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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”.
Ιn various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks. Finally, we have time and time again stumbled upon songs whose creators were born in a different place, worked in another, and, in the end, met in a third location and created a new work, often inspired by something pre-existing. Undoubtedly, cases of this type demonstrate the complexity regarding the issues of ownership of works, but also the problem of applying national signs to musical creations.
We should point out that the inextricable relation between music and performing arts is more than vital. The theater (and later the cinema as well) traffics music on its own terms and plays a key role in diffusing it to places that are often far away. It also builds a special network that communicates with discography. Some of the songs written for the plays are often the tip of the spear as regards their popularity.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the song "Tralala (Im Liebesfalle)" with music by Arthur Guttmann and lyrics by Julius Freund. According to the Catalogue of Copyright Entries New Series Vol 24 Part 3, Musical Compositions (page 211), the Greek lyrics were written by F. Bakalis and Tetos Dimitriadis, who is also reportedly the composer.
The song was probably first recorded by the comedian Max Rott in Vienna, in 1902, under the title "Tralalala" (Gramophone 2490 B-No – 42769).
The success of the song was exploited in musical theater, further increasing its popularity, as evidenced by various postcards of the time (see for example here, here and here). In particular, it was included in the three-act operetta (vaudeville with song and dance in 5 pictures, see here) "Die Herren von Maxim", set to music by Victor Hollaender and libretto by Julius Freund. The above is derived from the musical score of the song of the operetta published in 1904 by Ed. Bote & G. Bock in Berlin. On the cover, among the titles of ten songs taken from the play, is the title and composer of the song in question (see here the song no. 9). It was also published as a musical score by the same publishing house in 1904 (see here). According to some sources (see here), Leo Fall was also involved in the composition of the music for the operetta, which premiered on October 29, 1904 at the Berliner Metropoltheatre in Berlin.
The song has been recorded several times in various formats, languages and locations in discography and on cylinder. For example:
– “Die Herren von Maxim: Manche Männer”, Fritzi Massary, Berlin, probably in January 1905 (Gramophone Concert Record G&T 2649L – 43646)
– "Tralala", Josephine Kraus, Berlin, 1905 (cylinder Edison Goldguss Walze 15241)
– "Im Liebesfalle", Margarete Wiedecke, Berlin, 1905 (Favorite 1-16047)
– “Herren vom Maxim: Tralalala! (Im Liebesfalle)", Margarete Wiedecke, Berlin, 1905 (Odeon X-34403)
– "Tralalala", with the composer Arthur Guttmann himself on the piano, Vienna, 1906 (Gramophone 9983u – 3-42753)
– "Dzisiaj w świecie moda", Witołd Witołdowski, Lemberg, Poland, 1907 (Gramophone 6167l – X-2-102502, 562025 and Victor 65714-B)
– "Trulala", Władysław Bratkiewicz, Warsaw, 1908 (Gramophone 7138l – X-62702)
– "Tralala – hahaha", Arnošt Grund, Zagreb, 1908 (Gramophone 4354r – 6-12055)
– "Tralala", Kahrlis Brihwneeks, Riga, 1908 (Gramophone 8189l – X-62908)
– On August 9, 1909, in Cologne, Willy Ostermann recorded an arrangement of the song entitled "E Kinddauf - Fäss unger Krahnenbäume" (Gramophone 6766h - X-2-22094, 10903).
Some twenty years after its first performance, the song was given a second life, as it was included in another operetta, "Madame Pompadour", set to music by Leo Fall and libretto by Rudolf Schanzer - Ernst Welisch. The three-act operetta premiered at the Berliner Theater in Berlin on September 9, 1922, with Fritzi Massary, who had appeared as Messalinette in the 1904 operetta "Die Herren vom Maxim" (see here), in the role of Madame Pompadour (see here).
The operetta was a great success and was staged, adapted in several languages, in several cities around the world. On March 2, 1923, it premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, on November 28, 1923, as "Pompadour" at the Fővárosi Operettszínház in Budapest, and on December 20, 1923, at Daly's Theatre in London (see here and here). On January 15, 1924, it was first performed in Italy at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, and on the 11th of November of the same year, for 80 performances, at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York (see here). In Australia (see here), it was staged on May 21, 1927 at His Majesty's Theatre in Brisbane, and on the 4th of June of the same year at the Theatre Royal in Sydney (see here). The French version of the operetta, adapted by Albert Willemetz, Max Eddy and Jean Marietti, premiered at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris on May 17, 1930 (see here).
The song, entitled "Im Liebesfalle" was recorded on January 10, 1928 in Berlin by the leading lady of the operetta Fritzi Massary (Electrola B.K. 2797 - E.W. 35, Victor 4056).
In Greece, the operetta was first performed on January 3, 1925 at the Kotopouli Theater by the Dramalis troupe.
Apart from the present cover, the Greek version of the song was also recorded by the Savaris Trio (Giorgos Savaris, Tzon Miliaris, Lousien Miliaris) in 1928, in Athens or Milan, under the name of Lailios Karakasis (Columbia UK 20206 - 8345).
As Stathis Gauntlett points out (Gauntlett, 2003: 32), this recording was also released by His Master's Voice Australia under number EB54 and is included in the Australian discography catalog issued by the company in 1934.
America, where this recording took place, was a microcosm of the globe: a "successful Babel". Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominated in the field of music. The birth, on the other hand, of discography, built a condition that favored debates and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that made up the population. "National" repertoires live a new, parallel life, largely molded by discography, which attended to and "tuned" the overlapping relationships that had already developed in the "Old World". Repertoires communicated with each other once again; a familiar and already dynamic condition in Europe.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
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”.
