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”.

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 the network of the theater is a key environment for the circulation of music in Greek-Italian relations as well. The song “Napolitana” falls in this framework.

It is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the song "Fox trot della Scugnizza", also known as "Napoletana" or "Napoletana, come canti tu", from the first act of the Italian operetta in three acts "Scugnizza", set to music by Mario Pasquale Costa (Taranto, Italy, July 24, 1858 – Monte Carlo, Monaco, September 27, 1933) and libretto by Carlo Lombardo (Naples, November 28, 1869 – Milan, December 19, 1959). The operetta premiered at the Teatro Vittorio Alfieri in Turin, on December 16, 1922.

The libretto and the spartito of the operetta as well as the musical score of the song (see here and here) were published in Milan, in 1922, by the "Casa editrice musicale Carlo Lombardo" publishing house.

The following recordings have been so far identified in Italian historical discography:

-"Scugnizza-Fox trot" (instrumental), Banda (Piccola Meraviglia BY80 – P.M. 24)
- "Napolitana come canti tu", Ines Talamo & Coro, Italy, 1927 (Columbia B 1127 – DQ 286 & D5344)
- "Scugnizza: Di dove vien, Foxtrot della Scugnizza", Anna Seleri, Milan, October 21, 1927 (HMV BD 4784 – 7-253163 R5733 GW750)
- "Scugnizza: Foxtrot della Scugnizza", Giuseppina Baldassare-Tedeschi, Milan, January 23, 1928 (Fonotipia Pho6155 – 168122)
- Orchestra Ferucci, Milan, 1928 (Odeon 167376b - O-7667)

The song was published on a musical score in Greece by the "Gaitanos - Konstantinidis - Starr" publishing house under the title "Napolitana" and lyrics by Ζ. Loras. Another song from the operetta, "Salome", was released by the same publishers.

According to press reports of the time, the operetta was presented – probably for the first time in Greece – at the Olympia Theater, on May 21, 1925 by the Italian troupe "Città di Cairo" under the title "I Alaniara" and Gina Conti as Salome. Among the plays presented by the troupe at the Olympia Theater was the Italian operetta "Il Paese dei Campanelli" (under the title "Sto chorio ton koudounion" or "I chora ton koudounion"), on April 21, 1925.

A few months later, on July 30, 1925, the operetta was staged at the Mondial (Panellinion) Theater by a Greek troupe, in which Olympia Kantioti-Ritsiadi, Soso Kandyli, A. Lorandou, Kofiniotis, Oikonomou and others participated. The inscription "Epaichthi dia protin foran apo tin k. Olympia Kantiotou Ritsiardi" ("Played for the first time by Mrs. Olympia Kantioti-Ritsiardi") which is written on label of the record refers to this performance.

Apparently, due to its success, it was presented the following year, in 1926, at the Mondial (Panellinion) Theater, by the Nea Elliniki Opereta (New Greek Operetta), in which the following participated: Ardatoff, Kofiniotis, Laoutari, Olympia Kantioti-Ritsiardi and others.

In the 1930s, it was presented at the Pigalle Theater in Piraeus, by Titika Sofiadou’s troupe.

With the data collected so far, the present recording along with the one of the song "Salome", which was recorded in Athens in 1925 by Giorgos Vidalis – Giorgos Savaris (Odeon Go 129 – GA 1073 – A 154144), are the only recordings of the Italian operetta in Greek historical discography.

Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis