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Sephardic music is the music of the Sephardim,
the Jewish community which originated in Iberia during the Middle Ages.
Sephardic music was born in medieval Spain, with canciones being
performed at the royal courts. Since then, it has picked up influences from
across Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Turkey, Greece and various popular tunes from
Spain and further abroad. There are three types of Sephardic songs -- topical
and entertainment songs, romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs.
Lyrics can be in several languages, including Hebrew for religious songs, and
Ladino. These song traditions spread from Spain to Morocco (the Western
Tradition) and several parts of the Ottoman Empire (the Eastern Tradition)
including Greece, Jerusalem, the Balkans and Egypt. Sephardic music
adapted to each of these locals, assimilating North African high-pitched,
extended ululations; Balkan rhythms, for instance in 9/8 time; and the Turkish
maqam mode. Songs which are song by women are traditionally sung while
preforming household tasks, without accompaniment or harmony. Tambourines and
other percussion instruments are sometimes used, especially in wedding songs.
Men have added oud and qanún to the instrumentation, and more modern performers
incorporate countless other imported instruments. The early 20th century saw
some popular commercial recordings of Sephardic music come out of
Greece and Turkey, followed by Jerusalem and other parts of the Eastern
Tradition. The first performers were mostly men, including the Turks Jack
Mayesh, Haim Efendi and Yitzhak Algazi. Later, a new generation of singers
arose, many of whom were not themselves Sephardic. Gloria Levy, Pasharos
Sefardíes and Flory Jagoda are popular Eastern Tradition performers of this
period. Gerard Edery, Stevani Valadez, Françoise Atlan and Yasmin Levy are
among the new generation of singers bringing a new interpretation to the
Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage and, in the case of Levy and Edery, mixing it
with Andalusian Flamenco.
Layali El Andalus Performs Sepharadic music and other music in which Sepharadic
music is rooted.
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