An Early 20th century Sephardi Troubadour: The Historic Recordings of Haim Effendi of Turkey

Author: Seroussi Edwin – Co-author: Havassy Rivka 
Performer: Haim Effendi ( 1853-1938 )
Collector: Bresler Joel – Publisher: Jewish Music Research Centre, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Place of Publication: Jerusalem, Israel
Place of Recording: Turkey
Year: 2008
Series: Anthology of Music Traditions in Israel
Media: CD
Pages: 4 CDs + booklet
Language: Hebrew
Tradition: Sephardi

In 1907, The Odeon recording company in Turkey released the first record by Haim Effendi – one of the very earliest recording of Judeo-Spanish music. The name of Haim Effendi (1853-1938) was known amorng devoted aficionados of Sephardic music, but to his day virtually none of this recordings were available to the general public. This re-release of almost 60 of Haim Effendi’s songs offers the public a rare opportunity to hear his voice and aprreciate the variety of this repertoire.
This new edition includes liturgical and paraliturgical pieces, romances and other songs in Judeo-Spanish from Turkey and the Balkans as they were recorded in the first three decades of the 20th century. In this format, these songs and prayers were probably heard in the private homes, synagogues, social gatherings and cafe´s of Sephardic Jews in the late Ottoman Empire.
The present recording was twenty years in the making and was made possible thanks to Joel Bresler, the founder of www.sephardicmusic.org
Bresler collected Haim Effendi’s 78 rpm records from various sources and initiated their digitalization. Dr. Rivka Havassy from Bar-Ilan University and Prof. Edwin Seroussi from Hebrew University added extensive notes on Haim’s life and work.
Price: $30 (4 CDs plus 100pp. booklet)
The recording is available at the «Eight Note» stores throughout Israel or at the Jewish Music Research Centre through the website www.jewish-music.huji.ac.il
By mail, at POB 39105, Jerusalem. Israel 91390
By fax, at: 972-2-5611156