Re: Kol Nidrei collection

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

>I just finished listening to a very interesting CD called "The Kol 
>Nidrei Prayer - In The Tradition Of The Communities Of Israel". The 
>recording is published in Israel and not easily available here in 
>the US.
>I got my copy from Hatikvah Music
>http://www.hatikvahmusic.com/cgi-bin/details.pl?key=1005
>

It's a very instructive CD, published by the Renanot Institute of 
Jewish Music in Jerusalem, directed by Cantor Ezra Barnea. Over the 
years, they've issued amazing materials, with music and useful 
(although sometimes a little "sloppy") booklets.
It's great that Simon carries (also) their publications!


As far as the Italian piece in it is concerned:

>15.   Italy (Florence) Version (Hezkia Ganazani)

the performe's correct and full name is Chizqiyahu Nitzani, or (in 
his original Italian name, which he changed after making 'aliyah) 
Umberto Genazzani. His son is still alive, and singing, in Israel 
today. I believe that the mis-spelling of his name is due to an 
inaccurate transliteration from Hebrew...

The Florence version of Kol nidre is one of many recorded by Leo Levi 
in the 1950's. The fact that the text is a "Kol nidre" (in Aramaic) 
rather than a "Kol nedarim" (in the Hebrew version of the text) 
confirms the Sephardic tradition of this piece.

Florence had a dual community, made of Italian and Sephardi Jews. One 
of the trademarks of the Italian ritual is (check the ShaDaL, or 
Shemuel David Luzzato, Machzor) the singing of "Kol nedarim", in 
Hebrew. Generally, it is argued that the Hebrew text is an older 
version of the statement pronounced on Yom Kippur (since it already 
appears in the Seder Rav 'Amram). Sephardim sing "Kol nidre", in 
Aramaic.

Eventually, the Sephardi ritual (mostly imported from Livorno, a 
powerful Sephardic center) "took over" the Florentine synagogue. What 
one hears today in Florence is the remaining of the Sephardi 
tradition, as it was passed on by the community's last "authentic" 
cantor, Rabbi Fernando Belgrado (who was also a great fan of 
Rosenblatt, and eventually "adapted" some of the local Sephardi 
pieces to his idol's musical world...).

Yet, in some communities that followed the Italian ritual, "Kol 
nidre" can be found (for instance, in Pitigliano -- however, 
Pitigliano, which is in Tuscany, shows other influences from the 
Livorno Sephardi community...). In other words, there is no 
consistency in this.

For an Italian "Kol nedarim", see track 17 (from Turin, Piedmont) of 
the CD "Italian Jewish Musical Traditions", issued by the Hebrew 
University in 2001.

I have not gotten deeper into the Kol nidre-Kol nedarim 
liturgical/textual differentiations. A references to the antiquity of 
the Hebrew version can be found in Idelsohn's "Jewish Liturgy", page 
226.

Does anyone know more about this?

Francesco



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