ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: An adaptation of which medieval instrument is still played in Brazil, but no longer played in Portugal?
Dr. Judith Cohen is an ethnomusicologist based in Toronto, where she teaches at York University. She has done extensive work in the area of Judeo-Spanish Sephardic music and its relationship with other traditions such as Balkan, Yiddish and Medieval Iberian music, and pan-European balladry. She has also done extensive research on the music of the “Raya”, the border area between Spain and Portugal where many Jews settled to escape from the Inquisition and continued to practice their traditions as Crypto-Jews. In her seminars and performances, Judith sings songs from all of these sources and also accompanies herself on traditional string, wind and percussion instruments.
As a frequent guest on this program, Judith has spoken with us about different aspects of this music and her research. This week she is telling us about her latest interest, the music of the descendents of Portuguese and Moroccan Jews in the Brazilian Amazon.
