https://youtu.be/QzQng9T4gzU# Rachamana - Bedil Vaya'abor - Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Selichot | LondonThis Selicha serves as a prelude to the chanting of the Shelosh Esreh Middot (Thirteen Attributes of Mercy). This 'short' version is traditionally recited during the evening Selichot unique to the Spanish and Portuguese liturgical tradition.In this recording, the piece is presented in a harmonized arrangement; perhaps unexpectedly so. Yet this approach echoes a long-standing musical instinct. As a boy among the choristers, I remember how we would instinctively layer our own harmonies on to the melody, improvising in the moment and enriching the chant with warmth and depth. These spontaneous harmonies, though never formally notated, formed an essential part of the musical atmosphere and remain among my most vivid and cherished memories of my days on the choir at the Lauderdale Road Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.The Selicha is written in Aramaic, a language traditionally considered unintelligible to angels. As explained by the Bet Yosef, this serves to ensure the prayer's appeal, invoking the merit of our ancestors, reaches the Almighty free from heavenly objection.The melody is based on the traditional chant used by the Spanish and Portuguese community for the liturgical reading of Tanakhic verses during the penitential period.Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more music from the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish tradition.חודש טוב