2007年VOA标准英语-Musician Embraces Ancient Musical Roots

By Valer Gergely
Washington
27 March 2007
 
watch Sephardic Music report 

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. held a concert this week to help revive traditional Sephardic music from the former Yugoslavia. For producer Valer Gergely, VOA's Jim Bertel has more on the performance. 

 
Flory Jagoda
Flory Jagoda comes from a centuries-old tradition with roots in the Iberian Peninsula. Her family was one of many Sephardic Jewish families forced to flee Spain and Portugal in the 14th and 15th centuries. Today, she is the sole survivor¹.

Sephardic Jews took refuge in North Africa and in parts of Europe, with the largest concentration finding safe haven² in the Mediterranean³ region.  They were able to take very little with them, but preserved their oral culture, language and songs. "National Heritage Award" winner Flory Jagoda's songs are the echoes of old Spain.

"We call it Sephardic music that comes from the word ‘Sepharad,’ which in Hebrew means Spain,” she explains. “The Sephardim came from Spain. They immigrated⁴ to Bosnia, the Sarajevo area – where I was born – around 1560 and settled around Sarajevo. My ‘Nona,’ my grandmother, was also a folk singer.  She sang these songs that we call ‘Ladino,’ Judeo-Spanish."

Flory Jagoda says Americans knew very little about the Sephardic culture when she arrived in the U.S. in 1946, but, since then, they have learned more about it.

 
Performing at the Library of Congress
"They knew it is Jewish music because it was advertised as Jewish music, but nobody heard ‘Jewish-Spanish,’ it just didn't click.  After they heard all the holiday songs, then it started to make sense. I had calls from synagogues, from different organizations if I would come in, and I got them to hear and know more about it, little by little."

Devoted⁵ to the preservation⁶ of her heritage, she has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad as a soloist⁷ and with her family or friends.  Her repertoire⁸ includes Ladino, Italian, Serbo-Croatian folk songs and her own compositions.

"I personally carry my own goal to have this music heard, to teach, to perform, to continue before it is lost," she says.

Flory Jagoda's performance at the Library of Congress was recorded for the archive of the American Folklife Center that preserves and presents American folklife through programs, exhibitions and live performances.

1 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

2 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

6 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

7 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

8 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。