This is the song "Ferte mou na pio" from the operetta "Christina" by Theofrastos Sakellaridis, which premiered in 1928 and was performed by the Papaioannou troupe. The central figure of the operetta is the brunette dancer Plou Plou, one of the most famous heroines of Theofrastos Sakellaridis. A heroine named Plou Plou, Countess Plou Plou, also appeared in the operetta of the same composer titled "Kori tis kataigidos", which premiered five years before "Christina", on July 5, 1923 at the Panellinion theater, performed by the Ν. Miliadis troupe.

Ten years after "Kori tis kataigidos" and five years after "Christina", another important composer of musical theater, Nikos Chatziapostolou, wrote an operetta starring the dancer Blou Blou; her name was also the title of the operetta (see here) which was first presented by the Patrikios – Zaza Brillanti – Filippidis troupe in 1933.

The oldest recording we have found was made by Victor, in New York, on August 16, 1928 (CVE 46909 – V 59070). On the label of the record one can read the names of Anna Kriona and Tetos Dimitriadis. Another recording of the song was made by Homocord, probably in Athens, on October 2, 1928 (G 837 – G 4-32060). On the label of the record one can read "Athinaiki Estudiantina" (Athenian Estudiantina) but also "Homocord Orchestra".

A musical score of the song is available electronically on the website of the Lilian Voudouri Music Library of Greece. On the first page, the song seems to have been dedicated "To Ms Nitsa Filosofou". The name of Theofrastos Sakellaridis as that of the composer and lyricist is also written.

A tune used in the song is found in the song "O loustros", which was recorded in January 24, 1929.

In contrast to the majority of the cases where popular musicians played a leading role in these appropriations, in "Ferte mou na pio", it was Theofrastos Sakellaridis who was inspired by a song whose origins are much older and distant (Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya, Armenia – see the description of "O loustros").

It seems that this tune is one of the most popular choices not only in the Greek-speaking urban folk-popular repertoire but also in others, something which highlights the cosmopolitanism and syncretism in which popular musicians lived and acted. Like other tunes, which eventually became what we would now call a “hit”, this one also puts emphasis on the interplay between the various repertoires which were discussants in a large geographical area. Thus arises an exciting network that includes repertoires from Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, which, on the one hand, came from three great empires: the Ottoman, the Austrian and the Russian. On the other hand, repertoires from Italy the Canzone Napoletana, the French chansons, the Spanish world and other sub-networks,were also very active, but also repertoires from two large worlds that were constantly on the move: the gypsy and the Jewish (mainly Yiddish) one. Discography is not only embedded in this context, but plays a key role in its transformation.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis