For voice and piano (or harp) or chamber orchestra
Originally commissioned in 1949 by the Israeli singer Bracha Zefira (1911 – 1990) from Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 – 1968), this score includes three traditional songs in Ladino: Montanyas altas, Ven i veras, and Una noche yo me armi, transcribed, harmonized, and arranged by the composer. Published in 1959 by Israeli Music Publications (IMP), this score had been out of print since the publisher’s liquidation in 1990.
Drawing on materials provided by the composer’s descendants—particularly his granddaughter Diana Castelnuovo-Tedesco—musicologist and conductor Nir Cohen-Shalit has produced a well-documented critical edition that corrects errors found in the original scores.
This new edition, published by the European Institute of Jewish Music (IEMJ), includes two separate scores, along with a preface, an appendix, and commentary:
1. Voice and piano or harp: based on the original 1949 version.
2. Voice and chamber orchestra: based on the 1959–1960 orchestration.
The appendix contains simplified vocal scores of the translations of the songs into Hebrew, English, and French, adapted by IMP in its 1959 edition.
Learn more about Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
The IEMJ’s publications are supported by the Fondation du Judaïsme Français and the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.
