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”.

Historical sources underline the close relations between Italian-speaking and Greek-speaking music. The conversations that developed with specific places, such as the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese and Patras, as well as their results, are enough to highlight the strong ties between the two ethno-cultural groups. Furthermore, relationships were forged in places where the two ethnicities lived together, such as, for example, in the case of cosmopolitan Smyrna (Izmir) in the Ottoman Empire, or that of New York, where Italians and Greeks immigrated. This recording belongs to a corpus of recorded songs in which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Italian-speaking songs. These songs arrived at 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 plays a key role in its transformation. The appropriation of these songs by Greek musicians 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, are the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms but also in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition, based on their own capabilities. It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the network that is finally formed is extremely complex, and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks.

It is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the Italian song "L'Ideale" composed by Francesco Paolo Tosti and lyrics by Carmelo Errico.

The musical score of the song was published by the "G. Ricordi" publishing house in Milan, in 1882. A handwritten musical score by the composer is posted on the Archivio Storico Ricordi Collezione digitale.

The song has been recorded several times in historical discography (for a list of recordings see the database obtained from Alan Kelly’s research and the DAHR). For example, some of the older recordings are the following:

- Alessandro Moreschi, Rome, April 1902 (Gramophone 4374a – 54758)
- Fernando de Lucia, Milan, November 1902 (Gramophone 2861b – 52410)
- Francesco Daddi, Milan, 1904 (Columbia 10172 – 10172)
- Enrico Carouso, New York, December 30, 1906 (Victor C 4162 – 88049)
- "ИДЕАЛЪ", А. М. Давыдовъ (Alexander M. Davydov), Saint Petersburg, 1909 (Gramophone 6717r – 3-22991)

In addition to the Italian discography, it is also recorded in the historical discography of other countries, such as:

- Russia, "ИДЕАЛЪ", А. М. Давыдовъ (Alexander M. Davydov), Saint Petersburg, 1909 (Gramophone 6717r – 3-22991)
- Lithuania, "Идеалъ", А. А. Георгиевскiй (A. A. Georgievsky), Vilna, June 1911 (Gramophone 2336ae - 4-22520)
- Poland, "Mój ideale", Wacław Brzeziński, Warsaw, September 18, 1912 (Gramophone 16596b - 4-22471)
- France, Suzanne Brohly, Paris, May 4, 1922 (Gramophone BS 336-1 - 33936 P438)
- England, Frank Webster, London, July 4, 1924 (Gramophone Yy 4844-1 - X-4-42665 2508)
- Sweden, Jussi Bjoerling, Stockholm, September 5, 1937 (Gramophone 0SB 577-2 - 4379 NF-4220 DA1594 IR409 DA1582)
- Germany, "Ideale (Senhsucht)", Frederick Hippmann mit seinem Künstler-Orchester, Berlin, 1939 (Odeon Be 12445-2 - O-26 333 a)

Also, under the title "My love for you (Ideale)" it was recorded in English by the Austrian tenor Richard Tauber (London, May 1942, Parlophone E 10880-2 - RO 20511).

In the historical discography of Greek interest it was recorded in 1928 in Germany, probably in Berlin, also by Kostas Mylonas in Italian ["Ideale (Senhsucht)"], Parlophon 36670 - B. 12026-II).

The label of the record reads "Melodia" (Melody).

Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis