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”.

One of these fascinating networks concerns French songs, which were appropriated by Greek musicians, among others. The appropriation 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, the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms and in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they heard to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. The French ecumene lends its chansons, which carry a dynamic tradition of songwriting and performance. Paris, Montmartre and the cabarets artistiques influence the music of the world. The atmosphere from the Chat Noir, which had been operating since 1881, also reaches the Greek world. Music venues of this type, the famous “cafés chantants”, appeared in Athens but also in other urban centers of the Greek state. These French songs were exported to 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 also plays a key role in its transformation.

This recording is an adaptation of the French song "Chanson pour Elle" by Eugène Poncin (Paris, January 25, 1860 – February 1, 1940). According to the French musical score of the song, which was published in Paris, in 1907, by the Christiné publishing house, the lyrics belong to Eugène Christien (18.. – October 21, 1909) and Henri Christiné (Geneve, December 27, 1867 – Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, November 25, 1941).

So far, the following recordings have been found in French historical discography:

– Karl Ditan, Paris, 1909 (Odeon A73106).
– Paul Dalbret, Paris, 1910 (Odeon France xP 5018 – X 97618).
– Georges Welldy, Paris, 1910 (Disque Aspir 1173 – 5412 9).

With the data collected so far, the first Greek recordings of the song were made in 1911. Specifically, on September 14, 1911 it was recorded in Constantinople (Istanbul) by Christos or Stamatis Mpogias under the title "I nea Smyrnia" for Favorite (5959-t  – 1-55040). As Aristomenis Kalyviotis (2023: 148) points out, the recording was copied and released on a fake record (Corona Record No 46). In December of the same year, it was recorded, with Greek and French lyrics, in Smyrna by Smyrneiki Estudiantina Vasilakis and Giorgos Savaris  (Vasilakis’ Smyrnaean Estudiantina) (Gramophone 2361y – 14-12032). Title of the recording: "Smyrnia".

The third recording in the series is the present one, which took place in Constantinople, on September 19, 1912, for Gramophone and reissued in the US by Victor on record 65978-A. According to the database that emerged from Alan Kelly's research, "Estudiantina Grecque – Melitzianos Choeur" is written in the performers field. The sound engineer Charles Scheuplein was in charge of the recording.

Moreover, the song was recorded in Chicago, around 1924, by Kyria [Mrs.] Kleoniki under the title "Smyrnia" for Greek Record Company (GRC B-508) and also, under the same title "Smyrnia", in Athens, around 1927, by Giorgos Paschalis (Polydor V 50252).

The Greek musical score was released by the publishing house "Mousiki" (Music) by Mystakidis, Efstathiadis and Makris under the title "I Smyrnia" (The Smyrnaean Girl), by Georgios Fexis’ publishing house under the same title (see here and here), and under the title "Smyrnia" by Dim. K. Rallis and S. Christidis publishings houses in Smyrna and Constantinople respectively.

The song, with other lyrics in the verse, was included in the first stage of the second act of the revue "Xifir Faler", which premiered on June 16, 1916, at the open-air theater of Palaio Faliro (Chatzipantazis - Maraka, 1977, 3: 404-405). This was the most spectacular and costly revue in the history of the modern Greek scene, with texts written by Georgios Pop, Nikolaos Laskaris, Miltiadis Lidorikis, music composed by Stefanos Valtetsiotis, A. Voutsinas, Spyros Kaisaris, costumes and sets designed by Panos Aravantinos, and starring the German Elsa Enkel, Ntora Valvi, G. Dramalis, E. Damaskos, Danai Damaskou and others.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis