hermozura, Beautiful bird,

linda la tu figura, with a lovely figure,
aserkate al mio lado come closer to my side
te oyere la boz. so I can listen to your voice.
Abrix, mi galanica Let me in, my love
Avrix mi glanica Open the door, my love,

que ya va manecer for dawn is almost here.
La noche yo no durmo pensando en ti. I did not sleep all night thinking of you.
Mi padre ‘sta meldando, mos oyera My father is studying, he will hear us.
Amatalde la luzezica, si se dormira Put out the light, so he will go to sleep.
Amatalde la luzezica, si s’echara Put out the light, so that he will fall asleep.
94
Irme quiero, la mi madre I wish to go mother
Irme quiero, la mi madre, I wish to go mother,

por estos mundos, me iré. through these worlds I will go.
Aman, me iré. Oh, I will go…
Ya viene el cativo Here comes the captive
Ya viene el cativo Here comes the captive

con todas las cativas. with all the captive women.
Dientro de ellas Among them
está la blanca niña. is the fair skinned girl.
Andrew Zohn, 8 Sephardic Songs (2011)113
Montañas altas High mountains
Montañas altas y marinadas High mountains of the ocean hues

llevame donde el mi amor Take me to my love
llevame donde la mi querida Take me to my dear one
que con ella tengo l’amor For with her I have love
Amame segun yo t’amo Love me as I love you

mira que me va murir I shall die without you
lleva tiempo y viene tiempo and time relentlessly moves on
mira que por ti me va murir see how I die for you
Fel sharah canet betet masha Strolling down the street
Fel sharah canet betet masha The girl with beautiful dark eyes
la signorina aux beaux yeux noirs was strolling down the street,
come la luna était la sua faccia her face, lovely as the moon,
qui éclairait le boulevard lit up the boulevard.
Volevo parlare I wanted to talk to her,

shata metni but she insulted me,
Because her father was à la gare as her father was at the train nearby,
E con su umbrella darabetni with her umbrella, she hit me
En reponse à mon bonsoir in reply to my greeting.
113
113
Translations taken from Zohn, Andrew E. 8 Sephardic Songs. Saint-Romuald, QC: Productions
d'OZ, 2011.
95
José Antonio (Aita) de Donostia, Canciones Sefardíes (1941)114
Levantéis vos Wake up
Levantéis vos toronja Wake up

del vuestro lindo dormir from your beauty sleep my dear
Oiréis cantar hermoso And you will hear
a la sirena de la mar the beautiful hum of the sea
Carcelero piadoso Merciful prison guard,

asi el Dio te de las vidas God gave you life
Que me quites de estas cadenas So that you may free me from my chains
y m’aflojes el collare. and loosen my collar
Descanso de mi vida I rest from my life
Descanso de mi vida I rest from my life

l’amor que me hazen that the love has made me
De ver una hijica, I took great pleasure
tomí un gran plazer in seeing a young girl
La tadre ya venia The evening used to arrive

a mí me sperava and she would wait for me
Despuntar ya me via, Sitting on the balcony
al barcon s’assentara as I passed by
Pájaro de hermosura Beautiful bird
Pájaro de hermosura Beautiful bird

y rico de figura of rich figure
A posa mis ventanas Stop by my window,
yo oiré tu vos so I can hear you sing
Mi storia es muy triste, My story is very sad,

penso y me vo pensando and I keep contemplating
Que fuites y me dejates That you left me
sin venir mi a cohortar without saying goodbye
114
114
Translations by Lori Şen and Dr. Moris Şen, 2017.
96
Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Six Chansons Populaires Séphardiques (1982) 115
Yo bolí de foja en foja I flew from leaf to leaf
Yo bolí de foja en foja, I flew from leaf to leaf

Para alcanzar anesta linda novia. To reach that beautiful bride
Yo bolí de rama en rama, I flew from branch to branch

Para alcanzar anesta linda novia. To reach that beautiful bride
Con vuestra licencia, madre buena, With your consent, my good mother
Yo me vo a l’ora buena. I will leave with my heart at ease
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Three Sephardic Songs (1959) 114

