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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. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana. This recording belongs to a corpus of songs from which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Neapolitan-speaking songs. In many cases, the appropriations concern not only Neapolitan-speaking songs but the Italian language as a whole, since, often, the original Neapolitan-speaking songs were translated into Italian, from which the loan arose. 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 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. After all, the mandolins, the guitars, the marches, polyphonic song and the bel canto singing style are characteristics that reveal the influences of the Canzone Napoletana on the Greek-speaking urban popular song. 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 does not only concern Greek-Italian relations.
This recording includes the duet Ninis - Bernando "Nell'ebrezza d'un dolce sospir" ("With the intoxication of a sweet sigh") with Greek lyrics, from the third act of the Italian comic operetta "I granatieri", whose music was composed by the Neapolitan composer Vincenzo Valente and libretto in Italian by Guglielmo Méry and Raffaele Della Campa. It was presented at the Teatro Gerbino in Turin on October 26, 1889.
The spartito of the operetta for voice and piano was published in Milan, in 1892, by the "Edizioni Ricordi" publishing house, and the libretto in Turin, in 1893, by the "Tipografia Carlo Guadagnini" publishing house.
The following recordings from the first decade of the 20th century have been found so far in Italian historical discography:
- Pilade de Paoli – Roberti Giuditta, Milan, September 1902 (Zonophone 10592)
- Tina Scognamiglio – Aristide Rota, Milan, 1905 (Gramophone 7600b – 54275)
- Lison (Elisa Petri) – Fercor (Ferruccio Corradetti), Milan, February 13, 1907 (Fonotipia XPh2458 – 62050)
- Bice Lucchini – Luigi Baldassare, Milan, 1909? (Columbia 10892 – E1174)
According to the Greek musical score published in Athens by the "Deanworth & Kavvadis" publishing house, the song was included in the vaudeville ("vaudeville" according to the musical score, "revue" according to Thodoros Chatzipantazis) "Proton pyr" written by Michail (Mikios) Lamprou. According to the newspaper Asty (no. 1844, Monday, June 19, 1895): "It comprises about twenty songs written by Mr. Asteris Lamprou and set to music by Mr. Spinelis." The play "Proton pyr" was presented for the first time by the Alexiadis - Pantopoulou - Zanos troupe at the Tsocha Theater in Athens, on June 19, 1895.
The translation into Greek of the operetta’s libretto was published in the first decades of the 20th century by the "Fexis" publishing house in the series "Melodramatiki Vivliothiki Fexi", edited by Dionysis Lavragkas and N. Poriotis. A musical score of the song under the number 128 was also published by the Fexis publishing house.
Athanasios Trikoupis (2015: 32–34, 49) mentions that, from the beginning of the 20th century, possibly even earlier, excerpts from the operetta were part of the repertoire of concerts of the New Philharmonic Association of Zakynthos and the Philharmonic School of Kefalonia.
According to the DAHR, the Greek translation of the lyrics was done by Marios Lymperopoulos.
With the data collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the Italian operetta found in Greek historical discography.
Research and text by: 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”.
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. When researching the historical material, it seems that one particular city in the Italian peninsula developed special relations with the large urban centers where Greek-speaking musicians played a leading role: it was Naples, with its famous Canzone Napoletana. This recording belongs to a corpus of songs from which the Greek protagonists borrowed music and/or lyrics from pre-existing Neapolitan-speaking songs. In many cases, the appropriations concern not only Neapolitan-speaking songs but the Italian language as a whole, since, often, the original Neapolitan-speaking songs were translated into Italian, from which the loan arose. 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 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. After all, the mandolins, the guitars, the marches, polyphonic song and the bel canto singing style are characteristics that reveal the influences of the Canzone Napoletana on the Greek-speaking urban popular song. 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 does not only concern Greek-Italian relations.
This recording includes the duet Ninis - Bernando "Nell'ebrezza d'un dolce sospir" ("With the intoxication of a sweet sigh") with Greek lyrics, from the third act of the Italian comic operetta "I granatieri", whose music was composed by the Neapolitan composer Vincenzo Valente and libretto in Italian by Guglielmo Méry and Raffaele Della Campa. It was presented at the Teatro Gerbino in Turin on October 26, 1889.
The spartito of the operetta for voice and piano was published in Milan, in 1892, by the "Edizioni Ricordi" publishing house, and the libretto in Turin, in 1893, by the "Tipografia Carlo Guadagnini" publishing house.
The following recordings from the first decade of the 20th century have been found so far in Italian historical discography:
- Pilade de Paoli – Roberti Giuditta, Milan, September 1902 (Zonophone 10592)
- Tina Scognamiglio – Aristide Rota, Milan, 1905 (Gramophone 7600b – 54275)
- Lison (Elisa Petri) – Fercor (Ferruccio Corradetti), Milan, February 13, 1907 (Fonotipia XPh2458 – 62050)
- Bice Lucchini – Luigi Baldassare, Milan, 1909? (Columbia 10892 – E1174)
According to the Greek musical score published in Athens by the "Deanworth & Kavvadis" publishing house, the song was included in the vaudeville ("vaudeville" according to the musical score, "revue" according to Thodoros Chatzipantazis) "Proton pyr" written by Michail (Mikios) Lamprou. According to the newspaper Asty (no. 1844, Monday, June 19, 1895): "It comprises about twenty songs written by Mr. Asteris Lamprou and set to music by Mr. Spinelis." The play "Proton pyr" was presented for the first time by the Alexiadis - Pantopoulou - Zanos troupe at the Tsocha Theater in Athens, on June 19, 1895.
The translation into Greek of the operetta’s libretto was published in the first decades of the 20th century by the "Fexis" publishing house in the series "Melodramatiki Vivliothiki Fexi", edited by Dionysis Lavragkas and N. Poriotis. A musical score of the song under the number 128 was also published by the Fexis publishing house.
Athanasios Trikoupis (2015: 32–34, 49) mentions that, from the beginning of the 20th century, possibly even earlier, excerpts from the operetta were part of the repertoire of concerts of the New Philharmonic Association of Zakynthos and the Philharmonic School of Kefalonia.
According to the DAHR, the Greek translation of the lyrics was done by Marios Lymperopoulos.
With the data collected so far, this recording is the only recording of the Italian operetta found in Greek historical discography.
Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis
© 2019 KOUNADIS ARCHIVE
