Rock of (Italian) Ages

[Francesco Spagnolo <yuval.italia...>]

Well, Italian with Ashkenazi origins... it's the alternative Ma'oz
tzur tune published by Venitian composer Benedetto Marcello in his
Estro Poetico-Armonico (1724), who transcribed upon hearing it sung
by a cantor in Venice. This tune arrived in Italy with Ashkenazi
migrations, and was documented in the oral traditions of several
Italian-Ashkenazi (or Tedesco) communities, such as Venice, Verona,
Gorizia and Ferrara, as well as the Piedmontese community of Casale
Monferrato. Recorded versions of the tune were collected in the
1950's by Italian-Israeli ethnomusicologist Leo Levi, and one of them
(the Veronese one) will be soon available on CD...

So, I guess I can start spreading the word out to the List:

The CD

Italian Musical Traditions
From the Leo Levi Recordings (1954-1961)
Selections and Commentaries by Francesco Spagnolo
part of the Series "Anthology of Music Traditions in the Land of
Israel", no. 14, edited by Edwin Seroussi
© 2001, Roma - Jerusalem
a joint publication of The Jewish Music Research Center, The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem - Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome

will be available January 2002.
The CD contains 42 tracks, documenting 17 different local Italian
synagogue and paraliturgical musical traditions (of Italian, Sefardi
and Ashkenazi rite -- many of which are now extinct), and performed
by 27 informants who were recorded almost fifty years ago.

More on this in the coming weeks...

Best,
Francesco


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