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”.

One of these fascinating networks concerns the Spanish world, which, through a variety of paths, meets the Greek one. A key chapter in this influence was the unparalleled international success achieved by a Spanish estudiantina in 1878 in Paris. Following its success, the band toured countless locations around the world. According to the sources, on February 28, 1886, the Spanish estudiantina gave a concert in Constantinople (Istanbul) and on April 26 and 29, 1886, in Athens (for the first Greek estudiantina, see Ordoulidis, 2021a: 88–100 and Ordoulidis, 2021b). The Spanish students mainstream the culture of semi-professional music bands, the culture of the banduria, the mandolin, the guitar, the “tuna”, that is, the street serenades, and the habanera. The latter follows a path that starts from the Afro-Cuban repertoires and ends up being appropriated by Greek musicians, finding its place even in the form of the manes (see, for example, the Smyrneiko minore (Smyrnaean minor), Gramophone 12574b). The network of the theater is a key environment for the circulation of music; and the relationship between the two (music-theater) is more than dynamic. The appropriation 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, the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms and in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. In 1894, when the play of the then most popular zarzuela “La Gran Vía” was played for the first time, a new path that led to the appearance of the Athenian revue opened. Spanish songs started being adapted into Greek since then. 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 was not only embedded in this context, but played a key role in its transformation. 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-Spanish relations.

This is a Greek adaptation of the Spanish song Barcarola "Así escuchando de la mar" (also on cylinder), which comes from the second scene of the first act of the zarzuela "Los Sobrinos del Capitán Grant", set to music by Manuel Fernández Caballero and libretto by Miguel Ramos Carrión.

The zarzuela "Los Sobrinos del Capitán Grant", whose libretto is based on Jules Verne's novel "Les Enfants du capitaine Grant" (1867), premiered at the Teatro del Príncipe Alfonso in Madrid, on August 25, 1877. Most likely, the first publication of the musical score, which is in the Biblioteca Nacional de España (Los sobrinos del Capitán Grant. Así escuchando de la mar el melancólico rumor), also comes from the same year.

In Greek historical discography, another recording of the song was found; it was made in New York, probably in April 1918, by Helmis-Vassel Quartette under the title "Ela na fygome ta dyo" (Columbia USA 84245 – E3921).

In the musical score of the Greek adaptation, which was published under the title "Sti varka" by the P. Zanoudakis & Co. publishing house in Alexandria, and which can be found in the Lilian Voudouri Music Library of Greece, the following are written: First of all, on the cover it seems that the music and lyrics come from P. D. Tsampounaris or Tsampounaras ("Poetry and Music by P. D. Tsampounaris"). Inside the musical score, however, one can read on the left side "Poetry by Χ. Χ.". As pointed out by Giorgos Konstantzos, Thomas Tamvakos and Athanasios Trikoupis (2014: 150–151), "Χ. Χ." was the nickname used by the composer Sotirios Grec.

The most fascinating element, however, concerns the reference under the title "Melody from the Italian song". We can see here, in a very clear way, one of the aspects of the super-complex network in which music circulates, in essence throughout the whole of Europe, how hubs are formed and through which route they arrive at key-places, which appropriate and update them, confirming, even on an imaginary level, Konstantinos Doxiadis’ Ecumenopolis (Ecumenical city).

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis