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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”.
Austria’s geographical position naturally renders the country the center of European developments, but also an important sort of conduit for the diffusion of tangible and intangible products from all and towards all directions. However, it is not a popular part of the relevant historiographical research as far as the relations between the Greek-speaking and the rest of the world. Not to mention that that within the musicological field, research is almost completely absent. However, geography often speaks for itself: The Habsburg Empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Compromise of 1867) bordered the Ottoman Empire to the south. Both claimed territories of the later Yugoslavia, and especially those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, on the one hand, accommodated a notable Muslim population, and, on the other hand, communicated directly with the historical region of Macedonia and the Greek-speaking population that lived there. Vienna was a unique melting pot of cultures; the arts, dominated by music, were experiencing an unprecedented boom. A particular theatrical genre, which developed in various forms throughout Europe, was at the heart of Viennese creation: it was the Volkstheater (the folk theater), which was part of a long tradition of comical performing arts, with music playing a dominant role. According to the relevant discourse, after 1850 this style is transformed in the Viennese operetta, which had an unprecedented dynamic in terms of production of new works. Soon, discography would enter this network, and together with the already vibrant reality of the music publishing houses, would contribute to the mass diffusion of the Viennese operetta both in Europe and America. The leading element of these works was, among other things, the waltz, a trademark of the Austrian capital, as well as its main exported cultural product all over the world. The role played by the Strauss family was a catalyst in this development. These trends reached and were adopted and adapted by the Greek-speaking world, which incorporated them into its own conditions. 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 also plays a key role in its transformation. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Austrian relations.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the Buffo-Duett Franzi - Lothar "Lehn' deine Wang' an Meine Wang", also known as "Piccolo! Piccolo!", from the second act of three-act Austrian operetta "Ein Walzertraum" ("A Waltz Dream"), set to music by Oscar Straus (Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire, March 6, 1870 - Bad Ischl, Austria, January 11, 1954).
The German libretto by Leopold Jacobson (June 30, 1873 or 1878, Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire, present-day Chernivtsi, Ukraine - February 23, 1943, Theresienstadt Ghetto, present-day Terezín, Czech Republic) and Felix Dörmann (Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire, May 29, 1870 - Vienna, 26 October 1928) is based on Hans Müller-Einigen's novella "Nux, der Prinzgemahl", which is included in his book "Buch der Abenteuer" published in 1905 by Fleischel, in Berlin.
The German musical score, for voice and piano, was published in 1907 by L. Doblinger, in Leipzig.
The operetta premiered on March 2, 1907 at the Carltheatre in Vienna. It was a great success and was staged, adapted in several languages, in several cities around the world. For example:
It was presented at the Király Színház in Budapest, under the title "Varázskeringő", on November 26, 1907.
It premiered in the USA at the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia, on January 6, 1908, and on the 27th of the same month it was presented at the Broadway Theater in New York, completing 111 performances (see here), under the title "A Waltz Dream".
About two months later, on March 7, 1908, it was staged, under the same title, at the Hicks Theater in London (see here).
In France, it was presented under the title "Rêve de valse" on March 3, 1910, at the Théâtre Apollo in Paris.
The operetta was the basis for three motion pictures, two European and one American:
- On December 4, 1918, the Hungarian film "Varázskeringő" begins its screenings
- About seven years later, on December 18, 1925, the German film "Ein Walzertraum", premieres in Berlin movie theaters
- In May 1931, the American film "The Smiling Lieutenant", directed by the German Ernst Lubitsch, would premiere in New York.
The duet "Piccolo! Piccolo!", either in song or in orchestral form, has been recorded several times in historical discography (for performances in Europe see here). For example:
- "Piccolo! Piccolo! tsin, tsin, tsin!", Mizzi Jezel - Richard Waldemar, Carltheatre in Vienna, March 1907 (Odeon Vx 2351 - X 63001 & X 51693). The 1908 tonbild (early synchronized sound film) "Ein Walzertraum: Piccolo", by the German company Deutsche Bioscope GmbH (Berlin), with Dora Kepplinger (?) and Richard Waldemar, was based on this recording.
- "Piccolo - Duett aus Walzertraum", Vally Paak - Richard Waldemar, Vienna, June 1907 (Gramophone 10901u - 2-44208)
- "Piccolo, piccolo, tsin, tsin, tsin", Favorite-Orchester, Berlin, 1907 (Favorite 147-t - 1-13137)
- "Piccolo", Elise Stevenson - Frank C. Stanley, probably Camden, New Jersey, February 11, 1908 (Victor B-5067 -5390 & 16066)
- "A Waltz Dream: Piccolo, piccolo", Charles Capper (whistling), London, 1908 (Gramophone 7848e - 9382)
The operetta, under the title "Oneirodes vals", was presented in Greece during the summer season of 1909 by Giannis Papaioannou’s troupe Elliniki Opereta (Hellenic Operetta) at the Neon Theatro [Neon Theater]. For other Greek performances see here.
In the same period, in the summer of 1909, the Viennese operetta was performed in Athens by two more troupes: one that presented the work at the Arniotis Theater in Italian, and a third version by a Viennese troupe that was staged on June 13-26, 1909 in Faliro (Mamalis, 2019: 68).
The Greek musical score with excerpts from the operetta, among them the duet of the present recording (see here and here on page 14), was published in 1907, in Athens, by Michail Gaitanos.
In Greek historical discography, an adaptation of the duet, under the title "Kai pefteis kai sikonesai", was recorded in New York, in October 1923, by Goulielmos Mozaras (or Mozaris).
The sound engineer Arthur Clarke was responsible for the recording, which was re-issued by Victor (63526) in America.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
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”.
Austria’s geographical position naturally renders the country the center of European developments, but also an important sort of conduit for the diffusion of tangible and intangible products from all and towards all directions. However, it is not a popular part of the relevant historiographical research as far as the relations between the Greek-speaking and the rest of the world. Not to mention that that within the musicological field, research is almost completely absent. However, geography often speaks for itself: The Habsburg Empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Compromise of 1867) bordered the Ottoman Empire to the south. Both claimed territories of the later Yugoslavia, and especially those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, on the one hand, accommodated a notable Muslim population, and, on the other hand, communicated directly with the historical region of Macedonia and the Greek-speaking population that lived there. Vienna was a unique melting pot of cultures; the arts, dominated by music, were experiencing an unprecedented boom. A particular theatrical genre, which developed in various forms throughout Europe, was at the heart of Viennese creation: it was the Volkstheater (the folk theater), which was part of a long tradition of comical performing arts, with music playing a dominant role. According to the relevant discourse, after 1850 this style is transformed in the Viennese operetta, which had an unprecedented dynamic in terms of production of new works. Soon, discography would enter this network, and together with the already vibrant reality of the music publishing houses, would contribute to the mass diffusion of the Viennese operetta both in Europe and America. The leading element of these works was, among other things, the waltz, a trademark of the Austrian capital, as well as its main exported cultural product all over the world. The role played by the Strauss family was a catalyst in this development. These trends reached and were adopted and adapted by the Greek-speaking world, which incorporated them into its own conditions. 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 also plays a key role in its transformation. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Austrian relations.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the Buffo-Duett Franzi - Lothar "Lehn' deine Wang' an Meine Wang", also known as "Piccolo! Piccolo!", from the second act of three-act Austrian operetta "Ein Walzertraum" ("A Waltz Dream"), set to music by Oscar Straus (Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire, March 6, 1870 - Bad Ischl, Austria, January 11, 1954).
The German libretto by Leopold Jacobson (June 30, 1873 or 1878, Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire, present-day Chernivtsi, Ukraine - February 23, 1943, Theresienstadt Ghetto, present-day Terezín, Czech Republic) and Felix Dörmann (Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire, May 29, 1870 - Vienna, 26 October 1928) is based on Hans Müller-Einigen's novella "Nux, der Prinzgemahl", which is included in his book "Buch der Abenteuer" published in 1905 by Fleischel, in Berlin.
The German musical score, for voice and piano, was published in 1907 by L. Doblinger, in Leipzig.
The operetta premiered on March 2, 1907 at the Carltheatre in Vienna. It was a great success and was staged, adapted in several languages, in several cities around the world. For example:
It was presented at the Király Színház in Budapest, under the title "Varázskeringő", on November 26, 1907.
It premiered in the USA at the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia, on January 6, 1908, and on the 27th of the same month it was presented at the Broadway Theater in New York, completing 111 performances (see here), under the title "A Waltz Dream".
About two months later, on March 7, 1908, it was staged, under the same title, at the Hicks Theater in London (see here).
In France, it was presented under the title "Rêve de valse" on March 3, 1910, at the Théâtre Apollo in Paris.
The operetta was the basis for three motion pictures, two European and one American:
- On December 4, 1918, the Hungarian film "Varázskeringő" begins its screenings
- About seven years later, on December 18, 1925, the German film "Ein Walzertraum", premieres in Berlin movie theaters
- In May 1931, the American film "The Smiling Lieutenant", directed by the German Ernst Lubitsch, would premiere in New York.
The duet "Piccolo! Piccolo!", either in song or in orchestral form, has been recorded several times in historical discography (for performances in Europe see here). For example:
- "Piccolo! Piccolo! tsin, tsin, tsin!", Mizzi Jezel - Richard Waldemar, Carltheatre in Vienna, March 1907 (Odeon Vx 2351 - X 63001 & X 51693). The 1908 tonbild (early synchronized sound film) "Ein Walzertraum: Piccolo", by the German company Deutsche Bioscope GmbH (Berlin), with Dora Kepplinger (?) and Richard Waldemar, was based on this recording.
- "Piccolo - Duett aus Walzertraum", Vally Paak - Richard Waldemar, Vienna, June 1907 (Gramophone 10901u - 2-44208)
- "Piccolo, piccolo, tsin, tsin, tsin", Favorite-Orchester, Berlin, 1907 (Favorite 147-t - 1-13137)
- "Piccolo", Elise Stevenson - Frank C. Stanley, probably Camden, New Jersey, February 11, 1908 (Victor B-5067 -5390 & 16066)
- "A Waltz Dream: Piccolo, piccolo", Charles Capper (whistling), London, 1908 (Gramophone 7848e - 9382)
The operetta, under the title "Oneirodes vals", was presented in Greece during the summer season of 1909 by Giannis Papaioannou’s troupe Elliniki Opereta (Hellenic Operetta) at the Neon Theatro [Neon Theater]. For other Greek performances see here.
In the same period, in the summer of 1909, the Viennese operetta was performed in Athens by two more troupes: one that presented the work at the Arniotis Theater in Italian, and a third version by a Viennese troupe that was staged on June 13-26, 1909 in Faliro (Mamalis, 2019: 68).
The Greek musical score with excerpts from the operetta, among them the duet of the present recording (see here and here on page 14), was published in 1907, in Athens, by Michail Gaitanos.
In Greek historical discography, an adaptation of the duet, under the title "Kai pefteis kai sikonesai", was recorded in New York, in October 1923, by Goulielmos Mozaras (or Mozaris).
The sound engineer Arthur Clarke was responsible for the recording, which was re-issued by Victor (63526) in America.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
