The Weaker the Accent, the Longer the Motif: Gradation in Oranese (West Algerian) Cantillation
Keywords:
Jewish Liturgy, Biblical cantillation, Masoretic Accents, Musical Motifs, West Algeria, Oran, borrowings, comparison with different traditions, Moroccan tradition, Sephardic traditionAbstract
This article examines the Torah (Pentateuch) recitation in the communities of Oran and West Algeria and concentrates on the relationship between the Masoretic accents and their musical realizations. Our findings suggest that the length of the musical motifs expresses the pausal strength gradation of the accents. Possible borrowing from the Moroccan liturgy and shared features with other Sephardic traditions resulting from sociocultural factors are also discused. The analysis is based upon old recordings (from sound archives in Paris and Jerusalem), transcriptions in ethnomusicological studies and this author's own experience.