Romancero

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Romancero

Romancero, akin to the ballad, originated in medieval Spain, often depicting royal intrigue, betrayals, and war captives, though not always tied to Jewish life. Some, however, have biblical themes from Jewish sources. Structurally, it consists of consecutive rhyming lines, with every two forming a repeating musical unit. Passed orally from mother to daughter, Romancero served various roles—accompanying women’s work and functioning as lullabies. Their soothing melodies calmed infants, while engaging narratives held older children’s attention. Often texts traveled between Moroccan and Balkan Jewish communities.

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From Morenika Izmirlia - Judeo-Spanish songs from Smyrna, 2020 The medieval story of the long gone husband who returns and, without making himself known, tests his wife's fidelity, is a well-known theme in European ballads....
From Merendjenas, Orit Perlman, 2023 The medieval story of the long gone husband who returns and, without making himself known, tests his wife's fidelity, is a well-known theme in European ballads. The Sephardic romance about...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Yc1097/33 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 124, Editorial Alpuerto, 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak. This is a partial version of a humorous Romansa about adultery. Text: - Burjula,...
From Morenika Izmirlia - Judeo-Spanish songs from Smyrna, 2020 Against the backdrop of medieval wars, the romance The Return of the Husband (La vuelta del marido), reflects a pan-European theme. The husband returns after a...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement:Y5756b/16 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos, pg. 103, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The ballad is found only in the Sephardic tradition of Morocco. It...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Yc 2325/2  Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos pg. 208, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. We know this romance exclusively from the Sephardic versions from...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement:Y 3995/3  Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos, pg. 88, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. This romance recounts the death of the son and heir of...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5982a/40 This is a fragment of the Romance of the Captured sister, Hermana Cautiva, but a few borrowed lines another romance. Text: De las altas mares   traien a la niña...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5842b/27   Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 70, Editorial Alpuerto, 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak. Another ballad about prisoners and captives, this one widely spread among Sephardic Jews in...
From Arboleras - De las altas mares, Ecos Sefardies de la isle de Rodas, cd1, 2009 Another ballad about prisoners and captives, this one widely spread among Sephardic Jews in the East and Morocco, as...
From Arboleras - De las altas mares, Ecos Sefardies de la isle de Rodas, 2009 Text: De principio de mis males   naviguí con la fortuna, caí en civdades ajenas,   lugares que non conocía, con relámpago...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: NSA Yc 2486/20    Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos pg. 91, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. Text: De prisión llevan al Vergico,   el rey le...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement:Y2994/25 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 108, Editorial Alpuerto, 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak. This is a partial rendition of this romance, where the husband leaves his wife. It...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: NSA Yc1096/18 Referenced and notated in: Romansero Sefardi de Oriente, pg. 107, Editorial Alpuerto S.A. 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak This is a partial rendition of this romance, where the husband leaves...