[applause] Peggy Bulger: Good afternoon everybody, thank you for coming out. I'm Peggy Bulger, director of the American Folklife Center. And I want to welcome you to our March 2007 Homegrown Concert. And many of you are familiar with our Homegrown Concerts. They have double purpose, if you will. One purpose is to bring to you, the audience, some of the best traditional music and dance to be found anywhere in the country for a concert at noontime. And the second purpose of this concert: this is being recorded for our archive. And so if any of you have never been to the American Folklife Center and to our archive, anyone can get a researcher card and you can come see some of the past concerts that we've had. Of course we have several of them now up on the Web, and you can stream them. But I would definitely urge you, if you're interested in music and dance, and I would image that most of you are, if you haven't been to our reading room, please do stop by and research sometime. We love to have visitors and we love to pull out the treasures that we have. These concerts are produced with the Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center, in conjunction with our center, itself. And most of these concerts, also you can hear them later on Mary Cliff Show Traditions, which is now on WAMU Radio. So I would encourage you to listen in. If you miss any of our concerts, you'll be able to hear them through there. Today, we're presenting, actually, a local performer. She lives close to home right here in suburban Virginia, and many of you know her. Her name is Flory Jagoda. She is a National Heritage award winner. She's really a national treasure, and certainly a treasure for all of us who live here in the area who would get to hear her more than once or twice in a lifetime. She's going to be performing with several musicians, also from around the area. And so to introduce the performers and tell you a little bit about the tradition that you're going to hear, I want to introduce Howard Bass, who is, himself, a wonderful musician and also a museum specialist at the Smithsonian Institution. So please welcome Howard Bass. [applause] Howard Bass: Thank you, good afternoon. Usually in my daily life, I'm a program producer. So often I'm producing programs at the American Indian Museum, and in other parts of my life I'm playing music and somebody else is doing the introduction. Today I have the rare privilege of doing both, saying a brief introduction to this program as well as being one of the performers. Flory Jagoda is an amazing treasure, as Peggy pointed out. Her family name from Bosnia is Alterrac [spelled phonetically] or Atlerazza [spelled phonetically]. She comes from a tradition that goes back to Spain and Portugal, Iberian Peninsula. And she and her forebears, her family, carried this tradition out of Spain and into exile in many parts of the Mediterranean, and some in northern Europe, the Sephardic tradition. What you hear when you hear Flory's songs are the echoes of old Spain, the Spain pre 1492, but you also hear something may be a little more contemporary, because, you know, we think of tradition -- we think of tradition as something that just came from somewhere way back there, and the songs just get handed down. And Flory certainly knows plenty of songs that go back many, many centuries. But one of the things that's distinctive and rare and wonderful about Flory Jagoda is that she has not only kept the tradition alive, she has extended it. She has broadened it with her own compositions. And many of her compositions have become well known, accepted parts of the tradition. In fact, there are people performing Flory's songs who think that they go back many, many generations. But what you -- so what you are witnessing when you hear Flory sing, and when you hear the songs in her repertoire, is a mix of things that she carries on from her family and her heritage, and things -- and pieces that she's written or arranged herself. So it's really quite a rare privilege to be part of what is, in fact, a living tradition. The other thing I think that's important to know about Flory is how generous she is with the tradition; the ways in she has not only kept it alive for herself, she's performed with three of her four children on many, many occasions. She has been welcoming to everybody who comes to her. We are three of her friends, but -- and we've had the honor of learning from Flory. But she welcomes everybody who wants to know this music. She has kept the tradition going. She has shared it with others. She tells people, "Come and spend some time with me. We'll do some music. We'll do some songs together. I'll teach you some of my songs." This is a rare person, a rarely generous, loving, wonderful person who came from a very difficult -- came through a very difficult time. Most of her family was wiped out; her community was destroyed, as was much of the Balkan community that carried on these traditions. So that's the reason why she's here. That's the reason why she was given a National Heritage award. And Tina Chancey, Susan Gaeta, and I are very lucky and privileged to be considered her friends. We also call her Nona. She's the grandmother, and we are very happy to join her today. So please welcome Flory Jagoda, Tina Chancey, and Susan Gaeta. [applause] Flory Jagoda: Well, in the country where I come from in Bosnia, the society communities used to usually greet each other with buena semana, it is a good week. Now you can wish me a good week, buena semana. Salude, health; i buena vida, a good life. We're going to share with you some of the songs that I brought to America and some that I have sort of composed myself based on memories, memories of my childhood growing up outside of Sarajevo, where I was born. So we will start with a courtship song, actually the word is to continue. And how do you continue a tradition with stories, with songs, and this one is called "Jo Hanino, tu hanina," "I am handsome, you are beautiful. Let's get married." [laughter] Is it simple? It was not so simple. You had to bring la dota [spelled phonetically]. You had to bring dowry, you had to bring something, so after he asked let's marry, the girl will answer, "Thank you very much for a beautiful offer, but you're asking too much money. And my father cannot accept." So let's sing "Jo Hanino, tu hanina." To little people, they give little instruments, you see? To big people, look at this big over there. Let's go. