At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe is living in peace and prosperity. The “Belle Époque” is an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that are created and which evolve funnel both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It is within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction is invented. Early record labels send mobile crews literally all over the world to record local musicians. The range of the repertoire is endless. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favors polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also circulations in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolves dynamically and anisotropically, form a complex network of “centers” and “peripheries” in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The network in which the Greek-speaking urban popular song participates, constantly conversing with its co-tenants, is magnificent. Discography has already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between “national” repertoires. The result of this ongoing research is “Cosmopolitanism in Greek Historical Discography”.

Historical sources underline the close relations between Italian-speaking and Greek-speaking music. The conversations that developed with specific places, such as the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and Patras, as well as their results, are enough to highlight the strong ties between the two ethno-cultural groups. Furthermore, relationships were forged in places where the two ethnicities lived together, such as, for example, in the case of cosmopolitan Smyrna (Izmir) in the Ottoman Empire, or that of New York, where Italians and Greeks immigrated. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana. This recording belongs to a corpus of songs from which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Neapolitan-speaking songs. In many cases, the appropriations concern not only Neapolitan-speaking songs but the Italian language as a whole, since, often, the original Neapolitan-speaking songs were translated into Italian, from which the loan arose. These songs arrived at the Greek-speaking world either directly or indirectly, through other repertoire networks. In any case, the circulation of musics is already a reality before the 20th century with theatrical and musical performances tours, but also with the networks of music publishing houses. Discography is not only embedded in this context, but plays a key role in its transformation. The appropriation by Greek musicians is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they have nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, are the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms but also in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. After all, the mandolins, the guitars, the marches, polyphonic song and the bel canto singing style are characteristics that reveal the influences of the Canzone Napoletana on the Greek-speaking urban popular song. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the network that is finally formed is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Italian relations. One such case is the recording "Tiritomba", an adaptation of the Neapolitan song of the same title "Tiritomba" with Greek lyrics.

It is a song by unknown authors. Its first musical recording appears to have been published in Naples in 1847 by the Girard publishing house. Moreover, the musical score was printed in 1868, in the collection Raccolta di canti popolari napolitani, and in 1898 in Teodoro Cottrau’s collection "Eco del Vesuvio, scelta di celebri canzoni napolitane". 

No recording of the song in the first two decades of the 20th century has been identified so far in Italian historical discography. However, from the late 1920s onwards the song was recorded several times in various regions and languages. For example:

- Raoul Romito – E. Palma, New York, April 1928 (Columbia W109133 – 14369-F).
- Joseph Schmidt, Vienna, March 1934 (Parlophon W 85243-2 – B 11 250-II).
- Robert Marino - Renée Dyane, Paris, July 8, 1937 (Pathé CPT 3383 - PA1250).
- Sergey Lemeshev, Moscow, 1938 (Keynote Recordings 7202 – K 206 A).
- Petre Munteanu, Berlin, June 24, 1943 (Odeon Be 13353 – O-26595 a).
- Kipparikvartetti, Finland, 1952 (HMV OBF 67 – TJ 14).
- Lise Ringheim, Denmark, 1956 (Polydor HDK 4128 – H 55522).

The Italian song appeared for the first time in Greek historical discography in the recording of mane "Fa matzore" that G. Tsanakas made in Smyrna (Izmir) in 1910 (Concert Record Gramophone 1586y – 11-12165 and Victor 63544-A). More specifically, the last part of the manes consists of the "shift", an ambiance change that involves new melodies with new rhythmic features. The rhythms that are usually performed in the shift are horas, waltzes and sirbas.

In the case of manes "Fa matzore", from 2′ 40″, the musical theme of "Tiritomba", performed on the violin by Dimitris Semsis or Salonikios, is part of the "shift" as the concluding part of the recording.

This musical theme can be found four more times in Greek historical discography. Nine years later than the aforementioned recording, in 1919, Ka [Mrs.] Koula (Kyriakoula Andonopoulou) recorded "Balos Smyrnis" (Panhellenion 4397 – 5005-Β) in New York. The theme is performed by the clarinet in the intermediate melodic bridge (from about 1′ 27″ to 1 ′52″).

The characteristic theme of "Tiritomba" can also be found in the recording "Smyrnaiikos balos" made by Marika Papagkika on November 11, 1922 in New York (Victor C 27131 - 68611-A). Specifically, we can hear it, performed by Nikos Relias on clarinet, in the intermediate melodic bridge (from 1′ 33″ to 1 ′54″ of the recording).

Nikos Relias is the one who performs on clarinet this musical theme and on the recording of "Smyrnaiikos balos" by Marika Papagkika in 1923 for Columbia (Columbia 59805 - E-5277). In this version, the tune is integrated both in the intermediate melodic bridge (from 1′ 51″ to 2′ 13″) as well as in the shift or the conclusion (from 4′ 33″ to the end).

Finally, in 1928 the Th. Pikoulas Trio recorded in Athens the instrumental piece "Balos" (Pathé 70.018 - X. 80057 and Columbia 70018 - DG 403), in which "Tiritomba"'s musical phrase is performed by the violin (from about 2′ 08″ to 2′ 30″).

The Greek version of the song was recorded in Greece, in the 1930s, by other singers:

- Michalis Thomakos – Dimitris Efstratiou, Athens, 1934 (Columbia CG 898 – DG 2049).
- Vasos Argyris, Athens, 1934 (HMV OT 1614 – AO 2118).
- Antonis Delendas and Choir, Athens, 1934 (Odeon Go 2090 – GA 1764).

According to the Greek musical score that was published by the Stefanos Gaitanos publishing house, the song was included in the movie "Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt" (Spring songs). The music is attributed to Vincezo De Mario, while the Greek lyrics were written by Pοl Menestrel (Giannis Chidiroglou).

The label of the record reads "Canzonetta".

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis