Echoes of al-Andalus at the Library of Congress

On May 8, experience the vibrant intercultural tapestry of Jewish and Islamic musical traditions from Spain and North Africa.

From the eighth century onward, Southern Spain—known as al-Andalus—became a vibrant crossroads of faith and culture. Jews, Muslims, and Christians cultivated rich traditions in the arts, sciences, and music under the rule of Muslim caliphs. The region saw remarkable advancements in fields such as trigonometry, astronomy, surgery, pharmacology, and architecture, reflecting a spirit of intellectual exchange and mutual inspiration. Following the Inquisition and their expulsion from Spain, Jews and Muslims carried the Andalusi legacy of shared heritage across North Africa and the Mediterranean, where its influence continued to evolve for centuries.

 

Multilingual and Cosmopolitan

At the intersection of Arabic, Hebrew, Ladino, and Spanish cultures, the music of al-Andalus embodies the cosmopolitan spirit fostered by centuries of intercultural exchange. Its origins are often attributed to the ninth-century virtuoso ‘Ali ibn Nafi’, known as Ziryab, an accomplished oud player and vocalist who was invited from Baghdad to the court of the Umayyad Amir ʿAbd al-Raḥmān II (r. 822–852). In Córdoba, Ziryab established a musical conservatory that became a hub for the development of the classical Nuba tradition, shaped by contributions from the city’s diverse communities.

The Nuba (plural: Nubat) are structured song suites based on specific melodic modes and rhythmic cycles. Each Nuba defines both a scale and a set of compositional rules guiding melodic and rhythmic expression. Tradition holds that there were originally 24 Nubat, each corresponding to an hour of the day—an elegant fusion of musical theory and daily life.

Bringing Tradition to Life

The New York Andalus Ensemble is a multiethnic, multifaith group that brings the rich musical legacies of al-Andalus to the contemporary stage. Performing in Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and Ladino, the ensemble draws on a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from the ninth century to the 1960s. Featuring a choir and a diverse array of traditional and modern acoustic instruments, the group is led by ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist Dr. Samuel Torjman Thomas.

Dedicated to rekindling the cosmopolitan spirit of medieval Córdoba, the ensemble will perform at the Library on May 8. The program will include selections from various nubat—the classical Andalusi song suites—as well as multilingual pieces that reflect the integrated nature of Arabic, Hebraic, and Spanish musical traditions. Additional repertoire will feature Ladino (Judeo-Espagnole) songs and Arabic “Sha’bi” (folk) music, reimagined through modern stylizations.

Performers include Dr. Samuel Torjman Thomas (oud/vocals), Prosper Lankry (vocals), Diana Sophia (vocals), Jeremy Brown (violin), Dror Shahaf (percussion), and Jeremy Smith (percussion).

Musical Traditions Preserved in the Library in Congress

How have these traditions survived? The oldest sources we have are written ones: manuscripts documenting the poems, songs, and communal performances, including several preserved within the African and Middle Eastern Division. You don’t just have to read about it, however, you can also hear these sonic traditions as they were passed down for generations at the Library’s American Folklife Center.

In 1968, Abraham Pinto donated recordings of Moroccan Jewish liturgical music recordings to Library. Musicologist Edwin Seroussi will focus on this collection in his May 8 lecture to further unpack how libraries, archives, and recording technologies allow for this window into the past.

Other significant collections of Ladino and Andalusian recordings at the Library were made by Henrietta Yurchenco, a pioneering American ethnomusicologist, and Paul Bowles, an American writer and producer who recorded Arab, Berber, and Sephardic music in Morocco from 1957 to 1989.

 

In the 20^th century, many Jews from North Africa, the Balkans, Turkey and Greece for whom Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) was their native tongue immigrated to the United States.  Publications like Libro de embezar/The Book to Lean How to Speak, Read and Write from Spanish-Jewish Language published in 1937 helped these immigrants learn useful phrases and prepare for US citizenship. The African and Middle Eastern Division is home to numerous materials, highlighting this lesser-known heritage of Jewish Americans.

 

These programs are part of the African and Middle Eastern Division’s series on new research on African and Middle Eastern religious cultures made possible through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

 

Interested in learning more?

Delve deeper into Jewish and Islamic musical traditions from al-Andalus through the following resources at the Library of Congress:

• 16^th Century Hebrew Books at the Library of Congress
• African, Jewish, and Middle Eastern Studies: Digital Resources at the Library of Congress
• American Folklife Center Collections Research Guide: North Africa
• American Folklife Center Collections Research Guide: Jewish Culture and Traditions
• Medieval Islamic Science: A Resource Guide
• Musical Soundscapes of Morocco: From Africa to America: Lecture by Professor Samuel Torjman Thomas
• Cheikh Hamed bel Hadj Hamadi ben Allal Ensemble, recordings and photos from the Paul Bowles Collection