GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE’S
Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom: Ladino Songs Renewed
LIVE AT SHALIN LIU PERFORMANCE CENTER
TALES FROM THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM: LADINO SONGS RENEWED
GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE LISTEN. DISCOVER. CONNECT
Get ready for an emotionally powerful, artistic voyage awash with warm harmonies, intricate textures and spellbinding rhythms. Starting in ancient Spain and winding through Sarajevo, Salonica and Jerusalem, the award winning Guy Mendilow Ensemble recasts traditional Sephardi songs and legends, sung in the endangered JudeoSpanish language, Ladino. Epic tales of sailors and love lost to the seas, fantastic dreams and the intrigue of kings come to life in arrangements that crackle with rich musical storytelling. Step into a new world of Ladino song, alive with adventure and humour and grit.
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LISTEN. DISCOVER. CONNECT
1.
Mancevo Del Dor (Modern Man) (3:06) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow
2.
La Reina Xerifa Mora (The Queen & Her Slave) (5:21) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow / Andy Bergman
Performers on all but track 5
3.
Una Noche Al Borde De La Mar (One Night by the Sea) (5:49) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow
Guy Mendilow (Israel/UK/USA) —Musical Director, Vocals, Guitar, Berimbau, Overtone Singing Aubrey Johnson (USA) —Vocals Tareq Rantisi (Palestine) —Percussion Keita Ogawa (Japan) —Percussion Andy Bergman (USA) —Woodwinds, Jaw Harps, Mbiras Tomoko Omura (Japan) —Violin
4.
Adiyo Querida (Goodbye, My Love) (6:46) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow / Jeremy Wilmer
5.
Cuando Veo Hija Ermoza (When I See a Beautiful Maiden)* (6:29) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Zura Dzagnidze / Guy Mendilow
6.
A La Nana / Levantóse El Conde Niño (For Grandmother / The Young Count Arose) (5:51) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Tomoko Omura
7.
Esta Montaña D'Enfrente (The Mountain Ahead Burns) (3:15) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow
8.
La Serena (The Siren) (5:01) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow
9.
Story’s a Story (1:09) Guy Mendilow
GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE
10. Cocek* (5:31)
Traditional; Arrangement: Andy Bergman / Guy Mendilow
Track 5 includes Mark Zaleski (USA) —Bass Rich Stein (USA) —Percussion
11. Morenica (The Dark Beauty)* (4:17)
Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow 12. Por Que Llorax Blanca Niña? (Why Weep, Fair One?) (4:25)
Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow 13. La Reina Xerifa Mora — PBS Edit (The Queen & Her Slave—
PBS Edit)* (3:34) Traditional Sephardi; Arrangement: Guy Mendilow / Andy Bergman *Bonus Track
AN ENTIRELY TOO BRIEF OVERVIEW OF LADINO SONG The kingdom of Ladino song is vast and full of adventure, humour, and passion. Its treasure is the rich and diverse heritage carried with the Sephardi Jews since their exile from the Iberian Peninsula starting in the fourteenth century and ending with the final expulsion from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1497. Such uprooting began a series of migrations in which the Sephardi people eventually settled in communities from Northern Africa and the Middle East to the Mediterranean and the Balkans. In each adopted home, their language, food, customs and songs began soaking in local flavors of the new cultures. Musically, this resulted in a fascinating blend of rhythms, modes, melodies and, of course, legends. The songs are sung in Ladino, also called Spaniolit, Yehuditze or Saphardi. Ladino is a bit like a time capsule: The Spanish Jews preserved the lexis, syntax, morphology and phonology, of Medieval Spanish as well as idioms, pronunciation and accent of words which have long since vanished from Spain itself. Mingled with this are words from the various communities in which the Jews settled, including Greek, various Slavic language, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew. Ladino is still spoken by pockets of Jews, today primarily in Israel, though it is considered an endangered language. There are three main types of Ladino song: Romanzas: These are many of the epic/historical stories, tales of kings and queens, intrigue, daring escapes and, often, treachery. Romanzas have a fixed structure similar to the French Ballade: Each line has 16 syllables, divided to two 8-syllable parts with an assonant rhyme scheme. Some romanzas have 12 syllables per line, divided into two groups of six. The romanza is a narrative in which the order of verses is important. In this recording, tracks 2, 6, 12 and 13 are excerpts of romanzas. The full rendition would be far longer.
