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42

eviews

many of the communities where he
Italian scholar Francesco Spagnolo is
recorded were already on the verge of
keenly aware of the longstanding
disappearing before World War II.
Jewish presence in Italy.
"My impression is that these record-
Never, before the creation of the
ed melodies carry us back to a time
State of Israel, did 'Jews of so many
that could only be preserved in an oral
tradition."
varied origins live together, and in
such a stimulating, if at times threat-
The CD follows a liturgical order,
ening, environment as in the land they beginning with Shabbat and the High'
called in Hebrew I-Tal-Yah, he says.
Holidays and continuing through the
I-Tal-Yah — Island of Divine Dew
various festivals of the Jewish year. It
also includes liturgical songs and
in Hebrew --- means Italy in Italian, a
land where Jews have lived for more
chants related to life-cycle events such
than 2,000 years and
as marriage and cir-
which has seen layer
cumcision.
Musical iraciiirins
after layer of immigra-
Most of the texts
tion from all over the
are in Hebrew, except
Jewish Diaspora.
for some Passover and
For centuries, Italy's
Purim songs in
Jews maintained spe-
Italian. However,
cific local identities,
most of the melodies
reflected in a wide
are likely to be a reve-
variety of distinct cus-
lation for Jews out-
toms based on
side Italy.
Sephardic, Ashkenazic
"It shows an excep-
Anthology of Music Traditions in Israel • 14
and ancient Italian
tional kind of music,"
"Genuinely Jewish and
Jewish traditions.
Spagnolo says. "It is
genuinely
Italian."
These included
both genuinely Jewish
foods, dialects, rituals
and genuinely Italian."
The melodies are mixed with bel
— and also the melodies used in the
liturgy. Almost every Jewish communi- canto and opera, as well as folk and
political music.
ty had its own melodic tradition.
Spagnolo's interest in Levi's work
Spagnolo, founder and director of
and Italian Jewish musical traditions
the Milan-based Yuval Center for the
has changed his life. He met his wife,
Study of Jewish Music, has released a
the American cantor and Yiddish
CD of some of these unique melodies,
in association with Hebrew University
singer Sharon Bernstein, when he was
in Jerusalem working in the sound
and Rome's Accademia Nationale di
Santa Cecilia.
archives where copies of Levi's field
Called Italian Jewish Musical
recordings are kept.
Traditions, the CD is based on record-
The couple has formed an ensemble
with American musicians Michael
ings made in the 1950s by Italian
Jewish .ethnomusicologist Leo Levi,
Alpert and Willy Schwarz to perform
Italian Jewish music for a wider audi-
the first scholar to devote research to
ence in the United States and elsewhere.
the oral music tradition of Italy's Jews.
In more than 80 recording sessions,
They also would like to help American
Levi, who died in 1982, collected
and other cantors incorporate Italian
liturgical traditions into their repertoire.
more than 1,000 prayers, chants and
other items from nearly 50 cantors
The couple has another connection
to Levi.
and other sources.
In July, Spagnolo and Bernstein
"The recordings constitute testimo-
were married at the synagogue in
ny — in most cases, the only account
— to 27 liturgical traditions preserved
Florence by the city's rabbi, Joseph
Levi — who is Leo Levi's son.
in the Jewish communities of more
than 20 Italian cities," Spagnolo says.
At their request, Rabbi Levi incor-
porated a number of rarely heard litur-
Among these cities are Rome,
gical melodies in the wedding service.
Ferrara, Asti, Venice, Florence, Trieste,
Ancona, Verona and Padua. Most have "We frankly did not know what a
few, if any, Jews today.
beautiful singing voice he has, and we
"The percentage of melodies that are were both crying to hear such exqui-
still in use has definitely decreased
site and authentic renditions of pieces
since Levi's work," Spagnolo says. "But which we had before only accessed on

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