Yuval Italia - Italian Center for Jewish Music

[Francesco Spagnolo <yuval...>]

To the kind attention of all subscribers,

I am happy to anonounce the official opening of YUVAL Italia, The Italian
Center for the Study of Jewish Music.
YUVAL Italia will be officialy presented at the University of Milan, Italy,
on May 19th, 1997, with a lecture by professor Israel Adler (Jewish Music
Research Center - the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and a concert of
Jewish music from various traditions.

What follows is an overview of the Center's activities and projects. As it
will become clear by reading the text, I'm looking for feedback and all
kinds of contributions to the project.

Hag sameah,

Francesco Spagnolo
Director of YUVAL Italia



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   YUVAL Italia   * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * *
                   Centro di Studi sulla Musica Ebraica
             The Italian Center for the Study of Jewish Music

                          via della Guastalla, 19
                            20122 Milano, ITALY
mailto:yuval (at) powerlink(dot)it
http://www.powerlink.it/yuval

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* * *

WHAT IS YUVAL ITALIA?

        YUVAL Italia - The Italian Center for the Study of Jewish Music
(Centro di studi sulla musica ebraica), was founded in January 1997, in
Milan, Italy.  Its fundamental purpose is to provide written and aural
documentation of Jewish musical traditions, particularly those in Italy.
The Center, which is the first of its kind in Italy, operates in
collaboration with the Jewish Music Research Center of the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem, founded and currently directed by Professor Israel
Adler.

        Yuval Italia benefits from the contributions of many leading
figures in the musical, cultural, and academic worlds. The Center's
Founding Committee includes four distinguished members: Luciano Berio
(composer), Roberto Leydi (ethnomusicologist), Zubin Mehta (conductor), and
Tullia Zevi (President of the Council of Italian Jewish Communities).

        The Center's ongoing scientific activities are guided by an
advisory council composed by Israel Adler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem),
Guido Fubini (University of Turin), Roberto Leydi (University of Bologna),
Maria Mayer Modena (University of Milan), Talia Pecker Berio (Florence),
Francesco Spagnolo (Milan).

         Yuval Italia's offices are located at the Rabbinical School of
Milan, which is directed by Rabbi Giuseppe Laras, President of the Assembly
of Italian Rabbis.


WHY A CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF JEWISH MUSIC IN ITALY?

        The music of the Jewish people is the result of a primarily oral
tradition that dates back at least 2500 years, to the beginning of the
public reading of the Torah.  Elements of Jewish culture have been kept
alive among diverse communities all over the world, in part through the
singing of synagogue songs and the performing of household rituals.
Geographical separation and contrasting cultural conditions have created a
wide variety of musical styles, so that today it is no longer possible to
identify a single original, authentic Jewish music. At the same time,
adherence to the oral tradition via the reading of Hebrew texts makes it
possible for us to hear, interwoven in the melodies that are sung each week
in the synagogue, the traces of an ancient past--a past renewed day by day.

        The evolution of Jewish music is an essential part of the history
of the Jewish people. So, too, is the development of the oral traditions,
which we must study for several reasons, including the need to gather
materials concerning small communities which are constantly in danger of
disappearing.
        In addition, a profound knowledge of tradition is the key to
understanding the culture of today, and assuring that of the future.

        Italian Jewish melodies are among the most ancient of the entire
Diaspora. But these are not the only ones sung in Italy today.  Over the
past five decades, Jews have reached Italy from all over the world:  from
the Middle East, north Africa, Persia, Europe, and the Americas.  The
result is a rich and complex cultural milieu that constitutes the fabric of
Jewish life in Italy. When studying Jewish musical traditions in Italy
today, we confront not only the present condition of the Jews, but also
their identity within the entire Diaspora.


THE CENTER'S ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH PROJECTS

1. Documentation
Focusing on Jewish musical traditions, the Center hosts a library and a
sound archive, both of which are open to the public. These collections are
intended feature numerous publications, commercial recordings, and music
scores, as well as prayer books for most of the Jewish rituals as they are
performed in Italy.
A computerized catalogue allows access to some of the most important
publications in the field, and about a hundred liturgical recordings.
One of the first goals of the Center will be to acquire a copy of a
collection of recordings of Italian Jewish songs made (primarily) by
musicologist Leo Levi during the 1950s and '60s, of great value to Jewish
musicians and scholars.

2. Field work
In an effort to provide recorded documentation of the state of oral
traditions in Italy, Yuval Italia is currently involved in two significant
projects:
** First, in cooperation with Rabbi Elia Richetti, the Center is engaged in
recording the synagogue repertoire of Trieste (solo and choir), on digital
audio tapes (DAT).
The Jewish culture and music of Trieste are of particular interest because
the regions is continuously involved with both the Ashkenazi and the
Sephardic traditions.
** Second, the Center is making a detailed study of the diverse musical
styles of the Jewish community of Milan. This community, of about ten
thousand people, is the most cosmopolitan in Italy, and its diverse origins
(Italy, North Africa, Middle East, Persia, etc.) make it a very peculiar
example of inter-traditional influences.

3. Diffusion
Yuval Italia is the focus of a network that includes several academic and
Jewish institutions.  Using these resources, Jewish music and related
research will be disseminated through lectures, conferences, and workshops.
To support musicians involved in performing Jewish repertoire, the Center
is available as a consultant in the organization of concerts.
A weekly radio program (Yuval:  musiche e culture degli ebrei, "Jewish
Musics and Cultures") will is being broadcast by Radio Popolare Milano (FM
101.5 or 107.6 in Northern Italy). Furthermore, using the text, graphic,
and sound capabilities of the World Wide Web, the Center will communicate
with the residents of Milan, Italy, Europe, and beyond.

4. International relations
The Jewish Music Research Center in Jerusalem is Yuval Italia's most
important scientific partner. Several activities are planned in cooperation
with the Center in Jerusalem and with Jewish music societies in Paris and
Geneva.


A CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

        The Italian Center for the Study of Jewish Music, now in its
infancy, welcomes the collaboration of all persons who are interested in
Jewish music and Jewish musical traditions. In order to establish a viable
collection, the Center will preserve and catalogue recordings, manuscripts,
and documents (both originals and copies) that are relevant to Jewish
music. In pursuit of its many goals, the Center is currently involved in
acquiring necessary equipment for sound recording and reproduction,
information cataloguing, and Internet communication.


HOW TO REACH YUVAL ITALIA

In order to receive more information about the Center, to retrieve or to
provide new materials, please contact Yuval Italia's Director, Francesco
Spagnolo, at the following addresses:

E-mail: yuval (at) powerlink(dot)it

Snail-mail:     YUVAL Italia
                Centro di studi sulla musica ebraica
                via Guastalla, 19  20122  Milano  ITALY



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                              YUVAL Italia
                 Centro di Studi sulla Musica Ebraica
           the Italian Center for the Study of Jewish Music

             via della Guastalla, 19  20122  Milano Italia
http://www.powerlink.it/yuval               <mailto:yuval (at) powerlink(dot)it>
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