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Ever since antiquity, music transcription has been the intrinsic way of visual representation of sound, sometimes in detail and sometimes in the form of a guide. Throughout time, the visual capture of music has been the only way to store and preserve it over time, but also the exclusive means of reproducing it. In any case, visual transfer should be considered as an auxiliary tool, since oral dissemination and storage in the memory of artists have been the most timeless techniques for the diffusion of music through time and space. During Europe's so-called "classical" musical period, with its most powerful centers of production, such as today's Austria, Germany, France and Italy, and especially in its path towards Romanticism, music transcription, that is, the musical score, was considered by some composers as the very embodiment of their work.
Understandably, in the modern capitalist world, music transcription, as the primary tool for the substantialization of music, brought under its purview repertoires that were not connected, were not disseminated, and did not function on the basis of their transcription. This offered to the music product sales centers an additional tool to expand their action network: non-scholar musics acquired a convenient way of circulating them, enhancing their popularity, even in places very far from those of their original creation. At the end of the 19th century, however, the phenomenon of sound recording and reproduction rearranged relationships and disrupted the status quo of publishing houses, claiming a share of the market, offering a product that was extremely complete and immediate. The publishing houses tried to react with legal measures, but it became impossible to stop the dynamics of the new phenomenon: the prevalence of commercial discography was now a fact, for most of the 20th century.
As far as non-scholar music is concerned, commercial printed musical scores were publications of the musical texts of songs or instrumental pieces (for the publishing activity in Greece see Lerch-Kalavrytinos, 2003: 4-5). For the needs of musical scores, the songs were arranged mainly (but not only) for piano or for piano and voice, generally without complex performance requirements. Multi-instrumental or technically demanding orchestrations were systematically avoided. The lyrics were printed below the notes of the melodic development of the singing parts and, sometimes, their translations into other languages. For the most part, the musical scores were two or four pages long, and came with a themed front and back cover.
The four-page score in question contains the songs "Chthes to vrady se eida st' oneiro mou" with music and lyrics by Theodoros Papadopoulos and "Tzemile" with music by Theodoros Papadopoulos and lyrics by Tsamas, Minoas Matsas’ pseudonym, in an arrangement by Michalis Sougioul.
The monochrome cover lists the song titles, the composer and the publisher. In addition, "I megali epitychia ton k.k. Visvardi-Seitanidi" (The great success of Messrs. Visvardis-Seitanidis) is written above the title of the song "Chthes to vrady se eida st' oneiro mou" and, below that, "Tragoudaki-tagko" (Song-tango). The title of the song "Tzemile" is accompanied by the description "Tango oriental".
The musical text of the song "Tzemile" is included the third page and on the monochrome back cover in a musical score with a system of three staffs (two for piano and one for voice). The musical text bears the indications "clarino", "coro", "solo", and "Rich. Fretsas" is written on the fourth page.
The song "Tzemile" falls within the scope of exoticism, under the ethnocentric lens of which the Western world came into contact, among others, with othernesses such as the peoples of the East and its musical universe. The meaning of exoticism concerns, on the one hand, the characteristics of that which is outside the sphere of identity and, on the other hand, the attraction exerted by that which has such characteristics. The widespread acceptance of the phenomenon is obvious: the multidimensional linguistic, musical and visual wealth accumulated around and within exoticism created a common stock of knowledge that perpetually feeds the collective and individual imaginary. The locations represented in exoticism, that is, the East, Latin America, Spain, Hawaii, are par excellence imaginary, disconnected from the real world. They are revealed like a theatrical stage, with alternating scenes, where fantasies are dramatized, overwhelm the senses and release intense emotions, offering the "visitor" an ideal experience, outside the limitations of the conventional world (see the digital collection "Exoticism in Greek-speaking repertoires").
In Greek historical discography, the song was recorded in 1938, in Athens, by Alkis Pagonis and the Papadopoulou Vocal Trio accompanied by Theodoros Papadopoulos’ orchestra ("Tzemile", Odeon Go 2603 – GA 1992) and, in the 1950s, in the USA, by Eva Styl accompanied by Michel's orchestra ("Tzemile", Liberty 149-B).
Probably a year later, that is, in 1939, Birsen Alan with the Park Otel Masarik Caz Orkestrasi would record the song "Cemile" (Odeon CO 3540 – LA 27290 and Odeon CO 3540 – P.L. 68) in Istanbul with Turkish lyrics by İhsan Sensoy. It should be mentioned that the other side of the record includes another cover of a Greek song with Turkish lyrics, "Zehra" (Odeon CO 3634 – LA 270322 and Odeon CO 3634 – P.L. 68). It is the song "Zechra" with music by Michalis Sougioul and lyrics by Aimilios Savvidis, which immediately after the start of the Greco-Italian War in 1940 was adapted with new lyrics by Mimis Traiforos under the title "Paidia, tis Ellados paidia" (see here).
Except for Birsen Alan's recording, the song "Cemile" can be found in two more covers in Turkish-speaking historical discography, which were made in 1939 in Istanbul by Seyyan Hanim ("Cemile", Sahibinin Sesi 0TB 1407-1 – AX 2190 and JO 271) and by Columbia Cazi under the direction of Müfit Hasan (Columbia CTZ 6274 – D.C.T 10 and 17575).
On September 16, 2024, the German band Trio Picon and Asal Karimi released the album "Oyfn Veg", which includes a cover of the song entitled "Cemile".
There was no previous management model in the early period of discography (late 19th - early 20th c.). Each company creates their own networks, something that will allow them to take a dynamic lead in the market. New specialties and professions are created and new conditions emerge, or the need to update older facts, with the most serious being intellectual property. The latter, until then, concerned mostly printed commercial musical scores and the publishers’ rights. Over the years, and as the recording market becomes more complex, factories-branches are built on all continents. These offices are taken over by local actors who gradually draw up their own policies: they know their markets better. The ever-evolving recording industry proves to be centripetal: the decisions that are taken follow the policies centrally dictated by the managements of the companies and their subsidiaries. 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 also plays a key role in its transformation. This time, the network is adjusted in a programmatic manner, under new terms and via new paths.
Ever since antiquity, music transcription has been the intrinsic way of visual representation of sound, sometimes in detail and sometimes in the form of a guide. Throughout time, the visual capture of music has been the only way to store and preserve it over time, but also the exclusive means of reproducing it. In any case, visual transfer should be considered as an auxiliary tool, since oral dissemination and storage in the memory of artists have been the most timeless techniques for the diffusion of music through time and space. During Europe's so-called "classical" musical period, with its most powerful centers of production, such as today's Austria, Germany, France and Italy, and especially in its path towards Romanticism, music transcription, that is, the musical score, was considered by some composers as the very embodiment of their work.
Understandably, in the modern capitalist world, music transcription, as the primary tool for the substantialization of music, brought under its purview repertoires that were not connected, were not disseminated, and did not function on the basis of their transcription. This offered to the music product sales centers an additional tool to expand their action network: non-scholar musics acquired a convenient way of circulating them, enhancing their popularity, even in places very far from those of their original creation. At the end of the 19th century, however, the phenomenon of sound recording and reproduction rearranged relationships and disrupted the status quo of publishing houses, claiming a share of the market, offering a product that was extremely complete and immediate. The publishing houses tried to react with legal measures, but it became impossible to stop the dynamics of the new phenomenon: the prevalence of commercial discography was now a fact, for most of the 20th century.
As far as non-scholar music is concerned, commercial printed musical scores were publications of the musical texts of songs or instrumental pieces (for the publishing activity in Greece see Lerch-Kalavrytinos, 2003: 4-5). For the needs of musical scores, the songs were arranged mainly (but not only) for piano or for piano and voice, generally without complex performance requirements. Multi-instrumental or technically demanding orchestrations were systematically avoided. The lyrics were printed below the notes of the melodic development of the singing parts and, sometimes, their translations into other languages. For the most part, the musical scores were two or four pages long, and came with a themed front and back cover.
The four-page score in question contains the songs "Chthes to vrady se eida st' oneiro mou" with music and lyrics by Theodoros Papadopoulos and "Tzemile" with music by Theodoros Papadopoulos and lyrics by Tsamas, Minoas Matsas’ pseudonym, in an arrangement by Michalis Sougioul.
