At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was living in peace and prosperity. The "Belle Époque" was an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that were created and which evolved funneled both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It was within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction was invented. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favored polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also releases in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolved dynamically and anisotropically formed 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 had already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between "national" repertoires. Within these networks, already existing tendencies and aesthetic currents are often created or integrated, especially during the period when the phenomenon of sound recording and reproduction takes on commercial, mass and universal dimensions. A typical example is exoticism, as manifested in its various representations.

It has been found in the European vocabulary since the end of the 16th century, although its widespread prevalence as a trend was associated with the colonial imperialism of the 19th century (Netto, 2015: 13). Since then, the term has incorporated various levels of reading and interpretating anything “Other”. Its meaning 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 of exoticism 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.

Focusing on the modern Greek communities, we find very early established traces of exoticism in poetry and literature, which are quickly transferred to the theater, enriched in terms of their visual and dramatic texture. The explosion of popular forms of spectacle and mass entertainment in the 20th century will radiate their reach. In Greece, among all artistic fields, the most persistent and most obvious presence of exoticism is found in singing. In the era of discography, the advance of exoticism is irresistible and leaves a very strong imprint. However much it seems to be defined by the principle of "locality", exoticism is a global aesthetic constant, a "common" language of the new age strongly marked by modernism and inscribed in a complex and lengthy process of osmosis among "national" musicians, which produces repertoires with "ecumenical" or global characteristics.

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: an eternal feast, pleasures, adventure.

The representation of the East gives the composers the possibility to expand the musical language they use, using new timbres, melodic developments and rhythmic patterns. The main musical features of the representation of the East are rather standardized: the modal entity of Hitzaz, the use of modes such as the Phrygian and Dorian, and the use of vocal melismas and vocalizations. Regarding the instruments, the representation of the exotic is systematically undertaken by the English horn and the oboe and, at the same time, the percussion is reinforced with tambourines, triangles, cymbals, gongs, etc. Regarding the rhythm, rhythmic patterns are chosen that "presage" one of the most important musical characteristics of exoticism: the bolero, called "oriental", which will define exoticism in Greek discography in the post-war period.

At the center of the Eastern stage (which is always represented as Islamic) stands the palace, synonymous with pleasures and opulence, within which every imaginable intemperance is put into practice. Violent and despotic pashas, maharajas and sheikhs enjoy lavishness while indulging in proverbial laziness. The figure that dominates the ethnoscape of the East is certainly the female, an object of desire. Through a series of roles, almost exclusively leading ones, women embody the mysticism, eroticism and sensuality of the imaginary East. The ultimate symbol of lust, a trademark of the East, is none other than the harem (Lewis, 2004: 12-52). The slavery of the female body contributes decisively to the ethnoscape of the East, bringing the narrator face to face with transcendental acts of heroism. In the East, calendar time is polarized, with the atmosphere almost always described as nocturnal. Darkness is a powerful symbol of escalating emotional tension, as it is synonymous with a metaphysical fog.

Since the mid-1920s, exoticism has been not just a small-scale idiosyncrasy, but a dominant aesthetic, structured by the semiotics described above, widely embedded and easily recognizable. However, before its stylistic autonomy in the first quarter of the 20th century, the traces of exoticism are scattered and weak.

The song "Chanoumaki" (Harem girl) is included among these first traces of exoticism in Greek-speaking historical discography. In this song, the liminality between the real experience of the Other and their romantic fantasy is apparent, between the cultural familiarity of the Greek-speaking populations with the world of the Near East and the acceptance of the aesthetic standard of exoticism.

Elements of an exotic representation (harem girl, harem) are combined on an apparently popular tune with an issue that may not have been common in the Ottoman Empire's social life: the taboo of sexual relations between Christians and Muslims. In fact, in this specific cover, the exotic oriental girl takes the floor and addresses the Christian narrator.

Worthy of mention is the variety in the rhythmic background, presented in the various recordings available, but also, in general, in the performative habits on the part of the performers, which undoubtedly indicates their different starting points and their familiarity (or unfamiliarity) with the specific repertoire. Thus, one can notice that the song is sometimes performed with references to the tsifteteli, sometimes to the balos or even to the habanera. The communication hinted at with the musical tune of "Tsakitzis" is also worthy of note.

In addition to the present recording, six other covers of the song have been released:
– "To chanoumaki" by Panagiotis Zormpanis' orchestra  (Zonophone 10704b - X-104612 and GC 4-14629), recorded in September or October 1907 in Athens
– "Chanoumaki" by the Smyrnaiki Estudiantina (Smyrnaean Estudiantina) (Odeon CX-1904 – No-58584), recorded in 1908 in Constantinople (Istanbul)
– "Chanoumaki" by Marika Voulgari (O Apollon 207 – A-207), recorded in 1908 in Athens
– "Chanoumaki" by the Elliniki Estudiantina (Greek Estudiantina) [Gramophone 12340b – 2-14338 and Victor 63515 (repress in the US)], recorded on March 5, 1909 in Constantinople (Istanbul)
– "To chanoumaki" by Petros Zounarakis (Orfeon 607 – 10407), recorded in 1910 or 1911 in Constantinople (Istanbul)
– "To chanoumaki" by Dimitris Arapakis (Pathé 70279 – 80151), recorded in 1930 in Athens

The number of covers undoubtedly reflects the song's popularity.

Research and text: George Evangelou and Nikos Ordoulidis