Sephardic Liturgical Music

Sephardic liturgical music refers to the sung repertoire of communities originating from the Sephardic and Oriental world, for the prayers of Shabbat, the holidays, and daily services. It is characterized by the use of modal systems borrowed from Arab and Ottoman music, such as the organization into maqamat in the traditions of the Near East, articulated to the cycle of Torah readings. The paytanim (cantor-poets) occupy a central place in it, perpetuating piyyutim and baqashot transmitted orally from generation to generation. This tradition varies according to geographical areas, from the western Mediterranean to the communities of Aleppo, Baghdad, or Salonika. Today threatened by the demographic upheavals of the twentieth century, it is the subject of active work of collection, recording, and transmission.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World — Brill
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan