Re: Verdi and Jewish music

[Francesco Spagnolo <yuval...>]

Sorry for catching up so late on this.

 From what I know about Ladino songs and Verdi's music, I can only 
agree with Joel on this topic.
It is quite unlikely that Giuseppe Verdi could have heard "Adio 
querida" in Italy: Ladino songs were not common among Italian 
Sepharadim -- the more I go into Italian Jewish musical traditions, 
the least I find any kind of Jewish folk music thorughout the 
country. Ladino was not really spoken in Italy (only by Sepharadim of 
Ottoman origins), although it influenced some Judeo-Italian 
expressions (as did Yiddish).

Although Italian Jewish musical traditions have been extremely rich 
and diversified (both in keeping a tie to their areas of origin -- 
Ashkenaz, Sepharad -- and in becoming "Italian" in different ways 
during the 19th century), it can be pretty much assumed that Jewish 
folk music in Italy is simply Italian music: there was probably no 
need to produce separate musical products. Some songs are still 
known, though, but they are always related to Jewish life (and not to 
general issues, as love, etc.).

It is more likely that Sepharadim heard Verdi's music -- Italian 
Opera, as well as Tango, were probably the two most popular genres 
among Sepharadim in the Ottoman Empire (available on 78 rpm's) -- and 
adapted their lyrics to it.

There is a Sephardic link to Giuseppe Verdi, though. The first 
monography on the Italian composer was written by Abraham Basevi 
[Livorno 1818 - Firenze 1885]: "Studio sulle Opere di Verdi", 1859. 
Basevi belonged to a distinguished Livornese (Sephardic) family. It 
is one of the main links between Italian Jews and mainstream Italian 
culture (history of music, art history, literature, science, 
politics...).


Francesco




>Umm, it's MUCH more likely that the reverse is true, i.e., that the 
>cheerfully eclectic Sephardim of the day lifted the Verdi melody and 
>set their own words to it. Though I have heard various whacked out 
>theories that he was on vacation someplace and learned the melody 
>from an obscure of local Sephardim, etc., etc.
>
>J
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