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. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana, from which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Neapolitan-speaking songs. In many cases, the appropriations concern not only Neapolitan-speaking songs but the Italian language as a whole, since, often, the original Neapolitan-speaking songs were translated into Italian, from which the loan arose. 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 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. After all, the mandolins, the guitars, the marches, polyphonic song and the bel canto singing style are characteristics that reveal the influences of the Canzone Napoletana on the Greek-speaking urban popular song. In various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex, and does not only concern Greek-Italian relations. One such case is the song "Balançoire".

This recording is an adaptation with French lyrics of the Neapolitan song "Altalena" or "L'Altalena", which was also a hit in France under the title "Balançoire". Also, according to the publication Le Rideau artistique et littéraire : journal des théâtres Montparnasse (Νο 483, p. 4, 1907), the song is one of three Neapolitan songs performed by Maria Caïra with the Coesar Terrore Orchestra at the Théâtre Montparnasse in Paris in 1907.

Regarding the paternity of the song, the following is noted:

In 1898, a musical score entitled "L'Altalena" in the name of F. Florentio was published in Florence by the Societá Editrice Fiorentina publishing house. In the same year, a musical score (see here and here) entitled "Altalena", which mentions Giovanni Battista Pirani as having covered the song and B. Torena as the lyricist, was published by the Forlivesi & C. publishing house in Florence. This musical score, the only one which could be accessed, includes the song of this recording.

Also, a French musical score of the song, in the name of G. Pirani with lyrics by Maurice Guidon, was published in 1899, in Nice, by P. Decourcelle. In the name of the same composer with lyrics by L. Chojecki a Polish musical score was also published in Warsaw by the B. Rudzki publishing house.

On the label of Odeon’s record No. 36550, which includes the French version of the song under the title "Balançoire", Pirani is listed as the composer; the names "(Selesi / Florentis)" are listed in Odeon’s catalog, in the details of the same recording.

According to the database that emerged from Alan Kelly's research, the DAHR, Yuri Bernikov's archive website and other sources, the song entitled "L'Altalena", which in some cases is accompanied by the designation "canzone popolare" or "canzone italiana", was recorded several times in historical discography in various locations (London, Vienna, Paris, Milan, Trento, Naples, Warsaw, Lima) between the years 1902–1917 by the following people: Florentis, Florentino, Selesi, Senese, Pirani, Pisani. The following are some examples of the recordings, for the most of which no audio material was found:

- "L'Altalena" (Florentis), Signor Fantoni, London, October 1, 1902 (Gramophone 2405b – 52383)
- "L'Altalena", Italienisches Lied (Selesi), K u K Infanterie Regiment Nr 51, Freiherr Von Probst, Vienna, 1906 (Gramophone 2598k – 20161)
- "L'Altalena" (Selesi),  Coppia Corbetta, Milan, 1906 (Gramophone 9519b – X 94035)
- "Balançoire" (Pirani), Altalena, Chanson Napoletaine, Mr Maréchal [Maréchal André], Paris, 1906 (Odeon XP 2378 – No 36550), this record
- "L'Altalena" – Valzer (G. B. Pirani), Lanner, Vienna, November 1908 (Odeon A 92028)
- "Altalena", piosnka włoska Pisani’ego (Altalena, Italian song by Pisani), Редо Йосиф (Józef Stanisław Redo), Warsaw, probably 1909 (Сирена-Рекорд 8494)
- "L'altalena", canzonette populare napoletane (Senese), Signorina Bollini, Naples, c. 1912 (Polyphon 9236 – 14009)
- "L'Altalena", Canzone italiana, Corpo Municipale di Trento, Trento, Austria, June 18, 1913 (Gramophone 15559l – 590014)
- "Altalena", Canzonetta (G. B. Pirani), Orquesta del Zoológico, Lima, September 3, 1917 (Victor G 2329 – 73251)
- "La Sorrento – L'Altalena", Tichy und Schmiedl [Schmidt], Europe, 19; (Drucker "Sokol" Record, 54354 - 2080 a)

So far, two recordings, which are an adaptation of the Neapolitan song, has been identified in Greek historical discography:

- "Garoufalaki", Athinaiki Estoudiantina, Constantinople 1904 (Gramophone 2486h - 14633)
- "Otan vgaineis to proi sto parathyri", Giorgos Chelmis, New York, approximately August 1918 (Columbia USA 84612 - E4124)

The Greek musical score was published in Athens by the G. Fexis publishing house under the title "Sto parathyri" and is accompanied by the initials Χ.X.

According to Giorgos Konstantzos, Thomas Tamvakos, Athanasios Trikoupis (2014: 150–151), X. X. was the nickname used by the composer Sotirios Grec.

Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis