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”.

It is a potpourri which occupies both sides of the record by Odeon. It probably includes excerpts from the music that was written for the play "O agapitikos tis voskopoulas" (The shepherdess’ lover).

The play is one of the most popular plays by Dimitrios Koromilas (1850–1898), which was first staged on December 30, 1891 in Constantinople (Istanbul) (Grigoriou, 2009: 16). The first publication of the play was published in 1900 in Constantinople, by N. G. Kefalidis’ printing house. Based on the data, the play and its great success skyrocketed the popularity of the song "Mia voskopoula agapisa" (I loved a shepherdess). The song was part of the play and is still active even nowadays, mainly in the dimotiko (folk) repertoire. In this recording, at 02.33’, an instrumental version of the tune can be heard.

The song was recorded in historical discography, in Greece, in America, but also in Milan, and later transferred to the cinema, for the first time in 1932. It was included in various repertoires, high-status and popular ones.

– “I voskopoula (The shepherdess)", Dimitrios Karopoulos (Dhimítrios Karópoulos or Demetrio Caropulo), Gramophone 5532R – 12424, Milan, December 1902.
– "O agapitikos tis voskopoulas I & ΙΙ", Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipality of Piraeus, Odeon GX 96 – 65074, Athens, 1907–1908, present recording.
– "To filima", Marios Lymperopoulos, Columbia 38482 – E 1256, New York, December 5, 1912.
– "Agapitikos tis voskopoulas", Charalampos Margelis (clarinet), Odeon GO 2778 – GA 7053, Athens, 1937.
– “Mia voskopoula agapisa", Dimitris Zachos, His Master's Voice 7XGA 893 – 7PG 2892, Athens, Febrouary 7, 1961.

Koromilas was inspired to write his play by a poem by Georgios Zalokostas (1805–1858) entitled "To filima" (The kiss). Zalokostas was born in Syrrako in Tzoumerka. He first published the poem probably in 1851. In any case, in 1853, it was included in issue 23 of the magazine "Efterpi" (p. 547), where under its title the following note can be read: «kata to Italikon» (according to the Italian) (see also Georgiadis, 2016: 160: footnote 11).

Timoleon Ampelas (1850–1929), poet and playwright, one of the founders of the "Parnassos" Literary Society, in an older text of his which seems to have been written after Zalokostas’ death, and which appeared in the pages of the newspaper Miniaia Eikonografimeni Atlantis (Monthly Illustrated Atlantis) of New York (June 1921 issue, p. 24), describes how Zalokostas copied and translated into Greek the poem of the Italian poet Giambattista Felice Zappi (1667–1719), from which "Filima" emerged.

Before the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, similar games were organized, with funding from Evangelos Zappas (1800–1865). These games were not international. In 1875, during the third "Olympia", as they were named, apart from the sports competitions, others were announced, among them music composition competitions with poems given by the committee. One of these poems to be set to music was "Filima", by Zalokostas. Therefore, we can assume with relative certainty that the poem was set to music about 25 years after it had been written and before the writing of Koromilas’ play "O agapitikos tis voskopoulas" in 1890–1891 (for the "Olympia" and the music composition competition, see the Regulation of 1875 here).

However, what happened in the 1875 Olympia regarding the composition competition, but also in general regarding the famous melody of "To filima", is still unclear. As Giorgos Konstantzos informs us (2019: 295–296), "In Le Parnasse magazine of 15.3.1882, p. 9, R. Miles writes that he heard some works by Foscarina [Maria Foskarina Damaskinou] and he can not not comment on their beauty. [...] He also refers to Filima that was awarded at the Athens Olympic Games [...]". As Konstantzos informs us, Foskarina's score was lost.

In their book I elliniki mousiki stous Olympiakous Agones kai tis Olympiades (1858–1896) [Greek Music at the Olympic Games and the Olympiads (1858–1896)] (2004: 111–120) Kaiti Romanou, Maria Barmpaki and Fotis Mousoulidis have included the symphonic score-composition of Zalokostas' poem by Pavlos Carrer. The music has nothing to do with the famous melody.

On February 7, 1893, Odysseas Andreadis published a summary of the play in the magazine Neologou Evdomadiaia Epitheorisis (Neologos Weekly Review), issue 16, p. 315. In the title of the article the following can be read: "Verdis Theater – O Agapitikos tis Voskopoulas, romance in five acts, publisher Dim. Koromilas, music by Seiller".

Kostas Georgiadis (2004: 133: footnote 14), in his text entitled "I Anaviosi ton sygchronon Olympiakon Agonon" (The Revival of the Modern Olympic Games), precisely states: "1875 Olympia, Third Period, Athens 1878, p. 349, XV. The monetary award was won by Andreas Seiller, from Corfu, for his three music symphonies, two of which were military music, and for the various marches he had composed".

Was Andreas Seiller (1828–1903) the composer of the famous melody, who, among other things, won the competition at the 1875 Olympia after all? Was "Filima" one of his compositions that won the competition? If so, how the fact that Louis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray (1840–1910), while including the song in his famous collection, published in 1876, a year after the 1875 Olympia, not only did not mention the name of the composer but in his footnote, at the end of the score, clarified that: "This melody, which has the usual character of a European minor mode, attests to its Italian origin. We heard it being sung in Athens by many people, with variations. We owe the melodic version that we present here to Ms. Z. Baltatzi, who had harmonized it. We reproduce Mrs. Baltatzi’s harmony in our accompaniment"(Ducoudray, 1876: 85–87) can be explained?

The announcement of the play in Athens, in 1892, written in Efimerida (Newspaper), which was owned by Koromilas himself, probably complicates matters more: "Today, the dramatic romance by Mr. D. Koromilas premieres in the theater inside the Orphanidis Garden with the troupe of Mr. Tavoularis. […] The music, consisting of folk songs, was assembled by Mr. Seiller. The drama is preceded by a symphony" (Efimeris, May 30, 1892).

In any case, the tonality of E flat Minor, in which the musical score in Ducoudray’s collection is written, as we saw above, also appears in a commercial musical score of the time. This musical score has a cover entitled "Ellinikoi choroi kai dimodi tragoudia" (Greek dances and folk-like songs) (Konstantinidis music publishing house). The music text of the commercial score is closer to the performance by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipality of Piraeus.

Another commercial musical score, which on the cover is entitled "To Rinaki, I voskopoula, Ellinikoi choroi kai dimodi tragoudia" (Rinaki, The shepherdess, Greek dances and folk-like songs), contains the aforementioned transcriptions, arranged by Rigas Akritas (M. Gaitanos Music Publications). What stands out in this transcription is the third major chord, which is performed in the verse "kai tin agapisa poly" (and I loved her very much), something that we do not find in the previous two, and probably older than this one, recordings.

Once more, Z. Veloudios Publishing House published a transcription of the song, this time in the series "Syllogi ellinikon temachion dia violion i mandolinon – Anef lexeon" (Collection of Greek pieces for violin or mandolin – Without words). This specific musical score consisted of two transcriptions: "Fysa vorgia" and "I voskopoula". Both songs were included on one page. The name of Georgios Lampiris (1833–1889) is written under the title "Fysa vorgia".

Lampiris also appears as a composer in another transcription, which was dedicated, as it can be read on the cover, to Aikaterini Metaxa. This time, in this particular commercial musical score, which is probably the oldest of all, the title that appears is "To filima" (G. Colman’s lithography workshop). "Folk song" is written under the title. However, just below that the following is written: "Poetry by G. Zalokostas – Music by G. Lampiris". While it is a different melody, one can easily understand the very close affinity with Voskopoula’s well-known melody.

Finally, as far as the aspirant composers are concerned, it is worth mentioning the case of the first cinematic adaptation of the play, which took place in 1932. In the opening titles one can read: "Music by – D. Lavragkas". What is Lavragkas’ role (1860–1941) in the film, in terms of music?

The play, along with the famous song, became very popular among the Jewish population. When the play was performed in 1895 in Smyrna by the "Menandros" troupe, the song was immediately translated into Ladino and was entitled "Una pastora yo ami". On March 12, 1903, students of the Alliance Israellitte Universelle performed the play "La chobana", that is, "The Shepherdess" (see also Nar 1997: 175–189). On March 10, 1906, the Jewish charity "Ozer Dalim" staged a play at the Sporting Theater under the title "El amante de la pastora". Christos Solomonidis (1954: 158) informs us that the Greek play was translated into Ladino by the "Smyrnaean Greek-educated Jew Kasser".

So far, the oldest recording of "Una pastora yo ami" that we have found comes from Gloria Levy's album "Sephardic Folk Songs", which was released in 1959 by Folkways Records (FW 8737). Levy was born in New York and her real name was Gloria DeVidas Kirchheimer. Her father, however, came from Smyrna, and her mother came from Alexandria, Egypt. In this recording, the song is entitled "La Pastora".

In 1940–1941, the German-Jewish composer Berthold Goldschmidt (Hamburg, January 18, 1903 – London, October 17, 1996) completed the "Greek Suite" for orchestra. The eight-movement suite consists of arrangements of an equal number of Greek popular melodies, which probably come from the publication "Trente Melodies Populaires de Grece et d' Orient" by Louis Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray. Among them is the melody of the song "Voskopoula" on which the fifth movement "Alegretto Grazioso" is based.

In 1965, the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre (, Sagunto, November 22, 1901 – Madrid, July 6, 1999) completed his work "Cuatro canciones sefardíes" for piano and voice, which seems to have been released in 1968. One of these four Sephardic songs is "Una pastora yo ami".

In 1983, the Dutch composer Henk van Lijnschooten (The Hague, March 27, 1928 – Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, November 1, 2006) wrote the work "Suite on Greek love songs" for wind orchestra. The second of the four movements of the work, that is, Andante espressivo, is based on the melody of "Voskopoula".

Finally, we should note the cover of "The shepherdess (Boskopoula)" by the Welshman Donald Swann, who became more widely known for his participation in the British comedy duo Flanders and Swann. The song was recorded by tenor Jeffrey Cresswell in London on February 22–23, 1996, with orchestration and conducting by John Jansson. It is included  in the CD "The Isles of Greece" (The Divine Art 2-5010), a collection of music and songs composed and collected over a period of fifty years, from the time Swann lived in Greece as a member of the Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU), between 1944-46, until his last visit at the end of August 1992. The fruits of this long-standing relationship with Greece are his arrangements of Greek songs (see, for example here, here and here), his original compositions to the verses of Greek poets, such as Kostis Palamas (see here) and Ioannis Gryparis (see here), and the cycle of eight songs entitled "The Casos sonetts" to his own verses (see here and here).

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis