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.

Starting from the Greek-speaking repertoire,the song was also recorded by Angeliki Karagianni in New York, in October 10, 1928, under the title "Katinaki" (OKeh W 500023 - 82514). According to the Catalog of Copyright Entries, New Series. Part 3: Musical Compositions 1929: Vol 12, no 3., page 307 and the DAHR the lyrics of the song belong to Nikitas Tsopanakis and the arrangement of the music was made by Markos Sifnios.

The tune can also be found in the Turkish repertoire. More specifically, between 1923-1926, the singer of Greek origin Deniz Kızı Eftalya (see here), recorded the song "Mahour: Ben Çiftliğe" in Paris (Pathé 11.553 – 7G.200). Probably during that same decade, Aksaraylı Hafız Yaşar Bey recorded that tune as well under the title "Ben Tchiftligue Indim" (Pathé 11155).

It should be noted that in the Turkish record catalogs other recordings have been found which may be related to the song in question. However, no audio material of them has so far been found. For example:

– “Ben Çiftliğe İndim Gittim”, Hafız Hafız Yaşar [Okur] (Orfeon 10285)
– “Ben Çiftliğe”, Hafız Âşir Efendi (Orfeon 13378)

As for the most recent discography, the tune, under the title "Katinam", sung by a multitude of Turkish artists under the musical direction of Radife Erten, was included in 1970 in the LP "Istanbul'dan sesler" (Aras L.P. 21017). Nurhan Damcıoğlu sang it in 1976 under the title "Katina" (Istanbul, LP "Kantolar", Balet LBA 195), and Huysuz Virjin (Seyfi's Dursunoğlu stage name) as "Katina" (Istanbul, "Huysuz Virjin 1", Grafson LP 7001) in 1979.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis