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”.

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 as far as the relations between the Greek-speaking and the rest of the world. Not to mention that 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 developed 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 vibrant 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 comes from the second act of the three-act operetta "Der Zigeunerprimas" (The chief Gypsy), set to music by Emmerich Kálmán and German libretto by Julius Wilhelm and Fritz Grünbaum. It includes the aria "Manchmal fällt die Wahl mir schwer" - "Meine alte Stradivari" (Nr. 9. Stradivari - Lied), arranged with Greek lyrics. In the operetta, the aria is performed by the central character of the story, that is, Pali Rácz, an old Gypsy violinist of Romanian origin (for the plot see here).

The operetta falls within the scope of exoticism, under the ethnocentric lens of which the Gypsies are represented as permanently stateless and homeless. They do not belong where they wander and remain unassimilated by space and time. They exist on the fringes of civilization or on the fringes of society, outside of common experience and refusing to conform to established social norms. They are depicted within the West but not as Westerns, within the modernity but not as modern.

The folk-popular musical idioms of Eastern Europe and especially of Hungary, the so-called "style hongrois", whose main actors are the professional gypsy musicians (Bellman, 1993:14) were, for European exoticism, a nearby and frequently visited exotic place. Gypsy loans involve strong lyricism, alternations of fast and slow parts, dotted rhythmic patterns, syncopations, virtuosic melodic developments for violin, and a more systematic use of the augmented fourth. The so-called "gypsy" scale (which can be considered as a variation of the harmonic Minor with an augmented fourth), is the one that usually offers this exotic feel. It is worth noting here that in the musical traditions, whose theoretical systems draw from that of the scholar Ottoman Court, there is often talk of the nihâvend and nikriz modal entities, which are characterized by the interval of the augmented second (trisemitone).

Although the European "gypsy mania" essentially starts from Eastern Europe, it quickly turns to another very strong tradition, which defines the collective imaginary, that of the Gypsies of Spain. Here, the musical stereotypes are drawn from the very characteristic popular traditions, among which flamenco certainly stands out. The use of modal entities such as the Phrygian, the so-called major Phrygian mode, as well as the so-called “flamenco mode”, is also preferred. More specifically, the instrumentalization of the augmented second and the interval of the minor second, between the tonic and the supertonic, is observed.

In the Greek-speaking discography the vocabulary that describes the Gypsies recalls, first and foremost, the physical characteristics: black eyes and hair, which correspond to a model of wild exotic beauty. The tent, the temporary abode of the wandering nomads, marks the privacy of the amorous refuge within the potential immensity of the caravan’s trajectory. A key stereotype surrounding Gypsy culture is the concept of freedom, which is reflected in the nomadic lifestyle. This freedom gives rise to contradictory feelings, and does not prevent their marginalization. In poetry however, the beautiful gypsy girl remains the ultimate symbol of the dissolution of bonds and inhibitions that only love can cause. Her exotic beauty becomes a metonym for the practice of magic, which captivates the recipient. Gypsy girls can curse, bind with spells and herbs, or break tormenting spells. They can predict the future through card reading, palmistry and astrology. Gypsy men are mainly associated with music; the image of a Gypsy playing the violin is typical.

In this operetta, Kálmán recalls, from the semantic field of exoticism, the widespread stereotype of the Gypsy violinist. In fact, the main character, Pali Rácz, undergoes a transformation when he is invited to play at a reception in Paris which is visited by the king. The description of the scene in the synopsis of the play is quite revealing: "(Pali) no longer looks like an old gypsy, but like a refined man of the world" (Gänzl & Lamb, 1989: 1026), demonstrating the cultural gap between the "lower" exotic world of the Gypsies and the dominant, tasteful Europe of the aristocracy.

The operetta premiered on October 11, 1912 at the Johann Strauss Theatre, in Vienna. The Austrian actor and tenor Alexander Girardi played the lead role of Pali Rácz; about a month later, on November 20, 1912, in Vienna, he made the first recording of the song for Gramophone (Meine alter Stradivari, Gramophone 14699 l - 942350 - 12573).

About two months later, on 24 January 1913, it was staged for the first time in Hungary at the Király Színház, in Budapest under the title "A cigányprímás". On January 13, 1914, the operetta, under the title "Sari", premiered at the Liberty Theater in New York, delivering 151 performances.

In historical discography, it was recorded in various languages and locations, as well as in an instrumental version. For example:
- "Meine alte Stradivari", Feiner Hermann, Berlin, 1912-1913 (Edison 44895)
- "A cigányprimás: Stradivari dal", Asszonyi László, Budapest, January 29, 1913 (Gramophone 14935 l - 2-72311)
- "Sari waltzes", Victor Military Band, Camden, New Jersey, January 9, 1914 (Victor C-14300 - 35364), από το 2' 32''
- "Gems from Sari", Victor Light Opera Company, Camden, New Jersey, February 4, 1914 (Victor C-14411 - 35365), from 2' 55''
- Cygan: Stradiwari Pieśń, József Sendecki, Warsaw, March 10, 1923 (Gramophone 5747 ae - 222382)
- "Der Zigeuner-Primas, Stradivari-Lied", Fritz Imhoff, Vienna, October 1929, (Polydor 1723 BD - B 43000/22677)

The German film of the same title "Der Zigeunerprimas", which opened in German cinemas on March 27, 1929, was also based on the operetta.

The operetta, under the title "O archiatsinganos" (The chief Gypsy), was staged in Greece by the “Enkel-Papaioannou” troupe at the Municipal Theater of Athens in the winter of 1914, translated by Vasilios Vekiarellis and conducted by Theofrastos Sakellaridis (see here and here).

The label of the record reads "Greek National Opera Records Co. Inc". According to Aristomenis Kalyviotis (1988): "In May 1924, the above artists [Michalis Vlachopoulos, Nikos Moraitis, I. Oikonomidis, Artemis Kyparissi] of Greek melodrama went to America for a tour. The head and producer of the troupe was Apost. Kontaratos. Ant. Chatziapostolou mentions that they remained there until March 1925. But, in addition to the appearances they made there, they also made a series of records. The recordings were made for the record label 'AKROPOLIS'. The label of the record also read 'Greek National Opera Records Co. Inc'. G. Kousouris states that this label was founded by expatriates in America in order to exclusively release the recordings of the four artists. We have not ascertained whether this was a fact or a rumor, but it is certain that 'AKROPOLIS' began operating by recording these four artists. However, the label immediately released records with recordings by other Greek artists, such as M. Theletridis, Fofo Vryoni and Marika Papagika. The exact number of recordings that were produced is unknown."

Research and text: George Evangelou, Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis