Hence, a song that shares a common melody is written in italics to the side of a song that was originally composed to that tune. Translations and Explanations A short explanation of each song preceds the musical manuscripts. A more comprehensive version of the lyrics is provided at the end of the songbook. Complete Hebrew and Ladino texts are also included. However, due to space and layout limitations, shortented versions of lengthier texts were sometimes necessary.
Oral tradition is the main vehicle for the dissemination of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire.
This process has contributed to disparities in the outcome of the texts. Therefore, we find many versions of a particular poem. Frequently, the content of the different stanzas do not follow the main theme of the text. They are, rather, individual couplets often borrowed from another song. Sources Sefardic Songs for All is a cross section of the rich repertoire to which I have been exposed since my childhood at family reunions and through commercial recordings.