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Jewish Music Tradition of Greece
https://music.jct.gr This study is the result of a long journey dedicated to culture and memory, and is based on the archive of Flora Molcho, daughter of Holocaust survivors from Thessaloniki, who generously donated it to the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. The archive includes unique, authentic recordings of her parents, who tell stories and perform rare songs from the tradition of Thessaloniki. The material features some already known, but mainly rare and possibly unique songs of the Sephardic tradition, as it developed in Greece. In addition, three important sources are used for the documentation of the material: Cancionero Sefardi by Alberto Hemsi, the work of Rabbi Michael Molho Traditions and Customs of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica, and the rich archive of the Turkish-Israeli journalist Moshe Saoul, which is housed at the Maale Adumim Institute. The songs are studied and compared in their different versions from various regions of Greece, such as Drama, Kavala, Rhodes, and Thessaloniki. They are classified both thematically (love, historical, religious, children's, etc.) and based on their lyrical form (kopla, kantiga, romansa, etc.). The translations are rendered accurately, mainly based on the dictionary of Joseph Nehama, with the contribution of Judeo-Spanish speakers from the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. At the same time, an accurate rendering of the pronunciation of the lyrics is provided using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Finally, visitors have the option to download a lead sheet and perform each song easily. The aim of the study is to offer musicians, researchers, educators, and other interested audiences a comprehensive understanding of each song: historical information, different lyrical versions, audio samples, access to key bibliographic sources, and musical guides based on the most complete recordings. Flora Molcho, a philologist who studied at Aristotle University and the University of Padua, taught Modern Greek for decades as a lecturer in Italy and Venice. As a translator of literary works and author of the autobiographical book In the Shadow of Memory, her life has always been a bridge between words and identities. Today, this experience inspired the research into the Sephardic musical tradition. The overall curation of the project was carried out by researcher and scientific associate of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, and PhD candidate at Aristotle University, Mariangela Chatzistamatiou. |
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The publication Holocaust Songs of the Greek Jews presents, for the first time in a consolidated volume accompanied by recordings, the poignant musical compositions penned by Greek Jews during the harrowing period of the Holocaust. Spearheaded as a research initiative by the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki and conducted under the auspices of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, this project received co-financing from esteemed entities including the European Jewish Fund, the Claims Conference, and the Department of History and Archaeology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The songs of the Holocaust era predominantly comprise adaptations of popular melodies from the European repertoire or indigenous Greek compositions such as folk tunes and rebetika. These adaptations ingeniously weave new lyrical narratives, articulating the hopes, fears, and profound love for their homeland, Greece, and the cherished city of Thessaloniki. Notably, these songs serve not only as a cultural expression but also as invaluable historical artifacts, classified into three distinct categories: those composed within the confines of the Baron Hirsch ghetto of Thessaloniki, within the confines of the Auschwitz camps, and those born from the pens of survivors in the aftermath of the Holocaust. This collection emerged following extensive research spearheaded by Mariangela Chatzistamatiou, drawing upon survivor testimonies, Holocaust literature, the archives of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, and the seminal work of survivor Moshe Ha-Elion. Each song, or rather its lyrical essence, encapsulates a unique narrative, providing a poignant window into the darkest moments of human history. The publication meticulously integrates historical context, documented evidence, song lyrics, and bibliographical references, complemented by a QR code for convenient digital access. Mariangela Chatistamatiou, alongside the music ensemble Pellegrinaggio al levante under the direction of Nikos Panagiotidis, collaborated closely with students and educators from the Volos Music School. Their collaborative endeavor aimed not only to accurately capture the essence of each song but also to honor its textual and historical significance. The volume is prefaced by esteemed figures such as Maria Farantouri, Leon Nar, Betty Magrizou, Professor Giorgos Antoniou, and David Saltiel, President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece. The book is available through Alexandria Publications and can be acquired at the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki and select bookstores. Research and Production Team:
YouTube Spotify To buy, here |
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Unknown musical treasures of the Jewish Tradition of Greece is much more than a new collection of Jewish music. Years of research by Mariangela Chatzistamatiou with the help of Chryssie Scarlatos accumulated a treasure of forgotten songs, which were collected one by one from differentiated sources all over Greece. The main characteristic of the collected songs is that they are parts of different Jewish linguistic and cultural traditions. No matter how old they were and where they came from, these traditions took their final shape in the context of the Modern Greek linguistic and musical influences. Thus, Unknown musical treasures of the Jewish Tradition of Greece reveal a cultural image close to the historical reality, rather than a fabricated illustration of the past. This is how a Jewish Museum can contribute to the historical knowledge of music.
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKhoxLE_s7w&list=PLa-jfKKSuwPKslrA-uFBCbsBei4YcO1p3 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/albums/B09Y13X9LB Spotify open.spotify.com/album/3ldMvuP6VUMttrGuxCiJBH?si=zfkcL9TER3-byh3K_-XjPg i-tunes https://music.apple.com/gr/album/unknown-musical-treasures-of-the-jewish/1619463817 |