This recording includes a musical tune that appears several times in Greek-speaking discography in various versions and variations, both musical and lyrical:

– “Zeibekikos”, Kyria [Mrs.] Koula, New York, ca. January 1917 (Columbia 44923 – Ε-3365).
– “Athina kai Peiraia”, Giorgos Makrygiannis Nisyrios (violin), Giorgos Stavropoulos (lute) and P. Lymberis (santur), New York, June 19, 1918 (Victor B 21873-3 – 72977-B).
– “Athina kai Peiraia mou”, Marika Papagkika, New York, 1923 (Columbia 59838 – 56002-F, this recording, and Columbia UK 11515).
– “Athina kai Peiraia mou”, Marika Papagkika, New York, February 24, 1925 (Victor C-32006 – 68685-B).
– “Athina kai Peiraia mou”, Kostas Gkantinis, USA, 1947 (Standard 25-059 – F-9050-B).

Of particular interest is the fact that in all the aforementioned recordings the tune under examination is combined with the musical theme of “Vournovalios manes”. This tune, one of the most popular in the Greek-speaking repertoire, appears in the discography from the early 20th century in at least thirteen recordings, with several variants, different lyrics and titles, such as “Vournovalitiko”, “Me tin adiaforian sou”, “Kai giati den mas to les”, “I chira” and “Bournovalio”. In the present recording the melody of “Vournovalios manes” provives the melodic framework over which Marika Papagika performs the third distich [Ela varkoula pare me / kai mes sti Smyrni vgale me (Come, little boat, take me / and carry me to Smyrna] and the seventh distich [Eida mia papia sto nisi / kai nomiza pos eisai esy (I saw a duck on the island / and thought it was you)], with the violin, functioning in a responsive role, subsequently repeats the melodic phrase.

The combination of the two tunes is also found in the Turkish repertoire. Specifically, around 1931–1932, İzmirli Santuri Recep (santur), Kemani Cemal (violin), and Udi Mustafa (oud) recorded the instrumental İzmir Zeybeği” in Constantinople (Sahibinin Sesi 0K 574 – AX. 2477).

However, the musical theme of “Bournovalios Manes” is also found in the recording “Ţaţa Mariţa” (Aunt Maritza), made by the violinist Nicolas Matthey and his Gypsy Orchestra in New York on September 14, 1938 (Decca 64653 – 2121). He was accompanied by Hungarian Edmund Berky on the cimbalom and unidentified musicians on the cello, piano and double bass. The record label describes it as a “Roumanian Peasant song and dance”. It was included, along with nine other recordings on five 78 rpm records, in Album No. 21 released by the American company Decca under the title “Roumanian gypsy music – Roumanian folk songs and dances”.

According to information provided by Paul Gifford, who uploaded the recording, Nicolas Matthey, whose real name was Nicolae Mateescu (in other sources Nicolae Matei), was born in Moscow in 1903 (or 1905). He was the son of a Romanian musician living in Russia and returned with his father to Bucharest after the October Revolution of 1917, where he continued his studies. In 1923 he emigrated to America, performing exclusively in restaurants catering to Russian aristocratic clientele. He made numerous recordings for Decca and other companies, featuring Russian, Romanian (see here, here and here), and “Oriental” music (see here, here, here and here). He died in New York in 1955 (see here).