Manuscript, Kitzur Zemirot Yisrael, piyyutim, bakashot and songs, according to the Sephardic rite. Ferrara, 1840.
Decorated title page. Square script, mostly vocalized. Red and black ink (some headers and initial words in red ink). On title page: "Kitzur Zemirot Yisrael, according to the Sephardic rite, made in Av 1840, Ferrara".
The manuscript is composed of a selection of piyyutim, bakashot and songs for Shabbat and festivals, Kinot for Tishah B'Av, Reshut for calling bridegrooms to read in the Torah, and more, mainly arranged according to the order of the year (beginning from Shabbat Bereshit). This work appears in several Italian manuscripts (mainly from Ferrara, but some were also copied in Padua and perhaps elsewhere) beginning in the early 18th century. The earliest is the Levantine-rite Kitzur Zemirot Yisrael written by R. Pinchas Chai Anav of Ferrara in 1705. Many of the songs are by R. Yisrael Najara (hence the name Kitzur Zemirot Yisrael), but also includes piyyutim and songs that are unique to this anthology, such as: a piyyut for Shabbat Chanukah, on a miraculous salvation from a fire on Chanukah 1688, by "R. Tzahalon" (p. 7a); a piyyut on the Chmielnicki massacres by "Yaakov son of Moshe HaLevi" (p. 37a); two piyyutim by R. Menachem de Lonzano (pp. 14b, 29b); and piyyutim by R. Matitiah son of Yitzchak of Bologna (p. 19a), R. Mordechai Dato (p. 19b), R. Yitzchak Salma (p. 21a), R. Immanuel Ricchi (p. 33a), R. Chizkiyah (p. 45b) and others.
Leaves 21-22 contain a special Ashkavah prayer for the kabbalist R. Aharon Berechiah of Modena, author of Maavar Yabok. The prayer names "…our master and rabbi, R. Aharon Berechiah Modena, who carefully authored and firmly established the dawn prayer order for the Modena community… author of… Maavar Yabok…".
Original fine leather binding, with metal decorations on front and back of binding.
[1], 1-50, [51-54] leaves. Approx. 25 cm. Good condition. Stains. Light wear. Few, minute tears to several leaves. Original binding, with metal decorations. Damage and tears to binding.
