Κορόιδο Μουσολίνι

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. 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. One such case is the song "Koroido Mousolini".

It is an adaptation of the Italian song "Reginella Campagnola" composed by Eldo Di Lazzaro and lyrics by Eldo Di Lazzaro and Cherubini Bruno, with Greek lyrics by Giorgos Oikonomidis which refer to the Greco-Italian war of 1940–1941.

The song was first recorded in December 1940, in Athens, by Nikos Gounaris under the title "Sti Romi" (HMV OGA 1131 – AO 2684 and Orthophonic S-564-A and RCA Victor 26-8167-A).

However, the entry of the popular tune in Greek historical discography took place a little bit earlier with the recording of the song under the title "Mikri choriatopoula" (Columbia CG 2060 – DG 6541) by Fotis Polymeris and lyrics by Pοl Menestrel in 1940, in Athens. It was also recorded by Alkis Pagonis under the same title (Athens, 1940, Odeon GO 3564 - GA 7291). According to the data collected so far, it was also covered and recorded three more times:

- "Manavissa kai gaidouraki" (cover by: Spyros Peristeris – lyrics by: Minos Matsas), Markos Vamvakaris – Stratos Pagioumtzis, Athens 1940 (Odeon Go 3592 – GA 7320 – A 247213b)
 - "To gaidouraki" (cover by: Dimitris Semsis [Salonikios] – lyrics by: Paul Menestrel), Stratos Pagioumtzis, Athens, December 1940 (HMV OGA 1124 – AO 2683)
- "Manavaki" (cover by: Dimosthenis Zattas), Ioannis Degaitas – Angeliki Karagianni, USA, 194? (Liberty 25A)

The Italian song was a global hit, being recorded and covered countless times in many countries’ historical discography in different formats and in different regions and languages (Czech, French, German, English, Spanish, Norwegian, Cantonese, Hungarian, Polish, Danish, etc.).

The musical score of the song was published by EMI in Milan around 1939.

It was recorded for the first time by Aldo Masseglia con Quartetto Vocale Cetra e Orchestrina dei Gai Campagnoli in Italy in 1938 (Parlophon 153952 – G.P. 92716).

For the history and the covers of the song see here, here, here and here.

Research and text by: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis