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 networks in which the Greek-speaking musics participate, constantly conversing with their co-tenants, are 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”.

Naturally, in the large urban centers of the Ottoman Empire around the Mediterranean Sea, the “conversations” of the Greek-speakers with their Turkish-speaking Muslim “co-tenants”, the Catholic Greek-speakers, the Armenians, the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Jews, the Levantine Protestants, and the Europeans and the Americans, were more than intense. Very often, the scope of this network extends to the Balkans, to Eastern and even to a part of Central Europe. Especially regarding relations between Orthodox and Muslims, the relevant evidence demonstrates the musical exchanges between them and elucidate an ecumene where everyone contributed to the great musical “melting-pot”, and where everyone may draw from it, as well as redeposit it, in a new form, with a reformulated text and its meaning, with sometimes clear and sometimes blurred references to its pre-text, until someone else pulls it out again, through the “melting-pot”, so that it becomes clear that there is no end in this recreational and dynamic process where fluidity prevails. A case that comes from such repertoires is this recording.

It inludes "Marche de Niyazi et Enver Bey - Hürriyet Marşı" (Marche for Niyazi and Enver Bey - Liberty March), also known as "Mazlumların Feryadı" (The Cry of the oppressed), with music by Vasileios Sideris and lyrics by the lawyer and parliamentary candidate of Smyrna Anastasios Tokatloglou. It was first recorded in June 1908 in Constantinople by the Estudiantina Smyrniote [Smyrnaiki Estudiantina (Smyrnaean Estudiantina)].

The song refers to Ahmed Niyazi Bey and İsmail Enver (Enver Pasha), members of the Turkish Committee of Union and Progress, who played a leading role in the Young Turk Revolution that began in July 1908.

According to a report in the Greek newspaper of Smyrna Amaltheia (issue no. 9070, Monday 4 (17) August 1908, p. 2), the march “in honour of the Committee” was performed “amid festive demonstrations” held on the occasion of the renaming of the “Café de Paris” to the “Constitution Café”, before an audience of 1.500 patrons on the evening of August 1, 1908. The article also notes that: “An Ottoman then delivered an ardent speech in praise of the homeland, advocating the abolition of all distinctions of nationality. Afterwards, an officer addressed the crowd, recalling the first evening of the Constitution and the enthusiastic scenes that had taken place in the café.”

Three later recordings of the piece are three in the historical discography:

– "Mazlumların feryadı mahvetti istibadi", İbrahim Efendi, Constantinople, February 26, 1909 (Gramophone 12260 b – 6-12223, Zonophone X-4-102072 and Victor 63061-B).
– "Mazlumların feryadı", Karakaş Efendi, Constantinople, March 8, 1909 (Gramophone 12393 b – 6-12357 και Zonophone X-6-102150).
– "Mazlumların Feryadı", Ertuğrul Yatı Orkestrası (Orchestre du Yacht İmperial "Erthogroul") conducted by Mr. Lange (Paul Lange), Constantinople, 1911 (Favorite 1-53207).

We also note three other recordings with lyrics in Ladino, that is, in the Spanish-Hebrew dialect of the Sephardic Jews, which may be related to the song in question. However, no audio material has been identified for any of them:

– "Huriet Espagnol", Haim Effende, Constantinople, 1908-1909 (Odeon XC 2011 – 54630).
– "Todos koran para ver a Niyazi i Enver Bey", Thessaloniki, May - September 1909 (Odeon 46280).
– "Los eros Niyazi i Enver Bey", Jacob Algava, Thessaloniki, May - September 1909 (Odeon 46282).

The musical score for voice and piano, titled "Mazloumlarin feriadi", was published in Constantinople by S. Christidis, catalogue no. S. 278 C. In addition, on the Dîvân Makam website (see here), two scores of the song are posted, according to those the composer is unknown and the lyrics are attributed to İzzet Bey (Kolağası).