The
flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing is come,
and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard through the land.
—
Song
of Songs 2:12
The
turtle is actually a turtledove — the symbol
of exile, the harbinger of spring and of peace. It is familiar to English
speakers from the King James Bible, where the Hebrew word tor (Song
of Songs ) translates as "turtle dove."
A musical ensemble
known as Voice of the Turtle has been studying and presenting
the beautiful and compelling musical repertoire of the Spanish Jews
since 1978. Whether
a mistranslation or simply the poetic form of the word, "turtle"
is used in the group's name to encompass an array of images.
Voice of the
Turtle's logo, an ancient lyre with the shell of a tortoise as its
resonating box, is decorated with the Star of David and the Arabic crescent,
both ancient symbols. The juxtaposition evokes a significant part of
Sephardic history.
Enjoy
"Skalerika de Oro,"
a Sephardic wedding song, sung by Voice of the Turtle. Lisle Kulbach,
lead singer accompanied by guitar, dumbek and tambourine
played by Voice of the Turtle. (song
text)
The
turtle is actually a turtledove — the symbol
of exile, the harbinger of spring and of peace. It is familiar to English
speakers from the King James Bible, where the Hebrew word tor (Song
of Songs ) translates as "turtle dove." 
