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Sephardic songs accompanied life from beginning to end—love and courtship, pregnancy, childbirth, weddings, and mourning. They also marked the yearly cycle with songs rooted in Jewish traditions and historical events.
Ladino, originating from 15th-century  Spanish, was the language of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. As they dispersed across the Mediterranean, Ladino song absorbed local linguistic and musical influences.
There are two main dialects:
Ladino (Español) – Spoken in Turkey, Greece, Sarajevo, Bulgaria, Rhodes, and beyond.
Haketia – The dialect of northern Morocco.

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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...
From Decile a mi Amor, Judeo-Spanish songs from Tetuan, 2018. From Tetuan in the north of Morocco, this song from the new repertoire criticizes the new fashions and behaviours of young women.
From Merendjenas, Orit Perlman, 2023 From Tetuan in the north of Morocco, this song from the new repertoire criticizes the new fashions and behaviours of young women.
From Arboleras vol. 3, Sephardic songs from the 20th century, 2000 From Tetuan in the north of Morocco, this song from the new repertoire criticizes the new fashions and behaviors of young women.
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,...
This is a partial rendition of one of the songs sung at the end of the Passover meal. It is a cumulative song which is performed at length, thus complying with the rabbinical precept of...
From Kanta Gayiko, Judeo-Spanish songs from Bulgaria, 2025 Orit Perlman : voice Yarden Erez : accordian and arrangements This well known love song has borrowed its melody from a Bulgarian folk song, from which we...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y 6009d/18   Referenced and notated in: El ciclo de la vida, pg. 155, Editorial Alpuerto, 2013 Susana Weich-Shahak. A nonsense singsong used to choose the roles for a game. This...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Yc 2262/6 Referenced and notated in: La Boda Sefardi, Musica, texto y contexto, pg. 53, Editorial Alpuerto, 2007 Susana Weich-Shahak. In Morocco, one of the favorite pastimes for girls and...
From Decile a mi Amor, Judeo-Spanish songs from Tetuan, 2018. In Morocco, one of the favorite pastimes for girls and young women was the matesha, a swing made from a rope tied either to the...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: Y6486b/24 The Ketubah of the Torah was composed in the 18th century, written by Rabbi Judah Leon Kalai. It is customary to sing it at home, with the whole family...
This is a partial rendition of The Ketubah of the Torah, which was composed in the 18th century, written by Rabbi Judah Leon Kalai. It is customary to sing it at home, with the whole...
Jerusalem National Sound Archives placement: NSA Y6009d/12   The Ketubah of the Torah was composed in the 18th century, written by Rabbi Judah Leon Kalai. It is customary to sing it at home, with the whole...
From Ventanas Altas de Saloniki, 2013. This song criticizes the the custom of having to provide a bride with a large dowry, often exploited by grooms who are not worth it. The song was printed...