Re: Even more on Uskudar

[Judith Cohen <judithrc...>]

Hi Isabelle et al., I also learned it, or rather re-learned the Fel 
Sharah version, from Emilie Levy ; what a delight! Like you, I had an 
Arabist go over the words, with some corrections further on in the text 
- the interesting thing here is that, to return to the original North 
African thread of these messages, Moroccan Hispano-Sephardi women often 
didn't understand much local Arabic and when they sing phrases in songs 
learned by ear often mis-pronounce it (Hebrew too, as in Rossana for 
Rosh Hashana).The Arabic words in Uskudara may reflect something of the 
same process. (Not that I think one need be such a purist as to avoid 
correcting clear errors, which in fact a couple of scholars have 
advocated in the past)- cheers, Judith

>From: iganz <IGanz (at) compuserve(dot)com>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: More on "Uskudara"
>Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 01:08:29 -0500
>
>Dear Francesco, Joel, Judith et al,
>
>Regarding Alhambra's recording of "Fel Sharah canet betet masha", I 
learned
>it from Emilie Levy, the mother of Gloria Levy who recorded it on 
Folkways,
>as you said (Joel) in 1959.  Emilie is still active in the
>Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue in New York and also sings with the New 
York
>Choral Artists!
>
>When I performed it in Jerusalem with an Israeli Arab who played the 
oud, I
>learned the correct pronounciation of the Arabic phrases, including the
>title.  This is a closer transliteration: "Fih sharah canet bentit 
masha".
>
>Chag Sameach,
>
>Isabelle Ganz
>
>---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+
>