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

This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the song "Fox della luna", from the second act of the Italian operetta in three acts "Il Paese dei Campanelli", set to music by Virgilio Ranzato (Venice, May 7, 1882 – Como, April 20, 1937) and libretto by Carlo Lombardo (Naples, November 28, 1869 – Milan, December 19, 1959). The operetta premiered at the Teatro Lirico in Milan on November 23, 1923.

The libretto, the musical score of the song as well as other excerpts from the operetta were published in Milan, probably in 1923, by the "Casa editrice musicale Carlo Lombardo" publishing house.

The song has been recorded several times in Italian historical discography. For example:

- "Fox-trot della Luna", Ines Talamo – E. Badini, Italy, 1925–1926 (Columbia B 1122 – D 5348)
- "Fox trot della luna", Banda Columbia, Italy, 1925–1926 (Columbia B 216 – D 5048)
- "Il fox trot della luna", Nella Regini – Ferrini A. (Pathé 87029 – 12605)
- "Nell'oscurita una coppia va", Anna Seleri (Anna Siva), Dora Theso, Adolfo Valentini (Amilcare Pozzoli), Milan, October 21, 1927 (Gramophone BD 4783 – 7-254210 – R5743)
- "Fox trot della luna", Gilda Mignonette, New York, May 26, 1927 (Brunswick E23332 – 58011)

According to press reports of the time, the operetta was presented – probably for the first time in Greece – at the Olympia Theater, on April 21, 1925 by the Italian troupe "Città di Cairo" under the title "Sto chorio ton koudounion" or "I chora ton koudounion". Among the plays presented by the troupe at the Olympia Theater was the Italian operetta "Scugnizza" under the title "I alaniara" (Skounitsa), on May 1, 1925.

The operetta, under the title "The land of bells", was staged at the Majestic Theater in New York in May 1935 for five performances (May 9–12, 1935), produced by The Permanent Italian Theater.

On January 21, 1954 the film "Il paese dei campanelli", which is based on the operetta, premiered in Italian cinemas.

The song was published on a musical score in Greece by the Gaitanos - Konstantinidis - Starr publishing house under the title "Sto fengari" and lyrics by Aimilios Dragatsis. 

Two more recordings of the song have been found in the Greek historical discography:

- "Sto fengari", Choir, Athens around 1927 (Polydor 4600 ar -V 45145)
- "Sto fengari", Giorgos Kanakis, New York, 1920s (Panhellenion 8086-B)

Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis