Romances séfarades: Dans l'empire de la Sublime Porte
6/19/2009, 18 Tracks, 1:06:29
Featuring
César Carazo Jalón
María-Luz Álvarez
Thomas Wimmer
Accentus Austria
Anonymous
Anonymous (Traditional)
Did you know?
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Compositional Technique
The Sephardic poetic-musical repertoire includes three main types of songs: the conservative 'romance' reflecting medieval Spanish heritage, 'coplas' inspired by Jewish tradition, and 'cancioneros' from the 18th or 19th century.
Interpretation
In Sephardic 'romances', the generally highly ornamented melodic lines were mostly sung by women, with instrumental accompaniment being absent or very sparingly used.
Cultural Impact
Sephardic music was primarily an oral tradition, with songs passed down from mothers to children, and written collections often lack the musical notation.
Historical Context
The term "Sephardim" refers to a Jewish community that settled in Spain as early as the 5th century BC, with a significant wave of immigration occurring in 711 AD.
Cultural Impact
Judeo-Spanish, spoken by the Sephardic diaspora, is not a preserved form of medieval Spanish but rather a more developed language that incorporated words from Hebrew, Turkish, and Greek.
Historical Context
In 1492, a royal edict ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Spain within three months, forcing approximately 300,000 people to leave their homes and possessions.
Historical Context
Many Jewish refugees from Spain found security and stability in the Ottoman Empire, particularly in urban centers like Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Cairo, and Safed in Palestine.
