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 This is one of the few hexasyllabic romances whose lines do not have 16 syllables (as is more common, divided into two hemistiches of 8) but...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: NSA Yc1038/1 Referenced and notated in: Romansero Sefardi de Oriente pg. 129 Editorial Alpuerto S.A. 2010 Susana Weich-Shahak This romance, La reina adúltera ("The Adulterous Queen"), recounts the story of...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y 5426/10 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marreucos, pg. 68, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The late epic poems of El Cid (such as Las...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y 5540/8        Referenced and notated in: Moroccan Sephardic Romancero, pg. 151, Gaon Books, House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The romance, which tells of a couple's love despite opposition from her father,...
From Decile a mi Amor, Judeo-Spanish songs from Tetuan, 2018. This Romance is used as a wedding song in Tangier despite its theme of adultery. The song blends secular and para-liturgical elements, incorporating blessings from...
From Arboleras Vol. 2 - Romances Sefardies Tradicion Oral This Romance is used as a wedding song in Tangier despite its theme of adultery. The song blends secular and para-liturgical elements, incorporating blessings from Psalms...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Yc 1620/6    The ballad is widespread throughout the Hispanic world (in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, where it is a children's song). Text: Estaba'l Señor don Gato    sentadito 'n su...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5696a/8 Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos, pg. 165, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The well-known hexasyllabic romance is widespread in the Peninsula and among...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5627a/28 Referenced and notated in: Moroccan Sephardic Romancero, pg. 106, Gaon Books, House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The romance tells the story of the rape of the noble Roman lady Lucretia...
From Arboleras Vol. 2 - Romances Sefardies Tradicion Oral The romance tells the story of the rape of the noble Roman lady Lucretia by Tarquin Sextus (son of the last king of Rome, Tarquin the...
From Morenika Izmirlia - Judeo-Spanish songs from Smyrna, 2020 In this romance about the painful life of the galley (La vida de las galeras) the musical stanza comprises only one line, followed by a sort...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y5832/a Referenced and notated in: Romancero Sefardi de Marruecos, pg. 85, Editorial Alpuerto, Pardes Publishing House, 2018 Susana Weich-Shahak. The ballad of Juan Lorenzo refers to an episode in Portuguese...
From Arboleras Vol. 2 - Romances Sefardies Tradicion Oral The ballad of Juan Lorenzo refers to an episode in Portuguese history: the adulterous affair between King Ferdinand I (14th century) and Leonor Tellez, wife of...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Yc1039/7 Referenced and notated in: El ciclo de la vida, pg. 296, Editorial Alpuerto, 2013 Susana Weich-Shahak. This song of mourning is known as: Romansa la choza del deseperado -...