The Recorded Sound Archives (RSA) is a unit of FAU Libraries Special Collections department. We are located in the Wimberly Library on FAU's Boca Raton campus.

Originally established in 2002 as a small project dedicated to the preservation of recorded Jewish music, it has matured into a robust digitization operation for all types of sound recordings.

Ladino Folk Songs


Additional information (PDF) is only available
through the Research Station
Collection(s)Judaic
Catalogue NumberCGL 605
Matrix Number CGL 605 A/B
Record Label Collector's Guild
Record Format33 1/3 RPM - 12"
Shelf Number401331
Number of Tracks15
Date Recorded1961
Album Artists
Notes Over 170,000 Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 and wandered through the Mediterranean world looking for a hospitable refuge. The largest number settled in various parts of the Ottoman Empire. The sultans allowed the newcomers to worship as they pleased, use their own language, and maintain their own schools. Ladino was the language of these exiles. In present day Ladino one may find Turkish, Italian, French, Greek and Slavic words together with many of the same Hebrew words for religious ideas and customs that are current in Yiddish. In this collection you will find ancient ballads that preserve the folk culture of 15th century Spain while at the same time expressing the influence of slowly gathering layers of Hebraic tradition and foreign elements. They are sung by Raphael Yair Elnadav, a well-known singer of Sephardic songs.

Recordings restricted by copyright will only play 45 seconds to give you a sense of what that recording originally sounded like. These recordings can be identified by the words (Research Station) in the music player.

If a song listed below has not been digitized yet, it will NOT show up within the player. If you need us to digitize this song/album, you can make a formal request here.
1 - Yo'hanino
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
2 - Muchacha Cruela
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
3 - Sez Mezes: Dunula
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
4 - Cunja Mia
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
5 - Arvoles
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
6 - A La Una
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
7 - La Rosa Enflorese
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
8 - Complas De Purim
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
9 - A La Nana
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
10 - O Que Mueve Mezes
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
11 - Cuando El Rey Nimrod
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
12 - Noches, Noches
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
13 - Mama, Si Yo
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
14 - Povoreta
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann
15 - Scalerica De Oro
Composer(s) : arr: J Neumann