The interplay of implicit cultural knowledge and acquired musical knowledge in Sephardic music performance

This study investigates the relationship between implicit cultural knowledge and acquired musical knowledge—developed through diverse forms of learning—in the performance and interpretation of Sephardic music. Drawing on author Florentin's experience as a Sephardic musician from Thessaloniki, shaped by both the oral tradition of Sephardic music and formal training in early music, the research examines how inherited cultural knowledge and multifaceted acquired musical knowledge interact in shaping artistic identity and interpretive practice. Using a multi-method qualitative design, the study combines autoethnographic reflection, semi-structured interviews with performers and scholars of Sephardic music, and performance observation. The findings reveal a dynamic relationship between implicit cultural knowledge and acquired musical knowledge. Embodied cultural understanding, shaped through family traditions, language, and community practices, informs musical interpretation, while musical knowledge acquired through formal training, experience, and other forms of learning provides analytical and technical frameworks that deepen and articulate these inherited traditions. Rather than operating hierarchically, these forms of knowledge function in continuous dialogue. By examining musicians who negotiate multiple musical identities, this exploratory study contributes to discussions of embodied knowledge, cultural transmission, artistic research, and musical identity, demonstrating how implicit cultural knowledge and acquired musical knowledge continuously interact in shaping artistic identity and performance practice.