Montañas altas y marinadas High mountains of the ocean hues
Montañas altas y marinadas High mountains of the ocean hues,

Llevame donde el mi amor Carry me to my loved one,
Llevame donde el mi querido Carry me to my desired one,
Que con el tengo l’amor For with him I have love.
Ama me segun yo t’amo, Love me as I love you

Mira que me va morir; I will die without you
Lleva tiempo y viene tiempo, As time relentlessly moves on,
Mira que por ti me va morir. See how I die for you.
Por la calleja aqui yo paso On the street that I walked through,

Mi solumbre no te veràs My shadow will not cross you.
Llorando y sufriendo Crying and suffering,
Deonde viene el dolor There the pain comes from.
Ven y veràs Come and you will see
Ven y veràs viaremos Come and you will see, we will see
Lo amor que tenemos los dos The love that we two have
ven lo gustaremos and will enjoy.
Arboles lloran por lluvia Trees cry for rain

y montañas por aire and mountains for air,
Asi lloran mis ojos por ti querido amante Just as my eyes cry for you my beloved.
Lluvia se hiso Rain fell

y se mojo la calle y la corteja and wetted the streets and the courtyard.
Onde y diga a mi amor Tell my love
que es de los ojos mios that it is from my eyes.
115
115
97
Una noche yo me armi One night I prepare myself
Una noche yo me armi One night I prepare myself

por ver vuestros recintados to see your bedroom.
Deta me la puerta abierta y candil amatado Leave the door open and put out the candle.
Tu me quieres, yo te quiero; You love me, I love you;

tu madre no nos quiere but your mother does not love us.
Esta noche arogo al dios Tonight I pray to God
en la cama ruede she will stay in bed asleep.
Ni blanca soy ni morena Neither white am I, nor brown,

ni cosa de lavarvos nor have I anything of value.
Por la gerve queami me haces Yet, you think highly of me
y en alma mi a entrates and you have entered into my soul.
Manuel García Morante, 40 Canciones Sefardies (1983) 116

Cuando el rey Nimrod, No.1 When King Nimrod
Cuando el rey Nimrod al campo salía, When King Nimrod went to the fields,
miraba en el cielo y en la estrellería, He looked at the sky and the stars,
vido una luz santa He saw a holy night
en la judería, in the Jewish quarters,
que había de nacer A sign that Abraham,
Avraham abinu. our father was to be born.
Avram abinu, padre querido, Abraham, our father, beloved father,

Padre bendicho, luz de Israel. Blessed father, light of Israel.
Saludemos al sandag We greet now the godfather

y al mohel and the circumciser,
Que por sus zekut nos venga al goél Because of his merits, the redeemer
Y que rigma a todo Israel and merciful one will come to Israel,
Y daremos loores verdaderos. And we will give praise to the true one.
Pregoneros van y vienen, No.9 Town criers come and go
Pregoneros van y vienen Town criers come and go

por la ciudad de Aragón: Through the city of Aragon:
Todo varón que hijo tiene All men that have sons,
A la Guerra deve ir. To war they must go.
116
116
98
Una tadre fresquita de Mayo, No.6 A cool afternoon on May
Una tadre fresquita de mayo A cool afternoon in May,

al campo salí a caminar. I went to the fields for a walk.
M’encontrí con un joven Moreno I encountered a young brunette soldier
de alta ‘statura era el military. of tall stature.
El me si siguió, me siguió mis pasos, He followed me, followed my steps,

siguió mis pasos, me quijo engañar. Followed my steps and made me cheat.
Mamá mía, yo no savía, Oh my, I did not know
lo que era el amor con un militar. What love with a soldier was.
Hija mia, lo que hacías, My daughter, what did you do,

lo que hacías con el militar. What did you do with the soldier?
Una coza tan Buena y tan mala, Something so good and so bad,
si te lo digo me vas a matar. If I told you, you would kill me.
Adio, querida Farewell, my love
y te quitó al mundo, and brought you into the world,
corazón ella no te dió she did not give you a heart
para amar segundo. to love another.
Adío, adío querida… Farewell, farewell my love…

