2. La Huérfana del prisionero (The orphan
of the prisoner) 4:59
3. La Llamada De La Morena (The call of the dark
haired) 3:43
4. El incendio de Salonica (The fire of Salonika)
4:06
5. La Madre Comprensiva (The understanding mother)
2:27
6. La Cigarrera (The tobacco girl) 3:53 Prelistening:
7. El Encalador (The white washer) 3:01
8. La Galana Y La Mar (The
bride and the sea) 2:28
9. El Testamento de Hamán (The testament
of Haman) 3:34 Prelistening:
10. La Caída de Hamán (The fall
of Haman) 2:43
11. La Alegria De Jaco (The joy of Jaco)
4:04 Prelistening:
12. Dia De Alhad (First day of the week) 3:17
13. El Parto Feliz (The happy childbirth) 2:31
All tracks traditional and arranged by David Saltiel
The musicians:
David Saltiel: Vocals
Markos Skoulios: Ud
Jorgos Mavrommatis: Quanun
Jorgos Psaltis: Violin
Leftheris Pavlou: Frame Drum
Nikos Tzannis-Ginnerup: Lyra
date of release: 10.03.98
total time: 49:01
Released with the kind sponsorship of
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF THESSALONIKI
24-page booklet with liner notes and all lyrics
in English
plus 44-page extra booklet with liner notes and all
lyrics in Spanish and Greek
MEMORY AND REMEMBRANCE: THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF DAVID SALTIEL
For more than three decades, the Sephardi song repertoire
has been the focus of growing and widespread international interest, reflected
in the large number of commercial recordings of songs from modern-day anthologies
of this repertoire. These recordings are generally produced by professional artists
who have no connection with the Sephardi community. The present record is a departure
from this trend, representing the living tradition of David Saltiel, a folk singer
from one of the largest Sephardi communities of the former Ottoman Empire, that
of Thessaloniki. The present performances depict a style which predates the international
commercialization of this repertoire. Unlike his fellow musicians, most of whom
emigrated before the Holocaust, Saltiel never left his hometown, and therefore
had little exposure to outside influences such as other Sephardi repertoires.
David Saltiel's unique repertoire reflects the state of the Sephardi song in Thessaloniki,
prior to its mediated post-World War II revival. One detects in this record a
sound reminiscent of old 78 r.p.m commercial recordings of Ladino songs released
between the two World Wars. Moreover, it evokes the joyous character and flowing
rhythm found in the unaccompanied field recordings of Saltiel, which served as
the ethnographic basis for this project. Accompanied here by the traditional calgi,
typical to the Jews from Thessaloniki, Saltiel's interpretation, with its charming
lacunae of memory and relaxed rhythm, does not adhere accurately to the text or
to a strict musical meter, but rather alludes to various literary fragments in
the unique Salonician Jewish vocal style.
Saltiel's repertoire also reflects the overall modernization of the Ladino song
repertoire in terms of its content and performance context, which shifted from
the home and family gatherings to the coffee house and theatre. This process of
change included profound influences on the Sephardi Jews from modern commercial
recordings of Turkish, Greek and Western popular songs (such as the tango) since
the turn of the century. The combination of remnants from old Iberian and post-Iberian
literary strata with Judeo-Spanish cover versions of popular songs from the modern
period creates a rich tapestry which characterizes the contemporary Sephardi song
in general, and Saltiel's repertoire in particular.
(excerpt from the liner notes of Edwin Seroussi, Bar-Ilan
University, Israel)
RIENCD14