Cantigas: These songs often deal with love, longing and disappointment. Unlike the romanzas there is often not a single, progressive, plot to the song and the form and verse order can vary from one version to another. Cantigas can be songs of courting, mourning, even drinking. They can be tied in with life events like weddings and other communal occasions. In this recording, tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 11 are examples of cantigas of various sorts. For example, track 11 is a cantiga de boda, a wedding song. Coplas: These songs are associated with values and beliefs. Coplas can revolve around important community figures, economic hardship, specific holidays or moral themes. The lyrics to coplas tend to be more modern (17th-19th century). Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom: Ladino Songs Renewed focuses on romanzas and cantigas, mainly from the communities of Sarajevo and Salonica. Though some of the lyrics in these songs pre-date 1492, the music itself is primarily from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This is because these songs are a true folk music, preserved aurally and not written until recently (when dealing with Ladino music, the 1800’s are recent). In other words while we are fairly certain that some of these songs were sung hundreds of years ago, we have no assurance as to what melodies, rhythms and ornamentation were actually used back then. And with a long history of adapting to homes across borders and languages, in most cases the best we can do is hazard a tenuous guess. We do know, however, that most of these songs would have been sung by women, unaccompanied except perhaps for a drum. As Ladino scholar Dr. Judith Cohen points, this is not necessarily because women did not want to play more instruments but simply because women were often quite busy with other things while they sang, like so many household chores, or caring for children.
ABOUT THE ARRANGEMENTS It should be stated from the start that Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom: Ladino Songs Renewed does not aim for ethnomusicological authenticity. Indeed, the entire question of authenticity becomes a bit murky with an aurally transmitted music that has recreated itself again and again in different homes, tinged by the musical styles and tastes of each location and time. In any case, so much of what passes for “authentic” today is itself a quasi-invention, in which Ladino songs — that would have been sung unaccompanied and that most frequently represent the more modern European repertoire — are performed in a “Medieval” style, with voices trained in art-song backed by a combination of early music and Mid-Eastern instruments. Ours is a deliberate artistic exploration, and my approach is first and foremost that of a composer rather than a cultural curator. It starts with a love affair with the melodic twists and turns and the tales, humour and imagery these songs convey. And it is grounded in research into the music and the cultural/historical contexts in which it figured; field recordings, academic study and the opportunity to work firsthand with experts on Ladino language and culture play a necessary and ongoing role in creating Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom. Before lifting a pen I often spend weeks with a song, listening to the music and tale while researching its function and cultural context. And then I play an imaginative question game that generally leads me away (sometimes far away) from tradition: “What is the imagery in the song and how was it used? What can I imagine the mood of the story, or the emotions of some of the characters, to be? And how, given all of this, can I use the musical tools available to me, and the expertise of the Ensemble members, to bring these tales, moods and emotions to life in a way that will feel real to me, and that will give audiences a vivid emotional experience?” I must emphasize again that this is my own interpretation, leading me to diverge from traditional ways of singing. For example even the darkest, most gruesome romanzas (see for example Levantóse El Conde Niño) were typically sung in a light-hearted fashion, almost like a game that no one
took terribly seriously. My arrangements are intentionally more dramatic because my aim is to make the story come alive as though it were a cinematic experience. Yet despite this creation there is always a tether, however tenuous and normally on more of a musical level, back to the source material, and this sets up a constant, delicate dance between curating traditional material and creating music that springboards off of it. My great hope is that we respectfully introduce new listeners to the fantastic kingdom of Ladino song, and that we give seasoned, knowledgeable audiences a fresh take on familiar material. I suppose this is a way of saying that whatever faults or flaws you will find in this project are my own — not the tradition or the songs themselves, songs that, after all, have been around for quite a long time and will, I trust, endure. The kingdom of Ladino song is much greater than anything I can interpret. —Guy Mendilow, Boston MA, USA, Oct 2012
La Reina Xerifa Mora
The Queen & Her Slave
Tomis, senora, esta esclava, 1a esclava que vos querias, que no es mora ni judia, ni es hecha a la malicia.
Here. madam, this slave, the slave that you wanted. she is neither Moor nor Jew, nor is evil-minded.
La reina estaba prenada, la esclava tambien ansina. La reina pariera un nino, la esclava una nina pariera.
THE SONGS Mancevo Del Dor
Modern Man
Yo so un mansevo del dor, Que camino kon onor, cuando veio hija ermoza, Ya me toma a mi trembelor.
I am a modern young man, and I behave honourably, when I see a pretty girl, I tremble with shyness.
Ayde ayde presto presto T'echaré al sesto
Come on, come on, I will throw you into the well!
Asentada en el pozo, Con un grande dezrepozo, Asperando a mi espozo, Que es la luz de los mis ojos.
Sitting at the well, Very restlessly, Waiting for my husband, the light of my eyes.
Ayde ayde touranam touranam Ben buralarda durmam
You are dressed in western style, You look like an executive, Everyone knows that you are the son of a Thief!
A la Francia te vistites Pareses un director Todo el mundo ya lo save que sos hijo de un ladrón.
A humourous cantiga sung in Alexandria, Egypt among other places.
The Queen was pregnant, the slave was also pregnant. The Queen gave Birth to a boy, the slave gave birth to a girl.
With the tears from her eyes she washed the girl's face. "My daughter and my love. quien te me diera en mi tierra, Who sent you to me in my land and in y en la tierra de Almeria! Almeria! I'll name you Blancaflor, Te nombrara Blanca flor, the name of one of my sisters; nombre de una hermana mia; the Moors captured her on Easter Sunday." la cativaron los moros "Your sister, Blancaf1or, how would you dia de Pascua florida. recognize her?" "Beneath her left breast she has a buck mole." And that is how the two Dime, tu hermana en que la conoceras? beloved sisters recognized each other. Un lunar negro tenia. Y de alli se conocieron In this excerpt of a much longer romanza, based on las dos hermanas queridas. a tale found in pre-1492 Jewish, Moorish and Christian Andalusian tradition, a Moorish queen discovers that a captive slave is really her equal. Una Noche Al Bodre de la Mar
One Night By the Sea
Una noche al bodre de la mar cuando ampezi' a amar una ninya con ojos pretos sin poderle declarar
One night, on the outskirts of the sea I began to love A maiden with dark eyes Without being able to declare myself
No quero mas verte prefiero mi muerte me estas enganyando con tu falso amor Me voy ir por siempre muy lejos del mundo un sueno profundo fuera tu querer
I do not want to see you again. I prefer my death You’ve cheated my life with your false love I cast myself away, for ever far from this world... A deep dream Beyond your desire
Cuando ampezaba a cantar y de la alegria a llorar en mi cama iba yo llorando sin poderle declarar
I began to sing and weep out of happiness But truly I wept in my own bed Without being able to declare myself.
Adío Querida
Goodbye, My Love
Tu madre cuando te pario Y te quito al mundo Corazon ella no te dio Para amar segundo
When your mother bore you into the world She didn’t give you a heart To love another
Adío, adío querida No quero la vida Me l’amargsates tu
Goodbye my love I do not want this life that you have made so bitter.
Hermosa sos en cantidad Honestedad no tiene Milliones si me vas a dar Mi gente no te queren
You are so beautiful But you are dishonest Were you to give me millions My family would still not love you
Va, buxcate otro amor Aharva otras puertas Aspera otro ardor Que para mi sos muerta
Go look for another love Knock on other doors Wait for another flame To me you are dead
Cuando Veo Hija Hermoza Cuando veo hija hermoza Ahi me voy yo. Con las paras, sin las paras, Si me dan, si no me dan, Yo la va tomar
When I See a Beautiful Maiden When I see a beautiful maiden I will go to her. With pause or without pause, whether I’m lucky or unlucky, I will find a way to make her mine I like to think that the beautiful maiden in this cantiga is a metaphor for those things about which we dream — and that we find a way to make real whether we’ve got the means or not.
A La Nana
To the Grandmother
A la nana y a la buba Se durma la criatura El Dio grande que los guadre A los niños de los males
Grandma’s lullaby, The child sleeps May the great God protect All children from sorrows
Levantóse El Conde Niño
The Young Count Arose
Si oís, la niña infanta, si durméis o despertáis, si oís como canta la serena de la mar.
If you listen, my little daughter, Whether you sleep or you wake If you listen you will hear the singing of the sirens of the sea!
No es la serena, mi madre, ni menos lo su cantar; el conde Niño, mi madre, que a mí viene a demandar.
‘These are not sirens, mother, nor are they singing. It’s the young count, mother, coming to demand my hand.’
Si a ti demanda, la infanta, yo le mandaré a matar. Si lo matareis, mi madre, juntos nos han de enterrar.
If he demands you, my daughter I will have him killed. ‘If you have him killed, my mother, you shall bury us both.’
La reina, con tanta rabia, los mandara a matar. Muere el uno y muere el otro; ya los mandan a enterrar. De eya salió una toronja y de él creciera un limonar. La reina, con grande celo, los mandare a cortar. De eya sale una paloma y de él saliera un gavilán. Vola uno, vola otro, y al cielo van a juzgar.
With great anger, the queen demanded their deaths. Both died and were ordered to be buried. From the body of the princess grew an orange tree. And from the count, a lemon tree. With great zeal, the queen had both cut down. From her a dove flew. From him, an eagle. They both soared. The heavens will be the judge. This is an excerpt of a longer romanza from Salonica, Greece
Esta Montaña D’Enfrente
The Mountain Ahead Burns
Esta montaña d’enfrente se aciende y va quemando alli pedri al mi amor M'asento y vo llorando.
The mountain ahead is on fire It burns. It was there I lost my love: and there I sit to weep.
Secretos quero descuvrir secretos de mi vida El cielo quero por papel La mar quero por tinta.
There are secrets I would discover Secrets of my life I would have the sky for paper and the sea for ink.
Los arvoles por pendola para escrivir mis males No hay quien sepa mi dolor Ni ajenos ni parientes
The trees for pen to write my sorrow. No-one knows my pain neither strangers nor kin.
La Serena
The Siren
En la mar hay una torre, en la torre una ventana. En la ventana hay una niña que a los marineros llama.
In the sea there is a tower, In the tower there is a window, In the window there is a maiden That all the sailors call.
Dame la mano tu palomba para suvir a tu nido. Maldicha que durmes sola, vengo a durmir con tigo.
Give me your hand, my dove, To come up to your nest. Unlucky are those that sleep alone, I am coming to sleep with you.
Si la mar era de leche, los barcitos de canela, yo me mancharia entera por salvar la mi bandiera.
If the sea were made of milk And the boats of cinnamon, I would throw myself in entirely To save your banner.
Si la mar era de leche Yo me haria un peshcador Peshcaria las mis dolores Con palavricas d'amor.
If the sea were made of milk, I would become a fisherman. And fish for pain With words of love.
No me mates con cuchillo Ni menos con revolver Matame con tu amores En tus brasos murere.
You don’t kill me with a knife Nor with a pistol. You kill me with your love. I will die in your arms A cantiga fsung in Salonica, Greece, among other places
Morenica
The Dark Beauty
Morenica a mi me llaman. Yo blanca nací. El sol del enverano Me hizo a mi ansí.
They call me “dark beauty.” I was born fair. The summer sun Made me this way
Morenica, graciozica sos, Morenica y graciozica Mavramatia mou.
You are dark, and graceful Dark and graceful With dark eyes.
Morenica a mi me llaman, Los marieneros. Si otra vez me llaman Me vo con ellos.
The sailors call me, “dark beauty” If they call me once more I will go with them.
Dezlilde a la morena Si quere venir. Ya nave ya está en vela Que ya va partir
Ask the dark one Whether she wishes to come. For the ship has hoisted sail and is ready to depart. This cantiga is an example of a wedding song from the Turkish zones.
Porque Llorax Blanca Niña? Why Do You Weep, Fair Maiden? Porque llorax blanca niña? Porque llorax blanca flor? ‘Lloro por vos cavallero, que vos vax y me dexax.’
Why do you weep, fair maiden? Why do you cry fair flower? I cry because of you sir You are going away and leaving me
Todas las naves del mundo vayan Y abolten con secretos d’amor Y la nave de mi ojo Vaya y no abolte mas
All the world’s ships sail And return with secrets of love And the ship of my eye sails And never returns. This is an excerpt of a much longer romanza from Sarajevo. The longer ballad actually tells a much darker story, in which the gentleman in question actually has another family with children. If they ask where their father is, what am I to tell them? He gives the young maiden he is leaving a hundred dubloons and promises to return again in seven years. On the eighth he promises to return and, if she is unmarried yet, to wed her.
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
The Guy Mendilow Ensemble is an award winning sextet comprised of world-class musicians representing a variety of national backgrounds: the USA, Israel, Palestine, Japan and the UK. Formed in 2004, the Ensemble has been enthusiastically received in venues ranging from world and traditional music festivals to performing arts centers, progressive Jewish organizations and universities. Alongside touring with the Guy Mendilow Ensemble, members are on the faculty of leading music schools like Boston’s Berklee School of Music and New England Conservatory and tour/record with the likes of Bobby McFerrin, Yo Yo Ma, the Assad Brothers, Christian McBride and Simon Shaheen. The Ensemble is currently based in Boston, MA and Brooklyn, NY.
VIDEO
Performance footage filmed, edited and produced by Extraneous Noise, Boston MA USA Micro-documentary produced by Micro-Docs, co-directed by Guy Mendilow
GRATITUDE Thanks to: Shari Mendler, Shlomit and Jonathan Mendilow, Joey Baron and the Boston Jewish Music Festival, Brendan Cooney, Matt Malikowski and Dimension Sound, Tony Beadle and David Shriver at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, Antonio Oliart, John Tomma and Extraneous Noise, Deanne Benson and Lesley Ellis School, Meeska House, Patrick Coman, Jeremy Wilmer and of course Aubrey, Tomoko, Tareq, Keita, Rich, Mark and Andy.
PRODUCTION CREDITS: AUDIO
All tracks except 5, 11 recorded by Antonio Oliart and David Shriver at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport MA USA on November 11, 2011 Mixed by Matt Malikowski at Dimension Sound, Jamaica Plain MA USA Mastered by Mark Donahue, Sound Mirror, Jamaica Plain MA USA Track 5 recorded by Todd Winmill at the Regent Theatre, Arlington MA USA on July 20, 2009 Mixed by Todd Winmill at Futura Productions, Roslindale MA USA Mastered by Mark Donahue, Sound Mirror, Jamaica Plain MA USA Track 11 recorded By Andy Bergman in his living room on January 21, 2012. Mixed by Matt Malikowski at Dimension Sound, Jamaica Plain MA USA Mastered by Mark Donahue, Sound Mirror, Jamaica Plain MA USA Produced by Guy Mendilow
© ℗ 2012 Guy Mendilow / Mendilusian Music, BMI
This recording is dedicated with love to Master Avery Nahum and Sir Basil the Beloved.
GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE LISTEN. DISCOVER. CONNECT www.guymendilow.com
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