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”.

It should be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks. Finally we have time and time again stumbled upon songs whose creators were born in a different place, worked in another, and, in the end, met in a third location and created a new work, often inspired by something pre-existing. Undoubtedly, cases of this type demonstrate the complexity regarding the issues of ownership of works, but also the problem of applying national signs to musical creations.

The inextricable relation between music and performing arts is more than vital. The cinema (as well as the theater too) traffics music on its own terms and plays a key role in diffusing it to places that are often far away. It also builds a special network that communicates with discography. Some of the songs written for the cinema are often the tip of the spear as regards the popularity of the films. One such case is the song "Tragoudakia me spaniolikes kithares" (Little songs with Spanish guitars).

This recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the German song "Sag, was sagt der Don zur Donna in Sevilla?", set to music by Robert Stolz (Graz, Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Austria, August 25, 1880 - Berlin, June 27, 1975) and lyrics by Robert Gilbert (Berlin, September 29, 1899 - Minusio, Switzerland, March 20, 1978).

The song was written for the German film "Ein Lied, ein Kuß, ein Mädel" (A song, a kiss, a girl), which began its screenings in German cinemas in April 14, 1932. Gerti Klemm (see here) and Tibor Halmay (see here) sang it in the film.

The German musical score, with four songs from the film's soundtrack, among them the song of the present recording, was published in Berlin, in 1932, by the "Alrobi Musikverlag" publishing house.

The song was recorded several times in German discography (for example):

- Mark Weber & Orchester, Berlin, April 11, 1932 (Electrola E-OD 872/1 - EG2528)
- Dajos Bela Orchestra - Luigi Bernauer "Fred Lustig", Berlin, March 1, 1932 (Odeon Be 9829 - O11640b)

Moreover, it can be found in Hungarian discography too:

"Szolj mit szól a spanyol donnahoz a donja", The Lyric Band - Vajda Karoly, Prague, 1932 (Esta 1013 - Ε 673).

But also in French discography, where the film was screened under the title "C'est un amour qui passe":

- "Rumba d'Espagne", Nelly Aska & l'Orchestre Georges Aubanel, Paris, 1932 (Polydor 522400)
- "Rumba d'Espagne", Paul Monti et son orchestre, probably in the United Kingdom, 1933 (Solex S 2741 - B. 85)

The song falls into the trend of exoticism. In exotic representations, Spain is described as a permanent spring and blooming landscape, often nocturnal, in which cities that are symbols of "Spanishness", such as Granada, Valencia and Seville, are usually placed. The popularity of Gioacchino Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville probably played a role in its extensive use in exotic performances.

The Spanish are represented as a pre-modern and semi-exotic people motivated by honor, and an archaic way of life, different from the materialism and progress of the Western world. Their life is characterized by an unconventional freedom dominated by passion and nostalgia. The musical instruments in Spain, mostly guitars and castanets, are not played to accompany a feast, as is the case in the East, but to express amorous passion.

More specifically, in this song, a female dancer from Seville is described as having coral lips and a sweet look that is full of deceit. The Spanish atmosphere is enhanced by Spanish guitars and castanets.

The Greek score, with lyrics by Pol Menestrel (Giannis Chidiroglou), was published in Athens, in 1932, by the "Stafanos Gaitanos" publishing house.

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