No quero la vida… I do not want life…
Me l’amargates tú… You have embittered it for me…
Va, buxcate otro amor, Go look for another love,

aharva otras puertas. Knock on other doors.
Aspera otro ardor, Wait for another flame,
que para mi sos muerta. As for me, you are dead.
99
Alberto Hemsi, Coplas Sefardies (1933-1973)117
No paséch por la mi sala, Op.7-3 Do not pass from my living room
No paséch por la mi sala Do not pass from my living room,

Que tengo hija galana For I have a beautiful daughter.
Y pasaréch. But you will pass anyway…
Si tenéch hija galana. If you have a beautiful girl,

Dámela a mi por amada Give her to me as my love.
Y pasaré. And I will pass.
Pasaré y tornaré, I will pass and return,

Y l’avlaré y le dire I will talk and say
Que la vía no es suya; That the path is not yours;
Es del Rey. But it is the King’s.
No paséch por mi cortijo, Do not pass from my ranch,

Que tengo hijo garrido, For I have a handsome son.
Y pasaréch. But you will pass anyway…
Si tenéch hijo garrido If you have a handsome son,

Dámelo a mi por marido Give him to me as a husband.
Y pasaré. And I will pass.
Arboles lloran por luvia, Op. 51-2 Trees cry for rain
Arboles lloran por luvia Trees cry for rain

y muntañas por aire and mountains for air
Ansi lloran los mis ojos Just as my eyes cry
por ti querido amante, for you my beloved,
Ansi llora el mi corason So cries my heart
por ti mi linda dama. for you my beautiful lady.
En frente de mi hay un angelo Before me stands an angel

cuando pasa, él me mira and looks at me as he passes
Hablar quero y no puedo, I want to speak but I cannot,
mi corason sospira, my heart sighs.
Ven veras y ven veremos Come and see, come and let us see
Amor que tenemos los dos, The love we share,
ven nos aunaremos, come and let us unite,
Amor que tenemos los dos The love we share,
ven nos ajuntaremos. come and bring us together.
117
117
100
Ansí dize la nuestra novia, Op.7-8 So says our bride
Ansí dize la nuestra novia: So says our bride:

¿Cómo se llama la cavesa? How would you describe the head?
Esto no se llama cavesa, It would not be called a head,
Sino toronja de toronjal. But rather a grapefruit.
Ah! Mi toronja de toronjal! Ah, my grapefruit of the fields!

Ah! Mis campos espaciosos! Ah, my wide fields!
Biva la novia con el novio! Long live the bride and groom!
Joaquín Rodrigo, Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes (1965)118
Respóndemos Respond to Us
Respóndemos, Respond to us,

Dío de Abraham, respóndemos! God of Abraham, respond to us!

El que responde en la hora de voluntad, he who responds in the hour of need,
respóndemos! respond to us!

pavor de Yizthak, respóndemos! terror of Isaac, respond to us!
Respóndemos Respond to us,

El que responde en la ora de angustia, he who responds, in the hour of anguish,
respóndemos! respond to us!
Respóndemos, Respond to us.

fuerte de Yaakov, respóndemos! Strong one of Yaakov, respond to us!
Respóndemos, Respond to us.

Dío de la *Merkava, respóndemos! God of the *merkava, respond to us.

O Padre piadoso y gracioso, respóndemos! Oh Father pious and merciful, respond to
us!
*Merkava
*The chariot of fire that God sent to the
prophet Elijah to ascend into heaven.
118
118
Translations by Suzanne Rhodes Draayer.
101
Una pastora yo amí I loved a shepherdess
Una pastora yo amí, A shepherdess that I loved,

una hija hermoza, a beautiful daughter,
de mi chiques quel’adori, since my childhood I adored her,
más qu’ella no a mí. but she did not love me.
Un día que estavamos One day that we were

en la huerta asentados, sitting in the garden,
le dixe yo: “Por tí, mi flor, I said to her: “For you, my flower,
me muero de amor.” I die of love.”
Nani, nani Cradle Song
Nani, nani, nani, Nani, nani, nani,

quere el hijo de la madre, that the son of the mother,
de chico se haga grande. even while young will do great things.
Ay, ay, dúrmite, mi alma, Ay, ay, sleep, my soul,

dúrmite, mi vida, sleep, my life,
que tu padre viene that your father comes
con mucha alegría. with much happiness.
Ay, avrimex la puerta, Ay, open the door to me,

Avrimex mi dama, open it, my madame,
que vengo muy cansado de arar las that I come very tired from ploughing the
huertas. fields.
Ay, la puerta yo vos avro, Oh, I will open the door to you,
que venix cansado, since you are so tired,
y verex durmiendo al hijo en la cuna. and will see the sleeping boy in the cradle.
“Morena” me llaman They call me the dark-skinned girl
“Morena” me llaman, People call me the dark-skinned girl,

yo blanca nací. I was born white.
De pasear, galana, From strolling, charming one,
mi color perdi. I lost my color.
D’aquellas ventanicas From those windows,

m’arronjan flechas, arrows are hurled at me;
Si son de amores, vengan, If they are of love, let them come,
vengan derechas. let them come to the right hands!
102
Yehezkel Braun, Seven Sephardic Romances (1968)119
Don Amadi Don Amadi
Arvolera, arvolera, Grove, grove,

arvolera tan fertile, grove so fruitful,
si v’riax almi marido have you seen my husband,
si pasaria por a qui? have you seen him passing by?
Onde vax vos cavallero, Nobleman, where are you going,

onde vax vos por aqui? where does this path take you?
Si v’riax almi marido Have you seen my husband,
a mi marido Amadi? my husband Amadi?
Esta Rachel la estimoza This is the honorable Rachel
Esta Rachel la’stimoza This is the honorable Rachel.

estima que Dios la dio God bestowed honor upon her,
siendo mujer de quien era, for she is the wife of whom she was,
mujer d’un gobernador. the wife of the governor.
Un día salio al paseo One day she went for a walk

con sus damas de honor, accompanied by her ladies of honor,
se topo con un mancebo, and came upon a young lad
que d’ella s’enamoró. who fell in love with her.
Le mando muchas regalos He sent her many presents,

alhajas de gran valor; jewels of great value;
le mando un anillo fino, he sent her a fine ring
que media ciudad valio. that was worth half a city.
El oro no vale nada; Gold is worthless;

la piedra es de gran valor. A precious stone is of great value.
Le mando muchos billetes He sent her many letters
que le habiban d’amor. that spoke of love.
“Mas todo se los volviera, “But I must return everything to you,

que casada era yo.” for I am a married lady.”
119
Translations taken from “Together as one.” Program notes. Waukesha Choral Union. Wisconsin:
119
Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Oconomowoc, WI, October 22, 2016.
103
Durme, durme Sleep, sleep
Durme durme mi alma donzella Sleep, sleep my soul, my princess

durme, durme sin ansia y dolor. sleep, sleep without anxiety or pain.
Siente, siente al son de mi guitarra, Listen, listen to the sounds of my guitar,

siente hermoza mis males cantar. listen my precious to my sad song.
Que tu ‘sclavo que tanto dezea, We are all slaves to our desires,
ver tu sueño we must follow our dreams
con grande amor. with great love.
Dime Rozina Tell me, Rozina
Yasmin gloriozo, dame repozo, Glorious jasmine, give me peace,

mira tu espozo, enque ‘stado ‘sta. look at your husband, what a state he’s in.
Dime Rozina, la melezina, Tell me, Rozina,

qu’esto hazino, what medicine can cure me,
sin poder havlar. for I am nearly speechless.
Dulce image, dame coraje, Sweet image, give me courage,

me muero caje, por el amor. for I am nearly dying of love.
“Morenica” a mi me llaman They call me Morenica
“Morenica” a mi me llaman, They call me Morenica,

yo blanca naci I was born fair
y del sol del enverano, but I became like this
yo m’hize ansi. from the summer sun.
Morenica, graciozica sos, Morenica, you are

