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”.

Τhe relevant evidence demonstrates the musical exchanges between the Balkan repertoires and elucidate an ecumene where everyone contributed to the great musical “melting-pot”, and where everyone may draw from it, as well as redeposit it, in a new form, with a reformulated text and its meaning, with sometimes clear and sometimes blurred references to its pre-text, until someone else pulls it out again, through the “melting-pot”, so that it becomes clear that there is no end in this recreational and dynamic process where fluidity prevails. One such case is this recording.

It includes a tune which, as it emerges from discography, was popular in the Greek-speaking repertoire:

– “Trata”, Kyriakatis Trio [Giannis Kyriakatis (clarinet), F. Kefalis (lute), N. Zacharis (cimbalom)], New York, September 1924 (Columbia 105175 – 7015-F).
– “I trata”, Sotiris Stasinopoulos, New York, February 28, 1927 (Victor CVE-38121 – 68843).
– “Trata”, Markos Sifnios (cello), Pete Mamakos (clarinet), Kostas Papagkikas (cimbalom), New York, July 1928 (Columbia W205950-2 – 56125-F).
– “I trata”, Kostas Dousas, New York, April 1932 (Columbia W 206588 – 56310-F), this recording.
– “Trata”, Ioannis Boulotas (clarinet), Athens, 1935 (Odeon GO 2216 – GA 1836).
– «Oi tratarides», Giorgos Papasideris and Choir, Athens, June 1939 (His Master's Voice OGA-916-2 – AO 2573 και reissued by RCA-Victor [38-3146-Α] and Orthophonic [S-797-A]).
– “Trata”, Victoria Mitrou, A. Zervas (violin), New York, 1947 (Panhellenic P 133).
– “I trata mas”, Stamatis Chadzidakis' orchestra – Anna and Aimilia Chatzidaki, Athens, December 21, 1949 (Columbia CG 2580-1 – DG 6809), as a composition by Stamatis Chadzidakis.
– “Trata”, V. Androutsopoulos (Psareos) [violin], K. Vourloumis (banjo), Unknown (piano), USA, 1949 (Oliver OL-1010 – 5B).
– “Trata”, Ann Marvis - George Pontikos and his Athenian Ensemble, Cleveland, Ohio, 1950's (Hellenic GP 3).

The recording of “Sirto Horo” (Five Star Records), made in 1949 in the US by the Kime Nanchoff Orchestra, is of particular interest. As mentioned on the website Библиотека "Струмски", the clarinetist Kime Nanchoff (Киме Нанчов, 1902-1993) was born in the village of Kriveni, located in the Resensko Municipality of North Macedonia, and was a prominent Macedonian-Bulgarian musician and MPO (Macedonian Patriotic Organization) activist. For more about Nanchoff, see here.