Bar Yohai (Rome)

Hymn by Shim'on ben Lavi (15th cent.) for the Roman Sephardi Mishmarah, prayers sung on the night or nights preceding circumcisions, Bar Mitzvas and weddings. Known since the middle ages, the Mishmarah used to include instrumental music, folk songs and dances, before it was transformed by Rabbi Tranquilo Vita Corcos (18th century) into a paraliturgical celebration, performed by a confraternity of male singers. The melody is reminiscent of traditional litanies popular in the folklore of Central Italy.