Ιn various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks. Finally, we have time and time again stumbled upon songs whose creators were born in a different place, worked in another, and, in the end, met in a third location and created a new work, often inspired by something pre-existing. Undoubtedly, cases of this type demonstrate the complexity regarding the issues of ownership of works, but also the problem of applying national signs to musical creations.
We should point out that the inextricable relation between music and performing arts is more than vital. The theater (and later the cinema as well) traffics music on its own terms and plays a key role in diffusing it to places that are often far away. It also builds a special network that communicates with discography. Some of the songs written for the plays are often the tip of the spear as regards their popularity.
This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the song "Tralala (Im Liebesfalle)" with music by Arthur Guttmann and lyrics by Julius Freund. According to the Catalogue of Copyright Entries New Series Vol 24 Part 3, Musical Compositions (page 211), the Greek lyrics were written by F. Bakalis and Tetos Dimitriadis, who is also reportedly the composer.
The song was probably first recorded by the comedian Max Rott in Vienna, in 1902, under the title "Tralalala" (Gramophone 2490 B-No – 42769).
The success of the song was exploited in musical theater, further increasing its popularity, as evidenced by various postcards of the time (see for example here, here and here). In particular, it was included in the three-act operetta (vaudeville with song and dance in 5 pictures, see here) "Die Herren von Maxim", set to music by Victor Hollaender and libretto by Julius Freund. The above is derived from the musical score of the song of the operetta published in 1904 by Ed. Bote & G. Bock in Berlin. On the cover, among the titles of ten songs taken from the play, is the title and composer of the song in question (see here the song no. 9). It was also published as a musical score by the same publishing house in 1904 (see here). According to some sources (see here), Leo Fall was also involved in the composition of the music for the operetta, which premiered on October 29, 1904 at the Berliner Metropoltheatre in Berlin.
The song has been recorded several times in various formats, languages and locations in discography and on cylinder. For example:
– “Die Herren von Maxim: Manche Männer”, Fritzi Massary, Berlin, probably in January 1905 (Gramophone Concert Record G&T 2649L – 43646)
– "Tralala", Josephine Kraus, Berlin, 1905 (cylinder Edison Goldguss Walze 15241)
– "Im Liebesfalle", Margarete Wiedecke, Berlin, 1905 (Favorite 1-16047)
– “Herren vom Maxim: Tralalala! (Im Liebesfalle)", Margarete Wiedecke, Berlin, 1905 (Odeon X-34403)
– "Tralalala", with the composer Arthur Guttmann himself on the piano, Vienna, 1906 (Gramophone 9983u – 3-42753)
– "Dzisiaj w świecie moda", Witołd Witołdowski, Lemberg, Poland, 1907 (Gramophone 6167l – X-2-102502, 562025 and Victor 65714-B)
– "Trulala", Władysław Bratkiewicz, Warsaw, 1908 (Gramophone 7138l – X-62702)
– "Tralala – hahaha", Arnošt Grund, Zagreb, 1908 (Gramophone 4354r – 6-12055)
– "Tralala", Kahrlis Brihwneeks, Riga, 1908 (Gramophone 8189l – X-62908)
– On August 9, 1909, in Cologne, Willy Ostermann recorded an arrangement of the song entitled "E Kinddauf - Fäss unger Krahnenbäume" (Gramophone 6766h - X-2-22094, 10903).
Some twenty years after its first performance, the song was given a second life, as it was included in another operetta, "Madame Pompadour", set to music by Leo Fall and libretto by Rudolf Schanzer - Ernst Welisch. The three-act operetta premiered at the Berliner Theater in Berlin on September 9, 1922, with Fritzi Massary, who had appeared as Messalinette in the 1904 operetta "Die Herren vom Maxim" (see here), in the role of Madame Pompadour (see here).
The operetta was a great success and was staged, adapted in several languages, in several cities around the world. On March 2, 1923, it premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, on November 28, 1923, as "Pompadour" at the Fővárosi Operettszínház in Budapest, and on December 20, 1923, at Daly's Theatre in London (see here and here). On January 15, 1924, it was first performed in Italy at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, and on the 11th of November of the same year, for 80 performances, at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York (see here). In Australia (see here), it was staged on May 21, 1927 at His Majesty's Theatre in Brisbane, and on the 4th of June of the same year at the Theatre Royal in Sydney (see here). The French version of the operetta, adapted by Albert Willemetz, Max Eddy and Jean Marietti, premiered at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris on May 17, 1930 (see here).
The song, entitled "Im Liebesfalle" was recorded on January 10, 1928 in Berlin by the leading lady of the operetta Fritzi Massary (Electrola B.K. 2797 - E.W. 35, Victor 4056).
In Greece, the operetta was first performed on January 3, 1925 at the Kotopouli Theater by the Dramalis troupe.
Apart from the present cover, the Greek version of the song was also recorded by the Savaris Trio (Giorgos Savaris, Tzon Miliaris, Lousien Miliaris) in 1928, in Athens or Milan, under the name of Lailios Karakasis (Columbia UK 20206 - 8345).
As Stathis Gauntlett points out (Gauntlett, 2003: 32), this recording was also released by His Master's Voice Australia under number EB54 and is included in the Australian discography catalog issued by the company in 1934.
America, where this recording took place, was a microcosm of the globe: a "successful Babel". Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominated in the field of music. The birth, on the other hand, of discography, built a condition that favored debates and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that made up the population. "National" repertoires live a new, parallel life, largely molded by discography, which attended to and "tuned" the overlapping relationships that had already developed in the "Old World". Repertoires communicated with each other once again; a familiar and already dynamic condition in Europe.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