tu morena y yo gracioso, the little dark girl,
y ojos pretos tú. graceful, with dark-black eyes.
“Morenica” a mi me llaman, The sailors call me

los marineros. “Morenica.”
Si otra vez a mi me llaman, If they call me again,
Me vo con ellos. I’ll go away with them
“Morenica” a mi me llama, The King’s son calls me

el hijo del Rey “Morenica.”
Si otra vez a mi me llama If he calls me again,
Me vo yo con él. I’ll go away with him.
104
Frederic Hand, Sephardic Songs (1996)120
El Rey de Francia The King of France
El Rey de Francia tres hijas tenía The King of France had three daughters
La una lavrava One of them embroidered
y la otra cuzía and the other sewed
La mas chica de ellas bastidor hazía The youngest one was making a tapestry
Lavrando, lavrando sueno le callo While working she soon fell asleep
Adio Querida Farewell, my love
y te quitó al mundo, And brought you into the world
corazón ella no te dió She did not give you a heart
para amar segundo. To love another
Hermosa sos en cantidad Farewell, farewell my love

Honestedad no tiene I do not want life
Milliones si me vas a dar You have embittered it for me
Mi gente no te queren
You are so beautiful
Adío, adío querida… But you are dishonest
No quero la vida… Were you to give me millions
Me l’amargates tú… My family would still not love you
Va, buxcate otro amor, Go look for another love

aharva otras puertas. Knock on other doors
Aspera otro ardor, Wait for another flame
que para mi sos muerta. As for me, you are dead
A la una yo nací At one I was born
A la una yo nací At one I was born

A las dos m’engrandecí At two I grew up
Alas tres tomi amante At three I took a lover
A las cuatro me cazí At four I married
Alma y vida y corason Soul, life and heart
Dime niña donde vienes Tell me little girl where do you come from
Que te quero conocer For I wish to know you
Si tu no tienes amante And if you have no lover
Yo te hare defender I will defend you
Yendome para la guerra Going off to war

Dos bezos al aire dí I blew two kisses into the air
Uno fue para mi madre One was for my mother
Y el otro para ti And the other for you
120
120
Translations by Gerard Edery, from - Edery, G. (n.d.). The Ladino Song Project. Retrieved January 17,
2018, from http://www.sefaradrecords.com/lyrics.php
105
Wolf Simoni, Cuatro Cánticas Sefardíes (1935/36)121
Alma y vida y coraçon Soul and life and heart
A la una nací yo, At one I was born,

A las dos me bautizaron, At two I was baptized,
A las tres espozí yo, At three I was engaged,
A las cuatro me cazaron. At four I was married.
Me cazí con un amor. I married a loved one.
A las tres espozí yo: At three I was engaged:

Alma y vida y coraçon. Soul and life and heart.
Dime niña donde vienes? Tell me little girl where are you from?
Que te quiero conocer. For I wish to know you.
Y si no tienes amante, And if you have no lover,
Yo te haré defender. I will defend you.
Indome para la guerra Going off to war

dos bezos al aire dí. I blew two kisses into the air.
El uno es para mi mama, One was for my mother,
Y el otro es para tí. And the other for you.
Tres Hermanicas Three Sisters
Tres hermanicas eran, There were three sisters,

tres hermanicas son, They were three sisters,
las dos están cazadas, Two of them were married,
El Amor! Oh love!
La chica en pedrición. The youngest was doomed.
Su padre con vergüenza The father out of shame

a Rodes le mandó. sent her to Rhodes.
Passó un cavallero, A gentleman passed by,
El Amor! Oh love!
Tres bezicos le dió. And gave her three kisses.
“Si mi amor lo save “If my love he knew

matada era yo.” I was killed.”
“No vos matan, boliça, “Do not kill yourself, my lady,
El Amor! Oh love!
que vuestro amorso yo.” For I am your loved one.”
121
121
Translations by Gerard Edery and Lori Şen.
106
Canción de Cuna Cradle Song
Dúermete mi alma, Sleep, my soul,

Dúermete mi vida, Sleep, my life,
que tu padre viene For your father is coming
de onde la linda amiga. from his pretty friend.
Y nuevo amor! And new love!
Yo me fuí de tras, I went after him,

por ver lo que haría. To see what he would do.
Volvime a mi caza, I came back home,
Triste y desbalinda. Sad and desolate.
Y nuevo amor! And new love!
Abraham Avinu Abraham, our father
Cuando el rey Nemrod al campo salía, When King Nimrod went to the fields,
mirava en el cielo y en la estrellería. He looked at the sky and the stars,
Vido luz santa He saw a holy night
en la Judería, in the Jewish quarters,
que había de nacer A sign that Abraham,
Abraham Avinu. our father was to be born.
Abram Avinu, padre querido, Abraham, our father, beloved father,

Padre bendicho, luz de Israel. Blessed father, light of Israel.
Saludemos al compadre We greet now the godfather

y también al moël, and the circumciser,
que por sus zehut Because of his merits, the redeemer and
nos venga el goël y rihma a todo Israel merciful one will come to Israel,
Cierto loaremos al verdadero. And we will give praise to the true one.
107
William Kenlon, Two Sephardic Songs (2018)
La rosa huele Fragrant rose
Puncha, puncha, la rosa huele The thorny rose is fragrant

Que el amor muncho duele As love is full of pain
Tu no nacites para mi You were not born for me
Presto alexate de mi Quickly go away from me
Acodrate d'aquella hora Remember the times

Que yo te bezava la boca When I kissed your mouth,
Aquella hora ya paso Those times are gone now
Dolor quedo al Corazon And only sorrow lingers in my heart
Montanas altas y mares hondas High mountains and deep oceans

Llevame onde'l mi querido Carry me to my desired one
Llevame onde'l mi amor Carry me to my loved one
El que me de consolacion Who will console me
Si otra vez me queres ver If you wish to see me again,

Sale afuera te havlare Come outside and I will speak with you,
Echa los ojos a la mar Look to the sea
Alli me puedes encontrar And there you will find me
Por que llorax blanca niña Why are you crying fair girl
¿Porque llorax blanca niña, Why are you crying fair girl,
Porque llorax blanca flor? Why are you crying fair flower?
Lloro por vos caballero I am crying because of you sir

Que vos vas y me dejas. You are going away and leaving me.
Me dejas niña y muchacha You left me a young girl,

Chica y de poca edad. So small and of tender age.
Tengo niños chiquiticos I have little boys
Lloran y demandan pan. That cry and demand bread.
Si demandan al sus padre, If they ask for their father,

Que repuesta les no a dar? What should I tell them?
Metió la mano en su pecho, He searched his shirt

Sien dovlones le fue a dar. And gave her one hundred doubloons.
Esto para que m'abasta, What is this money for,

Para vino o para pan? For wine or bread?
Si esto no vos abasta, If it is not enough,

Ya tienes d'onde tomar: you know where you can go.
Venderes viñas y campos, You wıll sell your vıneyards and your fıelds,
Media parte de la ciudad. And half the city,
De la parte de la mar. From the border to the sea.
108
Sid Robinovitch, Rodas Recordada (2005)122
Rodas Recordada Rhodes Remembered
Tres palomas van volando Three doves go flying

por el palacio del rey, ‘round the palace of the king;
y vola la una, y vola la otra, first one flies away, and then another;
la volaron todas las tres. and now all three fly away.
Asposan en un castío, They come to rest at a castle,
el castío de oro es; the castle is all of gold;
ahí había una muchacha a young girl was there
vestida de catifé, dressed in velvet;
las colas que eya tenia the braids that she was wearing
encolgaban fasta el vel, stretched to her waist;
y su padre no la daba and her father would give her away
ni por oro ni por bien neither for gold nor favors,
sino al que la ganaba but to him that won her
de una vez fasta tres. not once but three times.
Por ahí pasó un moro franco A Frankish Moor passed by

y la demand por mujer, and asked for her as his wife;
y su padre no la daba but her father would give her away
ni por oro ni por bien. neither for gold nor favors.
Ya la quitan a joguete Now they take her from the game –
al jogo que joga el rey, from the game the king is playing;
ya la gana el moro franco and the Frankish Moor wins her
de una vez fasta tres, not once but three times.
ya la toma de la mano Then he takes her by the hand,
ya se la lleva con él. and leads her away with him.
Ayá en medio del camino There halfway along the road

lágrimas a dos y tres: (tears by two and three):
-Que lloras blanca y liña? -Why do you weep, my pale young thing?
Que lloras, blanca y flor? Why do you weep, flower white?
Si lloras por el tu padre, If for your father you weep,
mi gortelano es; my gardener is he;
si lloras por la tu vuestra madre, If for your mother you weep,
mi cocinera es; my cook is she;
si lloras port us hermanos If for your brothers you weep,
yo los maté a todos tres. I killed them all three
-Yo no lloro por padre y madre -I do not weep for father or mother
ni por mis hermanos tres, or for my brothers three;
lloro por la mi ventura, it is for my fate that I weep
que no sé quen ha de ser. for I know now what it shall be.
-Si lloras por la tu ventura -If for your fate you weep,
Al lado vos la tenés. you have him here at your side.
122
122
Translations by Tomás L Ryan de Heredia.
109
Una vez que era esto: Then she says:
-Dame el cuchillo en el vel! -Give me the knife that is at your waist!
El morico, por ser necio, The Moor, unthinkingly,

Se lo dió al revés; Places it in her hand,
La muchacha, por ser aguda, And the girl adeptly
Se lo dió en el vel: Plunges it into his chest:
-Ahora tengo padre ya madre -Now I have father and mother

y mis hermanos tres! and my brothers three!
Este que ya no soy y soy yo mismo No longer am I as I was, and yet I am still the
(mil novecientos treinta y tres) same, (nineteen hundred and thirty-three)
caminando la judería walking through the Jewry
de Rodas al atardecer. of Rhodes at twilight
-Tu queres cantigas viejas? -Do you seek old songs?

Mazaltó de Jacob Israel Mazaltó de Jacob Israel
sabe consejos y romances, Knows sayings and ballads,
Mazaltó de Jacob Israel. (Mazaltó de Jacob Israel)
Como una dama de Castilla As a lady of Castille –
Mazaltó de Jacob Israel Mazaltó de Jacob Israel
-Se pone negra mi memoria -Black becomes my memory

(Mazaltó de Jacob Israel) (Mazaltó de Jacob Israel)
se barraron mis palabras, my words have been erased,
pero mi canto cantaré. yet shall I sing my song.
Tres palomas van volando Three doves go flying
para el palacio del Rey ‘round the palace of the King
y vola la una, y vola la otra, one flies away, and then another,
la volaron todas las tres. now all three fly away.
Cae la tarde prodigiosa The glorious afternoon falls

Con su cortina rosicler. with its rosy clear curtain.
Asposan en un castío They come to rest at a castle,

El castío de oro es. the castle is all of gold.
Para el descanso de la hora During the quiet of the hour

traen el agua y la miel. they bring water and honey.
-Cuando yo era mancebica -When I was a lass

me enamoraba una vez once I fell in love
de un mancebico como tú. with a lad like you.
Buena doncella que topés! A good woman may you find!
-Altas venturas que tengás -High fortunes be yours

Mazaltó de Jacob Israel! Mazaltó de Jacob Israel!
110
Ahora he vuelto preguntando… Now I have come back inquiring –
Mazaltó de Jacob Israel? Mazaltó de Jacob Israel?
La judería esta desierta The Jewry is deserted,
hay acibar donde hubo miel. there is bitterness where once was honey.
Vinieron bárbados del norte From the North came barbarians –
Mazaltó de Jacob Israel. Mazaltó de Jacob Israel.
Los crematorios de Alemania The crematoria of Germany
consumieron toda la grey. have destroyed them all.
Soy un fantasma de mí mismo I am a phantom of myself

recordando un atardecer remembering a twilight
en la judería de Rhodos, in the Jewry of Rhodes,
mil novecientos treinta y tres. nineteen hundred and thirty-three.
Las canciones se han apagado. The songs are stilled –
Se ha puesto negra mi memoria My memory has become black
de las lágrimas y la hiel. from tears and gall.
Pero yo guardo tu recuerdo But your remembrance I keep,
111
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121

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ABSTRACT

Title of Dissertation: SEPHARDIC ART SONG: A MUSICAL

Lori Şen, Doctor of Musical Arts, 2019

Dissertation directed by: Professor Linda Mabbs, School of Music

a geographical and historical overview of the Sephardim; an introduction of the

Ladino (Judeo-Espagnol) language; a musical overview of traditional Sephardic

available for view.

The Sephardim are a diasporic population of Jewish people, whose ancestry

transmission from generation to generation. The 20th century witnessed an emergence

composers, such as Alberto Hemsi, showed interest in collecting and transcribing

various instruments, in various degrees of complexity. As of today, there are over

Romances; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Three Sephardic Songs; José Antonio de

Donostia, Canciones Sefardíes; Frederic Hand, Sephardic Songs; Alberto Hemsi,

40 Canciones Sefardies; Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Six Chansons Populaires

Séphardiques; Lorenzo Palomo, Cinco Canciones Sefardíes; Sid Robinovitch, Rodas

Recordada; Joaquín Rodrigo, Cuatro Canciones Sefardíes; Wolf Simoni, Cuatro

Cánticas Sefardíes; Manuel Valls, Canciones Sefarditas; Andrew Zohn, 8 Sephardic

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the

I would like to express my heartfelt love and gratitude to Professor Martha

my studies at the University of Maryland. I would also like to thank my dissertation

throughout my research and performances.

My dissertation journey has been fulfilling in many respects, but I have

reservation. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Dr. Patricia Caicedo,

perspective with their knowledge and encouraged me to look at my own research

through different lenses. I cherish our many meaningful conversations.

particularly, Beni Çukurel, Noam Auslander, Yonatan Saadon, Shoshana Kohen

Víctor Hernández-Sang—I am grateful for our friendship.

gratitude for helping me become the Lori I am today.

among the undergraduate and graduate voice performance curricula in schools as an

outcome of the growing interest in performing this repertoire in concert halls

considered to be an innovative approach at the time. The conventional19th century

Pavarotti’s first recital in New York in 1973 as follows:

Times likened his programming to that of John McCormack “with the

English-Irish side of the song literature. As McCormack did, so Mr. Pavarotti

that kind of program.”3

works that represented different cultures and genres.

In her book Los sonidos de las naciones imaginadas: La canción artística

latinoamericana en el context del nacionalismo musical, Colombian soprano,

attention to the lack of publications, recordings, and performances of the Latin

America.5 Consequently, the limited access to any repertoire, as well as absence of

resources, result in a lack of interest among classical singers in performing them;

globalization the world is experiencing today. For example, thanks to Caicedo, we

appreciation of diversity in vocal literature.

My personal interest in the field of psychology offered me another perspective

in looking at this expanding diversity in vocal literature. In his article on Psychology

Today, psychologist Gregg Henriques explores the concept of identity, which he

claims to be one of the most central concepts in clinical-personality psychology.6 Our

identities are a combination of many subcategories (such as national identity, class

uniformity across populations, but rather, a stronger appreciation of diversity. In his

Todres wonders what “the future of psychotherapy in an increasingly plural and

reflect and appreciate such diversity?

My desire to come up with my own answer to this question became further

intensified through my experiences as a teaching assistant for the general education

course MUSC215 World Popular Musics and Identity, offered by the

Ethnomusicology division at the University of Maryland School of Music. This

significance of assessing these popular genres from a perspective that can be

summarized as “Why is this music meaningful and to whom?” is strongly emphasized

or identity category at hand, these discussions have frequently culminated in a

conversation about authenticity. The Oxford English Dictionary defines authenticity