The monochrome cover lists the song titles, the composer and the publisher. In addition, "I megali epitychia ton k.k. Visvardi-Seitanidi" (The great success of Messrs. Visvardis-Seitanidis) is written above the title of the song "Chthes to vrady se eida st' oneiro mou" and, below that, "Tragoudaki-tagko" (Song-tango). The title of the song "Tzemile" is accompanied by the description "Tango oriental".
The musical text of the song "Tzemile" is included the third page and on the monochrome back cover in a musical score with a system of three staffs (two for piano and one for voice). The musical text bears the indications "clarino", "coro", "solo", and "Rich. Fretsas" is written on the fourth page.
The song "Tzemile" falls within the scope of exoticism, under the ethnocentric lens of which the Western world came into contact, among others, with othernesses such as the peoples of the East and its musical universe. The meaning of exoticism concerns, on the one hand, the characteristics of that which is outside the sphere of identity and, on the other hand, the attraction exerted by that which has such characteristics. The widespread acceptance of the phenomenon is obvious: the multidimensional linguistic, musical and visual wealth accumulated around and within exoticism created a common stock of knowledge that perpetually feeds the collective and individual imaginary. The locations represented in exoticism, that is, the East, Latin America, Spain, Hawaii, are par excellence imaginary, disconnected from the real world. They are revealed like a theatrical stage, with alternating scenes, where fantasies are dramatized, overwhelm the senses and release intense emotions, offering the "visitor" an ideal experience, outside the limitations of the conventional world (see the digital collection "Exoticism in Greek-speaking repertoires").
In Greek historical discography, the song was recorded in 1938, in Athens, by Alkis Pagonis and the Papadopoulou Vocal Trio accompanied by Theodoros Papadopoulos’ orchestra ("Tzemile", Odeon Go 2603 – GA 1992) and, in the 1950s, in the USA, by Eva Styl accompanied by Michel's orchestra ("Tzemile", Liberty 149-B).
Probably a year later, that is, in 1939, Birsen Alan with the Park Otel Masarik Caz Orkestrasi would record the song "Cemile" (Odeon CO 3540 – LA 27290 and Odeon CO 3540 – P.L. 68) in Istanbul with Turkish lyrics by İhsan Sensoy. It should be mentioned that the other side of the record includes another cover of a Greek song with Turkish lyrics, "Zehra" (Odeon CO 3634 – LA 270322 and Odeon CO 3634 – P.L. 68). It is the song "Zechra" with music by Michalis Sougioul and lyrics by Aimilios Savvidis, which immediately after the start of the Greco-Italian War in 1940 was adapted with new lyrics by Mimis Traiforos under the title "Paidia, tis Ellados paidia" (see here).
Except for Birsen Alan's recording, the song "Cemile" can be found in two more covers in Turkish-speaking historical discography, which were made in 1939 in Istanbul by Seyyan Hanim ("Cemile", Sahibinin Sesi 0TB 1407-1 – AX 2190 and JO 271) and by Columbia Cazi under the direction of Müfit Hasan (Columbia CTZ 6274 – D.C.T 10 and 17575).
On September 16, 2024, the German band Trio Picon and Asal Karimi released the album "Oyfn Veg", which includes a cover of the song entitled "Cemile".
There was no previous management model in the early period of discography (late 19th - early 20th c.). Each company creates their own networks, something that will allow them to take a dynamic lead in the market. New specialties and professions are created and new conditions emerge, or the need to update older facts, with the most serious being intellectual property. The latter, until then, concerned mostly printed commercial musical scores and the publishers’ rights. Over the years, and as the recording market becomes more complex, factories-branches are built on all continents. These offices are taken over by local actors who gradually draw up their own policies: they know their markets better. The ever-evolving recording industry proves to be centripetal: the decisions that are taken follow the policies centrally dictated by the managements of the companies and their subsidiaries. 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 also plays a key role in its transformation. This time, the network is adjusted in a programmatic manner, under new terms and via new paths.
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