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”.

This recording (the record label reads "Comic Sketch") for the shadow play "O Karagkiozis dikigoros" was made in January 1927, in New York, by Mike Patrinos (or Makis or Mikes Patrinos) for Columbia USA (W107524-2 - 7036-F & repress by Columbia UK 7704).

Of particular interest is the fact that for the first 25'' of the recording, the character Morfonios sings upon his entrance, imitating Stavrakas' (another character) timbre and utterance, the melody of the song "Tiki tiki tak" with other lyrics.

So far, the following recordings have been found in Greek historical discography:

– “Tiki tak”, Estudiantina Tsanakas, Constantinople (Istanbul), c. 1911 (Orfeon 2023 – 11578).
– “Tiki tak”, Petros Zounarakis, Constantinople, probably during the 1910s (American Record 2977).
– “Tiki tiki tak”, Petros Zounarakis, Constantinople, probably in 1913 (Favorite 30-q – 7-59001).
– “Tiki tiki tak - Rebetiko”, Giagkos Psomatianos (Giannis Kalaitzoglou), Constantinople, probably in 1913, (Favorite 45-q – 7-55014).
– “Tik tak”, Giorgos Kanakis – Menelaos Theletridis, New York, November 1919 (Panhellenion 4680 – 7008-B).

Moreover, in 1967, in Athens, Markos Vamvakaris recorded the song together with Soula Stratou under the title "Tik tak kanei i kardia mou" on a 45 rpm record (RCA Victor 7RCAGR-1987 -48g-2704).

The musical score under the title "Tik, tik, tak kamn’ i kardia mou" was published in Athens by the publishing house E. G. Stavrolemis "Ai mousai", transcribed by Vasilis Sideris.

As revealed by Franco Fabbri (2019: 82), the song is a Greek adaptation of the Neapolitan song "Questa non si tocca?" set to music by Vincenzo Di Chiara (Naples, June 22, 1864 – Bagnoli, Naples, January 12, 1937) and lyrics by Antonio Barbieri (Frasso Telesino, Italy, April 26, 1859 – Naples, September 8, 1931). The musical score of the song is included in the publication "La tavola rotonda: giornale artistico, letterario, musicale settimanale, Piedigrotta 1910" which was published in Naples in 1910 by the Bideri publishing house. According to the above source, the song was presented at the "Tavola Rotonda" contest during the Piedigrotta 1910 festival.

"Piedigrotta" refers to one of the most famous and oldest religious festivals that took place in Naples. During the festival, a music competition took place, which, in the 19th century, turned into a dynamic festival. This festival took the form of a commercial mechanism which played a key role in shaping and promoting Neapolitan song.

Many thanks to the Biblioteca of Conservatorio di Musica “Domenico Cimarosa” di Avellino, Gianpiero De Luca and Mauro Amato for granting us the permission to post the musical score.

So far, only one recording of the Neapolitan song has been found, from May 11, 1916, made in New York, by Amelia Bruno and the King's Orchestra under the direction of Edward T. King (Victor B-17664 - 67929). An excerpt of the first 43″ of the recording has been posted online (see here), in which Teresa De Matienzo is incorrectly referred to as the singer.

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. “Tiki tiki tak” 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.

America, where this recording took place, was a microcosm of the world: a "successful Babel". Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominated in the field of music. The birth, on the other hand, of discography, built a condition that favored debates and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that made up the population. These processes led to the re-imagining, the update and the renewal of old musical trends arriving in the United States and, at the same time, to their re-exportation to the "old worlds", thus setting up a uniquely multi-layered network. "National" repertoires live a new, parallel life, largely molded by discography, which attended to and "tuned" the overlapping relationships that had already developed in the "Old World". Repertoires communicated with each other once again; a familiar and already dynamic condition in Europe. The circulation of music was 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. This time, the network is adjusted in a programmatic manner, under new terms and via new paths.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis