Shbahoth: Songs of Praise in the Babylonian Jewish Tradition : From Baghdad to Bombay and London (Soas Musicology Series)

Sara Manasseh brings a significant, but less widely-known, Jewish repertoire and tradition to the attention of both the Jewish community (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Oriental) and the wider global community. The book showcases thirty-one songs and includes English translations, complete Hebrew texts, transliterations and the music notation for each song. The accompanying CD includes eighteen of the thirty-one songs, sung by Manasseh, accompanied by 'ud and percussion. The remaining thirteen songs are available separately on the album "Treasures", performed by Rivers of Babylon, directed by Manasseh. While in the past a book of songs, with Hebrew text only, was sufficient for bearers of the tradition, the present package represents a song collection for the twenty-first century, with greater resources to support the learning and maintenance of the tradition. Manasseh argues that the strong inter-relationship of Jewish and Arab traditions in this repertoire - linguistically and musically - is significant and provides an intercultural tool to promote communication, tolerance, understanding, harmony and respect. The singing of the "Shbahoth" (the Baghdadian Jewish term for "Songs of Praise") has been a significant aspect of Jewish life in Iraq and continues to be valued by those in the Babylonian Jewish diaspora.