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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”.
According to the musical score published by Georgios Fexis Editions under the title "Ellinikos Tetrachoros", which includes excerpts from eight songs—among them the one in this recording—the song is a composition by Nikolaos Kokkinos.
In addition to this recording, three more performances of the song have been identified, although no audio material has been found for them:
– "Koudounakia", Elliniki Estudiantina (Greek Estudiantina), Constantinople (Istanbul), 1905 (Zonophone 396r – X-104508).
– "Ta Koudounakia", Ellinikon Melodrama Dionysiou Lavragka (Dionysios Lavragkas’ Greek Melodrama), Athens, 1907 (Odeon 65058).
– "Ta Koudounakia", Dimitris Krionas, Choir and Mandolinata, Athens, 1922 (His Master's Voice AO 28 / 18-12029).
Of particular interest is the fact that a portion of the present recording appears as a concluding instrumental section in an earlier recording. It is uncluded (from 2′14″ onward) in the song "Choris kardia", recorded in August–September 1906 in Constantinople by Petros Zounarakis and Orchestra (Zonophone 1637r – X-104051).
It is also noteworthy that among the four available performances of the song, this particular instrumental section is found only in the aforementioned one.
It is a composition by Giovanni Ingenito with lyrics by D. Vitalis, as documented by a musical score of the song in Thomas Tamvakos’ archive. The musical score was published by the Christidis publishing house in Constantinople (Istanbul) and by the Fexis publishing house in Athens (see here).
Giovanni Ingenito was born in Palma Campania, a small community outside Naples, and immigrated to America shortly before 1920. In the book Mousourgoi tis Thrakis (Composers of Thrace) (Konstantzos, Tamvakos, Trikoupis, 2014), some information about the composer Giovanni Ingenito is presented. It is mentioned that during "his short stay in Constantinople [Istanbul] (early 20th century) [...], he composed some works published by the Christidis and the Lehner music publishing houses in Constantinople [Istanbul]. Those were the following: "Choris kardia", "Sérenade d' amore" based on D. Vitalis’ poetry and "S’ ekeini" for voice and piano, and also 'Valse Constantinople' for piano or mandolin or violin."
In addition, Athanasios Trikoupis (2015: 31) mentions that Ingenito took over as conductor of the orchestra of the "Neos Filarmonikos Syllogos Zakynthou" ("Zakynthos’ New Philharmonic Association") in 1899.
Historical sources underline the close relations between Italian-speaking and Greek-speaking music. The conversations that developed with specific places, such as the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and Patras, as well as their results, are enough to highlight the strong ties between the two ethno-cultural groups. Furthermore, relationships were forged in places where the two ethnicities lived together, such as, for example, in the case of cosmopolitan Smyrna (Izmir) in the Ottoman Empire, or that of New York, where Italians and Greeks immigrated. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana. The case of Ingenito is an extremely interesting chapter in the relations between Naples and the Greek-speaking world, as, from within the Greek network, we see him taking over posts and composing songs with Greek lyrics based on the aesthetics of the Neapolitan song.
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”.
According to the musical score published by Georgios Fexis Editions under the title "Ellinikos Tetrachoros", which includes excerpts from eight songs—among them the one in this recording—the song is a composition by Nikolaos Kokkinos.
In addition to this recording, three more performances of the song have been identified, although no audio material has been found for them:
– "Koudounakia", Elliniki Estudiantina (Greek Estudiantina), Constantinople (Istanbul), 1905 (Zonophone 396r – X-104508).
– "Ta Koudounakia", Ellinikon Melodrama Dionysiou Lavragka (Dionysios Lavragkas’ Greek Melodrama), Athens, 1907 (Odeon 65058).
– "Ta Koudounakia", Dimitris Krionas, Choir and Mandolinata, Athens, 1922 (His Master's Voice AO 28 / 18-12029).
Of particular interest is the fact that a portion of the present recording appears as a concluding instrumental section in an earlier recording. It is uncluded (from 2′14″ onward) in the song "Choris kardia", recorded in August–September 1906 in Constantinople by Petros Zounarakis and Orchestra (Zonophone 1637r – X-104051).
It is also noteworthy that among the four available performances of the song, this particular instrumental section is found only in the aforementioned one.
It is a composition by Giovanni Ingenito with lyrics by D. Vitalis, as documented by a musical score of the song in Thomas Tamvakos’ archive. The musical score was published by the Christidis publishing house in Constantinople (Istanbul) and by the Fexis publishing house in Athens (see here).
Giovanni Ingenito was born in Palma Campania, a small community outside Naples, and immigrated to America shortly before 1920. In the book Mousourgoi tis Thrakis (Composers of Thrace) (Konstantzos, Tamvakos, Trikoupis, 2014), some information about the composer Giovanni Ingenito is presented. It is mentioned that during "his short stay in Constantinople [Istanbul] (early 20th century) [...], he composed some works published by the Christidis and the Lehner music publishing houses in Constantinople [Istanbul]. Those were the following: "Choris kardia", "Sérenade d' amore" based on D. Vitalis’ poetry and "S’ ekeini" for voice and piano, and also 'Valse Constantinople' for piano or mandolin or violin."
In addition, Athanasios Trikoupis (2015: 31) mentions that Ingenito took over as conductor of the orchestra of the "Neos Filarmonikos Syllogos Zakynthou" ("Zakynthos’ New Philharmonic Association") in 1899.
Historical sources underline the close relations between Italian-speaking and Greek-speaking music. The conversations that developed with specific places, such as the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and Patras, as well as their results, are enough to highlight the strong ties between the two ethno-cultural groups. Furthermore, relationships were forged in places where the two ethnicities lived together, such as, for example, in the case of cosmopolitan Smyrna (Izmir) in the Ottoman Empire, or that of New York, where Italians and Greeks immigrated. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana. The case of Ingenito is an extremely interesting chapter in the relations between Naples and the Greek-speaking world, as, from within the Greek network, we see him taking over posts and composing songs with Greek lyrics based on the aesthetics of the Neapolitan song.
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
