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”.

We stumble upon wandering musical tunes in various places in Europe, Africa, Asia and America, where local musicians appropriate and reconstruct them. In addition to these, the mutual influences concern the performance practices, the instrumentation, the rhythm, the harmonization, the vocal placement and, in general, the habits that each musician carries in him/her. Repertoires are deterritorialized and mixed with others, which take on supralocal characteristics. Musicians are often on the move within multicultural empires, serving and appropriating diverse repertoires, coming from and/or implemented by heterogeneous ethno-cultural groups. This “convergence” of geographical coordinates is often accompanied by another one, the “convergence” of internal cultural “coordinates”. These are the fields of scholar and popular music, which have traditionally been treated not only as independent, but also as segmented. The popular and the scholar enter into a creative dialogue in a variety of ways, introducing in-between “places” depending on historical conditions.

This is one of the most interesting cases that concern tunes which have been appropriated by various ethnocultural groups in a wide geographical area. For anyone wanting to examine in depth this “wandering” melody case, definitely watch, on the one hand, Adela Peeva’s documentary "Whose is this song?" (2003), and study, on the other hand, Donna Buchanan's very detailed article (2007). Peeva shows us in a unique way the dynamic and often extreme behaviors that result from well-established nationalisms. She chose to penetrate into today’s societies in different parts of the Balkans so as to witness the function of each musical tune’s version. Buchanan, using a range of mostly written sources in her multi-page article, analyzes both the history of appropriation and the ways in which it is performed, the diverse aesthetic contexts and the performance practices of musicians. Unlike Peeva, who, by starting from Istanbul, refers to the versions she encounters in specific regions of the countries she visits (Turkey, Greece, Albania, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria), Buchanan refers in detail to two other large musical worlds: the Jewish and the Arabic one, with separate references to the versions that are found in America by immigrant musicians. Undoubtedly, a thorough research in historical discography will add another distinct aspect of reality to the research that has been done so far, as, in the case of discography, we will be able to understand, by listening to the sound itself, the implementations of the musicians.

The oldest recording of this song seems to have been made in Metropol Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan on February 8, 1902. According to the database that emerged from Alan Kelly's research, the following information was found:

“Uskudar”, Gramophone 589x – 24071, OVANES, MUNAK (penie s akkompanimentom sazandar) [Cat: MAMED and KHALIL] [2] (Persian Tartar)

Regarding the Greek version, we should initially mention the songs collection published by Arnoldus Passow in Leipzig, in 1860. In this publication, titled «Τραγούδια ρωμαίικα, Popularia Carmina Graeciae Recentioris», in page 413, the song numbered 534 (which seems that was found by Passow in Athens) contains two couplets which we find in modern versions of the song.

In terms of discography, the song has many parallel “lives” which are often entangled and are of special interest. We come across three types of variations: as regards lyrics and as regards melody. First of all, it should be noted that it was recorded under five different titles:

- Apo tas Athinas: Constantinople (Istanbul) 1905 / Constantinople 1906 / Constantinople 1906
- Apo xeno kosmo: New York 1917
- Apo xeno topo: America 1920 / Athens 1922 / Athens 1939
- Echasa mantili: Athens 1926 / Athens 1927 / New York 1928 / Athens 1934
- O Vangelis: New York 1928

The oldest Greek recording that has been found so far was made in Constantinople in the second half of 1905, and was released under the Gramophone or Zonophone label (in 1903, the Zonophone label was purchased by Gramophone). The record was re-issued in America by Victor.

Until 1922, the song was sung with the lyrics “Apo tas Athinas”, “Apo xeno kosmo” and “Apo xeno topo”. In all of these cases, a melody-harmony based on the à la greca Hitzaz-Hitzaskiar modal environment is used. This version has nothing to do with the ecumenical tune mentioned at the beginning, that is, the Uskudar.

From 1926 onwards, it is found under the title “Echasa mantili”, recorded in Athens and New York. From then on, the song used different lyrics and a different melody and harmony. Although it is closer, modally-wise, once again this is not our ecumenical tune.

The version recorded in Athens in 1939, for Parlophone (GO 3164 – B 21993), is of particular interest. In this case, the track seems to be a creation of Giorgos Rovertakis, but it presents a new melody and harmony which is different from the previous two.

Around 1951, in America, Virginia Mangidou, along with a bouzouki ensemble, records the song titled “Eskoutari” (Kalos Diskos 302-Β). This is the closest performance to today’s Greek reality, with a clear reference to the Üsküdar region at the Asiatic Istanbul, which is also the name with which the song is known in the Turkish-speaking repertoire. The lyrics, however, are not these of the “Apo xeno topo”.

Below are examples from historical discography of other repertoires and regions where this specific musical tune can be found:

Bosnian-Herzegovinian repertoire: "Poletjela dva goluba" (from about 11:13 to 11:47), Sirri Effendija Abdagić, Sarajevo, April 1908 (Zonophone 4483r - X-2-102937).

Egyptian repertoire: "Raks Zakieh", El Sayed Eschta, Cairo, January 7, 1909 (Gramophone 11813b - 2-11254 & re-issue by Victor 67526). From about 00:48'' to 02:00'' the tune can be heard.

Serbian repertoire: "Полетела Два Бијела Голуба" [Poletela Dva Bijela Goluba], Рада Стојадиновић (Rado Stojadinović), probably Belgrade, 1910 (Favorite 1-105077). A version that later became more popular is: Русе косе цуро имаш [Ruse kose curo imas].

Jewish repertoire: "Der Terk in America", Naftule Brandwein, New York, March 31, 1924 (Victor B-29761 - 77599B).

Repertoire from Azerbaijan: "Men Bir Güldüm - Üsküdar", Chevket Mamedova [Şövkət Məmmədova], Paris, 1926 (Université de Paris, Archives de la Parole - Pathé 436).

Repertoire from Bangladesh: "শুকনো পাতার নূপুর পায়ে" [Shukno Patar Nupur Paye], Harimati Debi, probably India, 1933 (His Master’s Voice N 7173).

Yugoslavian repertoire: "Poljubi Me Anadolko", Katarina Andonović, probably Zagreb, 1938 (Edison Bell Electron 2430 - Z 2205).

Turkish repertoire: "Üsküdara Giderken (Kâtip)", Safiye Aylâ, Constantinople (Istanbul), after 1946 (Columbia CTZ 6870 – BT 22175).

Japanese repertoire: "ウスクダラ" (Uskudara), 江利 チエミ(Chiemi Eri), Japan, 1954 (King Records 10246 - CL-160).

Lebanese repertoire: "Ya Banat El Eskandiria", Mohammed El Bakkar, New York, 1957 (LP "Port Said", Audio Fidelity AFLP 1833).

South Korean repertoire: "우스쿠다라" [Uska Dara], 조금옥 (趙琴玉 - Jo Keum Ok), South Korean, around the mid-1950s (King-Star Κ 5781).

Bollywood: "Jhoom Jhoom Kar Chali Akeli", Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Hemant Kumar or Hemanta Mukherjee), from the movie "Taj", 1956.

One of the most interesting cases is that of Boney M., who incorporated part of the tune into their 1978 hit song "Rasputin" (Munich, LP "Nightflight to Venus", Hansa 26 026 XOT, 26 026 OT).

Research and text: Nikos Ordoulidis