INTRODUCTION

The world has long been captivated by the golden age known as the Moorish period in Spain, then called al-Andalus. Umayyad rule of most of the Iberian Peninsula began in 711 AD, when Tariq ibn Zayid, an Amazigh (often called “Berber”) from Morocco, invaded southern Iberia, and ended with the fall of Granada in 1492 to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. This 800-year time span of Muslim governance, for the most part tolerant of its varied ethnicities – Amazigh, Arabs, Visigoths, Jews, and Christians – and religious traditions — namely, Jewish, Christian  — facilitated an unprecedented intellectual and artistic co-mingling and flourishing that transformed all aspects of Spanish life. Al-Andalus evokes a civilization of sublime beauty, one in which artists, poets and philosophers thrived, and diverse people groups lived together in a harmony that approached equality.  Although Moorish rule in al-Andalus ended in the 15th century politically, this period influenced the formation of the Spanish nation and left a lasting effect on Spanish (and subsequently European) culture, most notably in the southern region of Andalusia.  Here the unique Spanish musical style of flamenco was also born.

I first became interested in Spanish music owing to my Middle Eastern background and musical proclivities. My mother, of Levantine Arab ancestry, was born and raised in Egypt, and though I grew up in California, from a young age I was interested in the music of my mother’s culture.  The Arabic sounds I heard in Spanish music felt intrinsically connected to the music of my ancestors and, as a classical singer, I discovered that Spanish art song was the closest fit to my own Western classical singing genre.  Pure Arabic music is sung in the Oriental style of the Middle East (and thereby referred to as “Oriental music” in the region), which requires a lighter sound and the ability to improvise, unlike the heavy full lyric sound of operatic singing. Upon delving into this repertoire through study in both Granada and Madrid, I was delighted to discover the wide variety of styles coming from not only all regions of Spain, but also from Latin America. Instead of finding a musicological path to link this music to the Andalusian period, I decided that a loose connection of my own, based on text, style, history and, of course, music, would help me create the “musical odyssey” that is this recording. One of the repertoire decisions I made was the addition of an old Arab song, an Andalusian poem called a “muwashshah” connected to al-Andalus through its poetry, yet set to an Ottoman era melody. I have also included a set of five folk songs from Argentina that have little musical or textual relationship to Spain, but lend a sense of finality to this particular odyssey.  Another cycle included here is one by a living Spanish composer, who set to music texts of famous Andalusian poets from Iberia and Iraq, both in Spanish and in Andalusian Arabic. Not to be forgotten from that era of co-existence is an arrangement of famous Sephardic songs sung in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) — a language that continues to be spoken by some Sephardic Jews in Turkey and elsewhere. The remaining works come from a range of eras and include an early 16th century song for voice and vihuela describing a battle preceding the fall of Granada, a flamenco-style piece for voice and guitar, 16th and 17th century Spanish songs that the famous Granadino poet Federico Garcia Lorca arranged for piano but are sung here with guitar, and two of the most famous song cycles in the Spanish repertoire.  However varied in style, period, location or language, each work is imbued with what the Spanish call “duende.”  Imperfectly described, “duende” is a spirit that invokes emotion and authenticity, yet it cannot be adequately translated; it can only be felt. I invite listeners to join me on this 800-year musical odyssey through time and place. May it be as enjoyable to listen to as it was to make.

– Christine Moore Vassallo