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 should be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks. Moreover, we have time and time again stumbled upon songs whose creators were born in a different place, worked in another, and, in the end, met in a third location and created a new work, often inspired by something pre-existing. Undoubtedly, cases of this type demonstrate the complexity regarding the issues of ownership of works, but also the problem of applying national signs to musical creations.

The inextricable relation between music and performing arts is more than vital. The theater (and later the cinema as well) traffics music on its own terms and plays a key role in diffusing it to places that are often far away. It also builds a special network that communicates with discography. Some of the songs written for the plays are often the tip of the spear as regards their popularity. One such case is the song "Nycht' agapis…"

This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the duet "Faschingsnacht, du Zeit der Liebe" from the tree-act operetta "Die Tanzgräfin" op. 375, set to music by Robert Stolz (Graz, Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Austria, August 25, 1880 - Berlin, June 27, 1975) and libretto by Leopold Jacobson (Czernowitz Austro-Hungarian Empire, June 30, 1873 or 1878 - Theresienstadt Ghetto, February 23, 1943) and Robert Bodanzky (Isidor Bodanskie, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire, March 8, 1879 – Berlin, November 2, 1923). The operetta premiered in Berlin's Wallner Theater, on February 18, 1921.

About three months later, on May 13, 1921, it was staged in Vienna, and, in the same year, it was presented at the Teatr Nowy in Warsaw under the title "Hrabina z Tabarin". In March 1923, the operetta was staged at the Fővárosi Operettszínház (Budapester Operettentheater) in Budapest under the title "A kis grizett". In France, it premiered under the title "La Comtesse du Dancing" at the Théâtre Municipal in Angers, on December 5, 1931.

The musical score of the operetta was published in Berlin, in 1921, by Drei Masken-Verlag.

The song was recorded for the first time in Berlin, in December 1920, by Ilse Asch and Bernhard Bötel (Odeon xBe 2439 - 311583).

In Greece, the operetta premiered in 1922 by G. Dramalis' Athinaiki Opereta (Athenian Operetta).

The Greek musical score under the title "Nychta agapis ein' apopse", with lyrics by G. Dramalis, was published in Athens by Z. Veloudios. Greek musical score of the song, with lyrics written by someone unknown, different from those of this recording, is also included on pages 5 and 6 (incipit: Ela kai rota [Come and ask]) of the 8-page publication "I kontesa tou chorou" (Die Tanzgräfin), which is a collection of arrangements by Grigoris Konstantinidis in parts of the play, such as songs and duets, and was released by the “Gaitanos – Konstantinidis – Starr” publishing house (see here).

According to the data collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.

For the singer of the recording, Misailidis, see here.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis