Part of the content is temporarily available only in Greek
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”.
Austria’s geographical position naturally renders the country the center of European developments, but also an important sort of conduit for the diffusion of tangible and intangible products from all and towards all directions. However, it is not a popular part of the relevant historiographical research regarding the relations between Greece and the rest of the world. Not to mention that, within the musicological field, research is almost completely absent. However, geography often speaks for itself: the Habsburg Empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Compromise of 1867) bordered the Ottoman Empire to the south. Both claimed territories of the later Yugoslavia, and especially those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, on the one hand, accommodated a notable Muslim population, and, on the other hand, communicated directly with the historical region of Macedonia and the Greek-speaking population that lived there. Vienna was a unique melting pot of cultures; the arts, dominated by music, were experiencing an unprecedented boom. A particular theatrical genre, which had already developed from the 13th century in various forms throughout Europe, was at the heart of Viennese creation: it was the Volkstheater (the folk theater), which was part of a long tradition of comical performing arts, with music playing a dominant role. According to the relevant discourse, after 1850 this style is transformed in the Viennese operetta, which had an unprecedented dynamic in terms of production of new works. Soon, discography would enter this network, and together with the already influential reality of the music publishing houses, would contribute to the mass diffusion of the Viennese operetta both in Europe and America. The leading element of these works was, among other things, the waltz, a trademark of the Austrian capital, as well as its main exported cultural product all over the world. The role played by the Strauss family was a catalyst in this development. These trends reached and were adopted and adapted by the Greek-speaking world, which incorporated them into its own conditions. 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. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Austrian relations.
This recording includes arrangements with Greek lyrics of excerpts from two duets from as the same number of operettas by Franz Lehar.
The first, from the beginning of the recording to 00:40'' and from 01:51'' to 02:37'', is the Coralie - Major duet "Liebchen komm", also known as "Wahrlich wie ein Troubadour", from the second act of the three-act operetta "Der Mann mit den drei Frauen" (The Man with Three Wives), set to music by Franz Lehár and German libretto by Julius Bauer, based on Alexandre Bisson's French comedy "Le Contrôleur des wagons-lits" (1898). The operetta premiered on January 21, 1908, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
The second, from 00:41'' to 1:50'' and from 2:38'' to the end of the recording, is the Manoletta - Leandro duet "Tango: Bei Valparaiso in der Schenke" from the second act of the three-act operetta "Die Tangokönigin", set to music by Franz Lehár and German libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. The operetta, which premiered on September 9, 1921 at the Appolo-Theater, in Vienna, was the second revised version of the composer's operetta "Der Göttergatte", with a libretto by Victor Léon and Leo Stein, which premiered on January 20, 1904 at Vienna Calrtheater. It was preceded by the first revision of the operetta entitled "Die ideale Gattin", with a libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald, which premiered on October 11, 1913 at the Theater an der Wien, in Vienna.
This performance by Tetos Dimitriadis is included in the Greek musical score, which was published under the title "Treis agapes - Tango" in Constantinople (Istanbul), by J. D'Andria publications.
The music sheet of the first operetta, "Der Mann mit den drei Frauen", was published in 1907 by Ludwig Doblinger (Bernhard Herzmansky) and the libretto in 1908 by the same publisher.
Parts from the operetta, including the duet, were recorded the same year the operetta was performed by lyric singers who took part in the Vienna and/or Berlin performances (premiered on March 20, 1908 at the New Operetta Theater). For example:
- "Liebchen komm", Mizzi Wirth - Oskar Braun, Berlin, May 1908 (Odeon 50495)
- "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", Louise Kartousch - Karl Streitmann, Vienna, 1908 (Gramophone 12185 u - 2-44330)
- "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", Lotte Klein - Ludwig Herold, Vienna, 1908 (Gramophone 12192 u - X-24307)
- "Liebchen, komm' und öffne dein Stübchen", Mizzi Wirth - Max Steidl, Berlin, 1908 (Gramophone 12582 u - 2-44356). The 1908 tonbild "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", by the German company Alfred Duskes Cinophon Fabrik (Berlin), is based on this recording. The following is mentioned on the website https://www.filmportal.de:
"The credits of the film announce Mizzi Wirth and Oskar Braun as the actors and singers of the New Operetta Theater in Berlin for this sound picture. The two are believed to be performing on camera an act from a performance of the operetta, which premiered on March 20, 1908, under the direction of Julius Spielmann. However, in the recording of the duet, used for the reconstruction of Tonbild, Max Steidl (who was also a member of the New Operetta Theater in Berlin and was probably the supporting cast in this role) and Mizzi Wirth are singing".
On March 31, 1908, the operetta under the title "Hárem feleség" premiered at the Népszínház-Vígopera theater, in Budapest, Hungary.
In the USA, it was staged at the Weber and Fields' Music Hall, in New York, on January 23, 1913, under the title "The man with three wives".
Greek performances of the operetta performed by the Eirini Vasilaki troupe at the Sappho theater, in Mytilene, on April 9, 1921, have been found under the title "Treis agapes", as well as by the Rosalia Nika troupe, in Athens, in 1925, and so on.
Regarding the second operetta, "Die Tangokönigin", the musical score was published in 1921 in Leipzig by L. Doblinger.
The operetta premiered in Budapest under the title "Tango királyné" on July 28, 1923.
Tango, as an instrumental song from the operetta "Die ideale Gattin", was recorded under the title "Die ideale Gattin: Tango" on November 15, 1913, in Berlin, by the Orchester Pedretti vom Residenz Cafe (Gramophone 13301r -3-940555 & 2-10703 3- 940571 13093 13118).
This is the only recording of the Tango found so far (see here a contemporary piano-only performance). The fact that none of Franz Lehár's three operettas, the original "Der Göttergatte" from 1904 and its two revised versions, "Die ideale Gattin" from 1913 and "Die Tangokönigin" from 1921, were unsuccessful and disappeared from the repertoire apparently also affected their presence in discography.
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 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”.
Austria’s geographical position naturally renders the country the center of European developments, but also an important sort of conduit for the diffusion of tangible and intangible products from all and towards all directions. However, it is not a popular part of the relevant historiographical research regarding the relations between Greece and the rest of the world. Not to mention that, within the musicological field, research is almost completely absent. However, geography often speaks for itself: the Habsburg Empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Compromise of 1867) bordered the Ottoman Empire to the south. Both claimed territories of the later Yugoslavia, and especially those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, on the one hand, accommodated a notable Muslim population, and, on the other hand, communicated directly with the historical region of Macedonia and the Greek-speaking population that lived there. Vienna was a unique melting pot of cultures; the arts, dominated by music, were experiencing an unprecedented boom. A particular theatrical genre, which had already developed from the 13th century in various forms throughout Europe, was at the heart of Viennese creation: it was the Volkstheater (the folk theater), which was part of a long tradition of comical performing arts, with music playing a dominant role. According to the relevant discourse, after 1850 this style is transformed in the Viennese operetta, which had an unprecedented dynamic in terms of production of new works. Soon, discography would enter this network, and together with the already influential reality of the music publishing houses, would contribute to the mass diffusion of the Viennese operetta both in Europe and America. The leading element of these works was, among other things, the waltz, a trademark of the Austrian capital, as well as its main exported cultural product all over the world. The role played by the Strauss family was a catalyst in this development. These trends reached and were adopted and adapted by the Greek-speaking world, which incorporated them into its own conditions. 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. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and does not only concern Greek-Austrian relations.
This recording includes arrangements with Greek lyrics of excerpts from two duets from as the same number of operettas by Franz Lehar.
