Yamim Noraim, Shabbat and Holydays' Recordings
The majority of the recordings of the "Yamim Noraim" (High Holydays) originate from a cassette sent by Cantor Beniso to the Sephardic Community of Venezuela in 1980, in response to their request for learning the melodies of the Spanish-Portuguese tradition. Many of the recordings of Shabbat and holydays were recorded in the 1980s and 1990s as part of a project by the "Renanot Institute".
For additional recordings of Shabbat, Holydays and the "Yamim Noraim" by Hazzan Abraham Beniso, see the album "Sephardi Melodies" (1950).
The qinot (dirges) for the Ninth of Av at the Nefutsoth Yehuda Synagogue in Gibraltar
The qinot (dirges) in Gibraltar showcase the liturgical repertoire of a Jewish settlement situated on the edge of the Iberian Peninsula, just two centuries after the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. This distinctive community thrived, acting as a bridge between the traditions of Western Europe and those of North Africa. In a recent study conducted by Ariel Lazarus (see below), the grandson of Hazzan Abraham Beniso, he recorded Hazzan Abraham Beniso performing the qinot of Tisha B'av (dirges for the ninth of Av). This comprehensive anthology of qinot is a testament to the intricate stylistic nuances unique to the synagogue in Gibraltar.
A Selection of Judeo-Spanish Songs
Although he was a cantor, Abraham Beniso was also a trained singer. Among his extra-synagogue performances, he recorded commercial arrangements of few songs in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) following the practices of several of his predecessors and contemporaries, most notable the London Spanish-Portuguese hazzan the Reverend Eliezer Abinun.
See also in our website the project on the liturgical music of the Gibraltar synagogues, that includes the biography of Hazzan Abraham Beniso.
