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”.

Naturally, in the large urban centers of the Ottoman Empire around the Mediterranean Sea, the “conversations” of the Greek-speakers with their Turkish-speaking Muslim “co-tenants”, the Catholic Greek-speakers, the Armenians, the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Jews, the Levantine Protestants, and the Europeans and the Americans, were more than intense. Very often, the scope of this network extends to the Balkans, to Eastern and even to a part of Central Europe. Especially regarding relations between Orthodox and Muslims, the relevant evidence demonstrates the musical exchanges between them 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. A case that comes from such repertoires is the song "Pote mavra, pote aspra".

According to the data collected so far, the tune was recorded four times in Greek historical discography, in Athens, New York and New Jersey:

- "Sala, Sala", Giorgos Vidalis, Athens, 1925 (Odeon Gο 77 - GA-1036/A 154062)
- "Sala, Sala", Marika Papagkika, New York, November 17, 1926 (Victor CVE 36935 - 68785-A)
- "Sala – Sala (Ap’ ta glyka sou matia)", Antonis Ntalgkas [Diamantidis], Athens, 1927 (HMV BF-749 - AO 205)
-"Pote mavra, pote aspra", Giorgos (Theologitis) Katsaros, Camden, New Jersey, May 18, 1928 (Victor CVE 45053 - V-58016-B), present recording

The tune can also be found in the Armenian repertoire that was recorded in America. More specifically, in the early 1920s, the Armenian Karekin Proodian (Գարեգին Բրուտեանο) recorded in New York, in his native language, the song "Tzerkis kenaren" (Ձեռքիս քնարն) for M.G. Parsekian (125A – 519 & Pharos 519).

In the Turkish repertoire, the song was recorded in 1950 in Constantinople (Istanbul) by Safiye Ayla under the title "Sallasana Mendilini" (Columbia 22183).

Also, under the title "Salla salla mendilini" it was recorded between 1942-1951 in New York by Louis Matalon (Balkan 4009-B).

It should be noted that in the record catalogs other Turkish recordings have been found which may be related to the song in question. However, no audio material of them has so far been found. For example:

- "Salla Salla/Kanto", Hafız Yaşar [Okur] (Orfeon 13014)
- "Salla Salla", Ibrahim Effendi, New York, February 1924 (Gennett 190Α)

In America where this recording took place “national” repertoires live a new, parallel life. This situation is not static and, to a large extent, is molded by discography, which attends to and “tunes” the overlapping relationships that have already developed in the “Old World”. Repertoires communicate with each other once again; a familiar and already dynamic condition in Europe. 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.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis