Moroccan wedding music

[Judith R. Cohen <judithc...>]

hi, it depends what part of Morocco (especially whether ex-Spanish or 
French/Arabic Morocco) and what stage of the wedding. The northern, ex-Spanish 
zone, the only area where Judeo-Spanish speaking Sephardim were prominent (they 
also lived in other areas, and still do, especially aorund the capital, but the 
major concentration was in the north, where now only a few hundred remain) - 
anyway, the ex-Spanish Protectorate zone, has several different stages of the 
wedding. The exhibition of the trousseau (ajuar or ashuar) has its own songs, 
for example, as does the henna night. These are in Judeo-Spanish 
(khaketia) and in general pretty cheerful, and accompanied by a driving 
Moroccan rhythm even though the actual melody may be more (vaguely) European 
than Moroccan. The songs for acocmpanying the bride in the formal procession, 
by candle-light at night, to the groom's house, are quite different, in Hebrew, 
and more solemn, though still joyous, piyyutim. 

GERINELDO'S old video, Ya Hasra-Que tiempos aquellos - has a wedding scene 
which we did in a pretty truncated manner, but still gives some idea of both 
these stages. It isn't formally for sale anywhere, though....
Judith

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