https://youtu.be/X84-VDAC_WkIn 'The Ancient Melodies of the Liturgy of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' D.A de Sola writes that the melody for Lekha Dodi in use in Spanish and Portuguese communities considerably predates the composition of the piyyut itself. He cites rubricks in old prayer books which direct it to be sung to the Lachan of 'Shubi Nafshi Limnuchaichi', a piyyut written by R. Yehuda HaLevy some 500 years earlier. Leaving aside the irresistible temptation to speculate that this was actual the melody sung by R. Shelomo Alkabets, himself, it can certainly be said that this is one of Lekha Dodi's oldest settings.That said, however, it is unlikely that those familiar with tune 400 years ago would recognise today's London variant, which has has undergone considerable streamlining both in tonality and tempo. The New York and Amsterdam versions, on the other hand, which retain more of the original's phrasing might well strike a chord with an esnogeiro of 16th century Safed. This recording is based on a transcription from Casablanca by Isaac Levy, which may well represent the least westernised version extant of this melody. Please like and share.For an mp3 of this recording please visit my website, where there are over 40 selections available for downloading.http://danielhalfon.com/multitrack-recordings/