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Thank you, thank you. So you need glasses a little bit to see better. Now I grew a little bit. I have a bigger instrument you see. Well, we did have weddings, even if we had to go through kasamientieros [spelled phonetically], the matchmakers. The custom in Bosnia, for many, many years, was when the girl is ready to get married, and when there is a marriage, you usually stay with your in laws the first year of your marriage. And you know why? Well, I know why. Because la Suegra [spelled phonetically], the mother-in-law, she wanted to teach her new daughter-in-law how her son likes to eat, how he likes it to be prepared, so took a whole year until she learned all the habits. Besides, she wanted to teach her nursery rhymes, because, you know, continuation. There is always a war there. You continue with children. So this one is "Oya Dome Novja" [spelled phonetically]. "Listen to me bride, which her family is giving her advice." When you meet il Suegra [spelled phonetically], the father-in-law kiss his hand and call him my new father. The same thing with the mother-in-law, la Suegra, when you kiss, kiss her hand, and call her "my mother." And so on, and so on, would go through the whole family. Actually, it is a dance, but we will make it just as lively and somebody could get up, but there is no room. I would say get up and dance. It is an old Balkan rhythm, 7/8 beat for the folk dancers. They know what they are. So let's go. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Thank you. Well, as planned, and it was a big, big pleasure to the Suegra the Novja was getting a little bit rounder and rounder, and she learned all the prayers and all the benediziones [spelled phonetically], benedictions. And I want to share one of these, that they called them benedizione di madre [spelled phonetically], mother's prayer where she thanks to God for giving her children. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: Merciful God. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: In this clear and solemn hour. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: I am here to bless my children. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: As a mother who feels deeply pleased, oh, God, always be willing to listen in the heavens above to my prayer and benediction, as I bless my children. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: My God. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: You have lengthened my life by giving children to stay with me. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: Let me deserve that you give them a good life and future. [singing in Ladino] Female Speaker: Let me see with my own eyes their good fortune and their prosperity, merciful God. Flory Jagoda: Any one of you who speak a little bit of Spanish, you're finding out that many, many words are very similar to this Judeo-Spanish, or what we call Ladino. This language came to the Balkan areas, the Ottoman Empire, especially after the 1492 inquisition. But the women faithfully carried, lovingly, this language. And this is the only language that a child heard as growing up. There are a lot of nursery rhymes that we have, we learned. My -- really, a pleasure, but my choice was always "Chi Chi Bunichi," and it's a finger counting song. And "Chi Chi" means the chi chi, small finger. "Chi Chi Bunichi." Bunichi means nothing, just rhymes with chi chi. [laughter] Then we go from finger to finger. Il ray [spelled phonetically], this is a king of the fingers. Esti quiere pan [spelled phonetically]. Who knows what pan means? Bread. So this little one wants some bread. Esti quiere quezo [spelled phonetically]. What's quezo? Cheese? The esti, this little fat one, mine is a really a fat one. If he is not a good little Jewish boy, we are going to call the rabbi. Now, you know what it means to call the rabbi. In a little small village, the rabbi is a king. And you see him walking by and you run a besar la mano la senor rabi [spelled phonetically] to kiss the hand of the rabbi, and he would bless you. I brought the song, "Chi Chi Bunichi" to America, and I sang to my children old Bosnian style, which is sorting of fading away, and we're trying to make it a little more modern. So I had my daughters, and also the friends of my daughters who started adding harmony and sort of came into a very pretty song. I sang it: [singing in Ladino] So what did we make out of it? I'll start, and you give me the Americana harmony. [singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Thank you. Where do children learn? Bible and holidays? Always from the mother. The mother was always the teacher at home of holidays and the Bible. La Creacion [spelled phonetically] means the creation. And it tells us about the beginning. Female Speaker: God said there should be a world. He created the sky and the earth. He said, "Let there be light. We should rest on the Sabbath." [music and singing in Ladino] Flory Jagoda: At all our concerts, I always know there is a lot of people who catch the melody fast and they join us, so let's learn. Que reposemos en shabbat [spelled phonetically], we should rest on Saturday. Que reposemos en shabbat. So let's go. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Thank you. You know, the second mother in the family was always la tia [spelled phonetically], the aunt. Your mother didn't feel good, you went to Tia Masalta [spelled phonetically ] or Tia Gracia [spelled phonetically] or Tia Luna [spelled phonetically] or Tia Zafira [spelled phonetically], Tia Paloma [spelled phonetically], Tia Estrella [spelled phonetically]. I had a lot of aunts, a lot of tias. And the names of women were very beautiful, like Tia Estrella. Anybody knows what Estrella [inaudible] I'm sure we have a lot of [unintelligible] here. [laughter] I had Tia Paloma, pigeon. Pigeon. Tia Gracia, grace. Tia Masalta, muscle, good fortune. Tia Luna. I wrote this song after, unfortunately, I lost all these Tias just to remember them. And I wrote all these songs of holidays. And every holiday I'm with them because every holiday one of the aunts, Tia Masalta, Tia Luna, Tia Estrella, would have a dinner for that holiday. So on the holidays, we're always together. And so let's sing this song and be with Tia Masalta, Tia Estrella, Tia Luna, Tia Paloma. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Thank you. There was a very rich merchant outside of Sevilla [spelled phonetically], and he had a son. His name was Alexandro [spelled phonetically]. And one day he said to his son, Alexandro, "Son, it's too quiet around here. We need children. We need family. Get your horse and go and bring me a daughter-in-law. So we can have some children around the palace." A beautiful palace. It's a story, okay? [laughter] So Alexandro, the good boy, he gets a horse and he goes, gallops, gallops, and he comes to a Moorish town. He sees a beautiful girl at a fountain washing clothes. And he said, "Beautiful Moora [spelled phonetically]," he calls her Bella Moora [spelled phonetically], "can my horses have some of this crystal clear water?" She looks at him and she says, "I'm not a Moora. I'm from Spain and the Moors captured me on the holiday -- during the holidays of Passover and, well," she said, "I'm Spanish. I'm from Spain." And he says, "Well, if you would like to go to Spain, I can take you, you know. Get on my horse." It was an easy way. She said yes, she will go to Spain. She gets on the horse, and they gallop. They're passing this beautiful forest, and she starts crying. He says, "Por quŽ lloras nina bella? [spelled phonetically], why are you crying, beautiful girl?" "Well, I'm crying because my father used to hunt in this forest with his son, Alexandro, my brother." Wow. When he heard that, he started galloping towards the palace, and he said, "Open the doors and open the windows and the balconies, because instead of bringing home a bride, I'm bringing home my sister." Isn't that a beautiful, beautiful ending? I love this ending. [laughter] So Susan and I are going to go into this story, okay? The song is called "Una Tarde de Verano" [spelled phonetically], "One Evening in Summer," summer evening. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Bosnia had a lot of very old songs, old songs that they say, I was not there, that they brought those songs from Spain. And one of those songs is "Noches, Noches, Buenas Noches," "Nights, nights, beautiful nights." Nights are to fall in love. The story goes for about 25 verses. The nonas, the grandmothers used to sit and just talk, and talk. And we, the children, the grandchildren, would sit through about four verses and then one by one would sneak out, because it was just going on and on. "Noches, Noches" is the story of a mother and she is worried and she's not sleeping, she's in bed like the fish in the sea, because she has three daughters. She has to marry three daughters, marry out. The first daughter is already ready to get married, but no boy. So she was worried. And the second, she said, let's enjoy good times, who wants to get married? She was worried. She wants her to get married, you know? The youngest one said, how will I leave my mother? She was worried again. I don't want her with me all my life, you know. [laughter] So there is always worry, and it's very international, you know that. There is mothers who worry anywhere you go. So let's -- this is sort of a little sad, little funny. And Howard is going to give me a little -- ah, you hear that string? I better be good. We'll do about five verses, not 25, okay? So you can go back to work. [laughter] Okay. Let's go. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: We're trying to figure out, is it time for us to quit so you can go back to work? Or should we continue? [applause] Flory Jagoda: How much time do we have? Well, Susan has a very pretty song. Would you sing it for us? Susan Gaeta: I will. Flory Jagoda: I wonder what it's all about. Susan Gaeta: It's about a man -- Flory Jagoda: About a man. Susan Gaeta: -- who falls in love in the moonlight. And when he wakes up the next morning, he makes a vow that he will never ever fall in love again without the sun. So he wants the sunlight to be there, so he can see who he's falling in love with a little bit better. Puno sol [spelled phonetically], he will only fall in love with the sun. [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] Flory Jagoda: Why won't you tell us, we have song you can lead us -- Susan Gaeta: We have another love song. A young woman who hasn't been that lucky with love, so she says to her mother, "Madre mia [spelled phonetically]," my mother, "when I die, I don't want the chazanim [spelled phonetically]," the cantors, "carrying my casket through town. I want 12 strong munsevicos [spelled phonetically]," strong young men, "so they can cry and see what they missed." [laughter] [music and singing in Ladino] [applause] [end of transcript]