THROUGH THE ALLEYS OF TIME
for guitar and soundtrack

Classical Guitar and Ladino Traditions
Composed in 2007, this 22-minute piece for guitar and soundtrack marries traditional melodies with contemporary textures. Perfect for those seeking to explore this rich cultural heritage through a modern lens, this score stands as an innovative and deeply evocative addition to contemporary Ladino guitar music.

Listen to the Recording and Find More Information Here

About the Music
Through the Alleys of Time was written for guitarist Liat Cohen and commissioned by the Legacy Heritage Fund through the America‑Israel Cultural Foundation. The piece reflects on the fading world of Ladino language and culture, following the imagined journey of a wandering troubadour searching for a lost song. The live performance encounters fragments of archival prayers, spoken voices, and instruments (oud, lute, recorders, viola da gamba, percussion), combined with field recordings from Spain, leading ultimately to the rediscovery of the song La Serena. It is intended for professional guitarists or advanced conservatory‑level players experienced with multimedia works. This atmospheric, narrative-driven composition works well as a major recital centerpiece, requiring a reliable stereo playback system for precise coordination between the performer and the audio track.

Specifications

Duration: 22 minutes
Year Composed: 2007
Instrumentation: Classical Guitar and Soundtrack

Product Information

Hard Copy (Score)
Soundtrack file to be emailed separately.
Condition: New 1st Edition score
PDF DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE

THROUGH THE ALLEYS OF TIME Ladino guitar music [Hard Copy]

$48.00

Quantity

Item:	Performance Score + Soundtrack CD
Format:	Hard Copy
Edition:	2nd Edition
Copyright:	Lior Navok
Publisher:	Lior Navok Music
Pages:	29
Binding:	Plastic Spiral
Ink:	Black & White
Paper Size:	DIN A4 / Letter

Through the Alleys of Time – for classical guitar and tape focuses on the Ladino language, culture, and way of life that is fading away as the older generation passes. My inspiration for this vanishing tradition came during a visit to Córdoba and Sevilla, where the alleys seemed to whisper the tales of long-gone local communities. I envisioned a once-thriving community that, after 1492, dispersed in various directions, taking its language and traditions to new places like Greece and Bulgaria.

The music narrates the journey of a troubadour—a folk singer traveling from village to village in search of a particular song. Along the way, he encounters fragments of other songs, prayers, and chants, including Jewish prayers, traditional Ladino songs (Judæo-Espagnol), narratives, and influences from Christianity and Islam. During the Golden Age in Andalucía, these three religions coexisted harmoniously, enriching each other's cultures.

All the recorded fragments are authentic, featuring elderly men and women singing songs from their childhood. They represent perhaps the last link in a long chain, as these songs and expressions were not fully passed down to subsequent generations, if at all. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Shoshana Weich-Shahak for her lifelong dedication to tracing these singers and informants, and for generously allowing me to use excerpts from her recordings. Thus, the work as a whole becomes a passage through time, where voices, sounds, and images from the past emerge before our troubadour, whose quest leads him to discover his long-awaited song – "La Serena."

Through the Alleys of Time was commissioned by the Legacy Heritage Fund, through the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, dedicated to Guitarist Liat Cohen.