The first, from the beginning of the recording to 00:40'' and from 01:51'' to 02:37'', is the Coralie - Major duet "Liebchen komm", also known as "Wahrlich wie ein Troubadour", from the second act of the three-act operetta "Der Mann mit den drei Frauen" (The Man with Three Wives), set to music by Franz Lehár and German libretto by Julius Bauer, based on Alexandre Bisson's French comedy "Le Contrôleur des wagons-lits" (1898). The operetta premiered on January 21, 1908, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
The second, from 00:41'' to 1:50'' and from 2:38'' to the end of the recording, is the Manoletta - Leandro duet "Tango: Bei Valparaiso in der Schenke" from the second act of the three-act operetta "Die Tangokönigin", set to music by Franz Lehár and German libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. The operetta, which premiered on September 9, 1921 at the Appolo-Theater, in Vienna, was the second revised version of the composer's operetta "Der Göttergatte", with a libretto by Victor Léon and Leo Stein, which premiered on January 20, 1904 at Vienna Calrtheater. It was preceded by the first revision of the operetta entitled "Die ideale Gattin", with a libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald, which premiered on October 11, 1913 at the Theater an der Wien, in Vienna.
This performance by Tetos Dimitriadis is included in the Greek musical score, which was published under the title "Treis agapes - Tango" in Constantinople (Istanbul), by J. D'Andria publications.
The music sheet of the first operetta, "Der Mann mit den drei Frauen", was published in 1907 by Ludwig Doblinger (Bernhard Herzmansky) and the libretto in 1908 by the same publisher.
Parts from the operetta, including the duet, were recorded the same year the operetta was performed by lyric singers who took part in the Vienna and/or Berlin performances (premiered on March 20, 1908 at the New Operetta Theater). For example:
- "Liebchen komm", Mizzi Wirth - Oskar Braun, Berlin, May 1908 (Odeon 50495)
- "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", Louise Kartousch - Karl Streitmann, Vienna, 1908 (Gramophone 12185 u - 2-44330)
- "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", Lotte Klein - Ludwig Herold, Vienna, 1908 (Gramophone 12192 u - X-24307)
- "Liebchen, komm' und öffne dein Stübchen", Mizzi Wirth - Max Steidl, Berlin, 1908 (Gramophone 12582 u - 2-44356). The 1908 tonbild "Liebchen, komm in mein Stübchen", by the German company Alfred Duskes Cinophon Fabrik (Berlin), is based on this recording. The following is mentioned on the website https://www.filmportal.de:
"The credits of the film announce Mizzi Wirth and Oskar Braun as the actors and singers of the New Operetta Theater in Berlin for this sound picture. The two are believed to be performing on camera an act from a performance of the operetta, which premiered on March 20, 1908, under the direction of Julius Spielmann. However, in the recording of the duet, used for the reconstruction of Tonbild, Max Steidl (who was also a member of the New Operetta Theater in Berlin and was probably the supporting cast in this role) and Mizzi Wirth are singing".
On March 31, 1908, the operetta under the title "Hárem feleség" premiered at the Népszínház-Vígopera theater, in Budapest, Hungary.
In the USA, it was staged at the Weber and Fields' Music Hall, in New York, on January 23, 1913, under the title "The man with three wives".
Greek performances of the operetta performed by the Eirini Vasilaki troupe at the Sappho theater, in Mytilene, on April 9, 1921, have been found under the title "Treis agapes", as well as by the Rosalia Nika troupe, in Athens, in 1925, and so on.
Regarding the second operetta, "Die Tangokönigin", the musical score was published in 1921 in Leipzig by L. Doblinger.
The operetta premiered in Budapest under the title "Tango királyné" on July 28, 1923.
Tango, as an instrumental song from the operetta "Die ideale Gattin", was recorded under the title "Die ideale Gattin: Tango" on November 15, 1913, in Berlin, by the Orchester Pedretti vom Residenz Cafe (Gramophone 13301r -3-940555 & 2-10703 3- 940571 13093 13118).
This is the only recording of the Tango found so far (see here a contemporary piano-only performance). The fact that none of Franz Lehár's three operettas, the original "Der Göttergatte" from 1904 and its two revised versions, "Die ideale Gattin" from 1913 and "Die Tangokönigin" from 1921, were unsuccessful and disappeared from the repertoire apparently also affected their presence in discography.
Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
