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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 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”.
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. This recording belongs to a corpus of recorded songs in which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Italian-speaking songs. These songs arrived at the Greek-speaking world either directly or indirectly, through other repertoire networks. 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 plays a key role in its transformation. The appropriation of these songs by Greek musicians is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they have nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, are the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms but also in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the network that is finally formed is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Italian relations.
This song is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the Italian song "Come le rose", set to music by Gaetano Lama and lyrics by the poet Adolfo Genise, and not a creation by Caruzio as erroneously stated on the label of the record.
The musical score of the song was published in Naples in 1918 by the "La Canzonetta" publishing house.
The song has been recorded several times in Italian historical discography. For example:
- Giuseppe Godono, Naples, 1918 (Phonotype 2038 - 2038)
- Raoul Romito, New York, around June 1921 (Columbia 86506 – E7248)
- Pietro Barchi, New York, January 24, 1929 (Victor BVE 48305 - V-12033)
- John Pezzolo (instrumental), USA, 1929 (Columbia 110770 – 14474-F)
- Quartetto Stars, Italy, June 20, 1950 (Cetra 54251 – DC 5145)
The song, in its instrumental form, can also be found in the Brazilian discography:
- "Rosas de abril (Come le rose)", Oscar Gonçalves, Brazil, 1929 (Odeon 10.517 a)
- Orlando Silveira - Rago e Seu Trio, Brazil, June 30, 1949 (Continental 11.046-1 - 16.167-A)
According to the information collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.
The label of the record reads “Romantza” (from the Italian romanzo).
For research purposes, the same recording that was released with a different label has also been uploaded.
Research and text by: 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 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”.
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. This recording belongs to a corpus of recorded songs in which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Italian-speaking songs. These songs arrived at the Greek-speaking world either directly or indirectly, through other repertoire networks. 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 plays a key role in its transformation. The appropriation of these songs by Greek musicians is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they have nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, are the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms but also in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the network that is finally formed is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Italian relations.
This song is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the Italian song "Come le rose", set to music by Gaetano Lama and lyrics by the poet Adolfo Genise, and not a creation by Caruzio as erroneously stated on the label of the record.
The musical score of the song was published in Naples in 1918 by the "La Canzonetta" publishing house.
The song has been recorded several times in Italian historical discography. For example:
- Giuseppe Godono, Naples, 1918 (Phonotype 2038 - 2038)
- Raoul Romito, New York, around June 1921 (Columbia 86506 – E7248)
- Pietro Barchi, New York, January 24, 1929 (Victor BVE 48305 - V-12033)
- John Pezzolo (instrumental), USA, 1929 (Columbia 110770 – 14474-F)
- Quartetto Stars, Italy, June 20, 1950 (Cetra 54251 – DC 5145)
The song, in its instrumental form, can also be found in the Brazilian discography:
- "Rosas de abril (Come le rose)", Oscar Gonçalves, Brazil, 1929 (Odeon 10.517 a)
- Orlando Silveira - Rago e Seu Trio, Brazil, June 30, 1949 (Continental 11.046-1 - 16.167-A)
According to the information collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.
The label of the record reads “Romantza” (from the Italian romanzo).
For research purposes, the same recording that was released with a different label has also been uploaded.
Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
