Sonic Ruins of Modernity

Sonic Ruins of Modernity shows how social, cultural and cognitive phenomena interact in the making and distribution of folksongs beyond their time. Through Judeo-Spanish (or Ladino) folksongs, the author illustrates a methodology for the interplay of individual memories, artistic initiatives, political and media policies, which ultimately shape "tradition" for the past century. He fleshes out in a series of case studies how folksongs can be conceived, performed and circulated in the post-tradition era - constituting each song as a "sonic ruin," as an imagined place. At the same time, the book overall provides a unique perspective on the history of the Judeo-Spanish folksong.

Edwin Seroussi is the Emanuel Alexandre Professor of Musicology and Director of the Jewish Music Research Centre of Hebrew University, as well as visiting scholar at Dartmouth College.

Preface Chapter 1 - Defining sonic ruins of modernity Chapter 2 - Excavating sonic ruins: the modern Judeo-Spanish folksong in context Chapter 3 - From Spain to the Eastern Mediterranean and Back Chapter 4 - Indescribable Female Beauty: the Song of Songs and Sephardic Wasfs Chapter 5 - A Forbidden love: The sanctity of a modern Sephardic female proletarian Chapter 6 - Abraham's vocation, modern invocations Chapter 7 -From Venice to Manhattan: The modern odyssey of Bendigamos Chapter 8 - A garden of sonic ruins and the post-traditional condition Abbreviations Bibliography