Ψαλτική στη Ρουμανία / Byzantine Chant in Romania
Μια χώρα με παλαιά παράδοση στην Ψαλτική / A country with an old history in Byzantine
Chant
Macarie Ieromonahul
Containing his transcription of the Kalophonikon Heirmologion into Romanian.
St. Ioannis Koukouzelis'
Anothen Oi Profitai (in Romanian)
transcribed by D. Suceveanu and typed up by Fr. Casian Hanga
score [63Kb, pdf]
Fr Casian notes:
"I was told that there is a little error in text, about a sequence
of three neumes which are repeating and altering the line, but I can't correct it
now because of a technical problem with the B.Kalamos. The score is good enough,
nonetheless. A careful singer might notice the error and avoid it."
Romanian Anastasimatarion (D. Suceveanu,
1943)
(full book, 268 pages)
Anastasimatar.pdf (13 Mb)
(offered by Gabriela Barbu)
Romanian Theory book (N. Severeanu)
(full book, 31 pages)
Gramatica Muzicii Psaltice.pdf
(10 Mb)
(offered by Gabriela Barbu)
None of the above books is copyrighted.
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D. Koubaroulis:
Can someone comment on the quality of transcription
of the chants into Romanian?
Is this considered the classical Romanian Anastasimatarion?
Any more info about the above books?
Thanks to all people who contributed the info below.
G. Barbu:
These books are still used today in our orthodox monasteries, which preserved
the psaltic tradition, without changes. About these 2 particular books:
The Gramatica is the "ABC" - the manual for the psaltes; it was written in 1900,
by a professor of psaltic music (the byzantine music was called in Romania, at these
times, "churchly oriental music"). The professor's name was Nicolae Severeanu; he
was a professor of Vocal Music, chanter and conductor of the Choir of the Buzau
Episcopate (Buzau is a province in the east of Romania). The book was agreed by
The Holy Synod of Romanian Orthodox Church in 1900, for the use of students of the
Church-Music Highscools. Below the first page, it is written: "This is the right/property
of the author".
2.The Anastasimatarion - is entitled "The Anastasimatarion of the Holy Monastery
of Neamt (Niamets)", written in 1943, under thePatriarch Nicodim Munteanu.
It was written by Most Reverend Protosingel FatherVictor Ojog, graduated student
of the Academy of Religious Music in Bucharest. It contains adapted works of Dimitrie
Suceveanu, and works by Victor Ojog. This book was agreed by the Holy Patriarchate,
by the Order 286/ The 21-st of February, 1942.
P. Somalis:
There are several Anastasimataria in Romanian. The most commonly used is the so-called
"Uniform Anastasimatar" which is written in both psaltic and linear notation in
two volumes (Vol.1 Vespers, Vol.2 Matins). Until recently it was the only one readily
available.
G. K. Michalakis:
Without even looking at the scanned texts, Suceveanou is a VERY credible author.
Back then (1800s), Rumania was still a Metropolis, and he was the protopsaltis.
He went ot Constantinople to learn the new system by Gregorios Protopsaltis. I think
he stayed there for 4 or more years. He returned to Rumania where he set out to
transcribe all notation melodies into the new system. There were some "textual "
problems, but they were corrected more for THEOLOGICAL reasons than for musical
adaptation reasons. I've studied quite a few pieces of this man's transcriptions.
Where he can, he uses the CLASSICAL Greek formulae, because the TONIC formular patterns
MATCH quite well. Otherwise, he still uses Classical Forlulae Equivalents where
the tonic sequences don't match. In some cases, he has to come up with NEW formulae
so as to compensate for formulae that are INEXISTENT in Greek, or that would sound
too "heavy" in the Rumanian language. He is the best adapatator in Rumanian I know
of. Later editions are "allaxophotised", just as Zoi has "alloxophotised" Ioannis'
Heirmologion, which is an "alloxophotisation" of Ephesios' version of Petros...
I made reference to Suceveanu's work in my previous postings. Congratulations and
many thanks for those who took the time to put this remarkable work up for everyone's
benefit. Here is a PROTOPSALTIS of GREAT competence who used CONSERVATIVE methods,
always based on OTHER TRADITIONAL psaltis = of Constantinople.... PRETENDING to
go back to "hieroglyphics" is like trying to substitute all these great men's knowledge,
talent AND PRUDENCE.... And today's hieroglyphic PRETENDERS are just like circus
CLOWNS, trying to draw attention by waving and gesturing, when they cannot even
chant one, SINGLE melody STRAIGHT... So, if you're Rumanian, get back to basics
by studying Suceveanu..... and forget the "hieroglyphics"..
P. Somalis:
Suceveanu was indeed a great cantor and composer, along with Anton Pan, Stefanache
Popescu, Ion Popescu-Pasarea and a few others (Severeanu, Varlaam etc.) . I saw
some years ago his Idiomelar and it is very good indeed. The Uniform Anastasimatar
is a 20th century publication and aimed at uniforming psaltic art in Romanian churches.
Its transcriptions are not too bad though they are a bit odd at times. An
interesting feature of that Romanian Anastasimatarion is that the Saturday Vespers
Prokeimenon is chanted not in its standard mode but in the mode of the week. As
an appendix it contains the most common prosomoia.
C. Moisil:
The classical Romanian Anastasimatarion might be considered the one of Macarie Ieromonahul
(Vienna, 1823), a very close adaptation of the Anastasimatarion edited by Petros
Ephesios. It was reedited with minor modifications in 1856, 1875, 1897, and more
recently in 2002, and served as the basis of other Romanian Anastasimataria printed
in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first one of these was Dimitrie Suceveanu's
(1848); it contained chants from Macarie's book together with others adapted into
Romanian by Suceveanu himself (from the new Anastasimataria edited in 1839 and/or
1846 and Mousiki Melissa, 1847), and very few which are his own compositions. Almost
all Romanian Anastasimataria edited after 1850 had as source at least one of the
following Anastasimataria: Macarie's, Suceveanu's and Pann's, the last one being
published in 1847 (Prescurtare din Bazul muzicii bisericesti si din Anastasimatar).
The new composers embellished and/or shortened the chants written by the aforementioned
3 chanters. Suceveanu was more influential in Moldavia, and Pann in Wallachia. The
Anastasimatarion on your site was published by Victor Ojog. It is 95% the one of
Suceveanu, but also includes some chants by Nicolae (Nae) Severeanu (the last stichiron
of the Lauds of the first plagal mode). Some of the stichoi after the Kekragarion
in the same mode owed to Pann. Ojog's book has been reprinted twice after 1990.
There are some uninspired modifications in the new editions (they tried to fit the
1943 melody to a better translation) so the old one is preferable. The new editions
were used in a few chant schools.
Concerning Suceveanu's life, I would like to add something to what Georgie wrote.
Born in 1816, he couldn't have Gregorios Protopsaltis as a teacher. My
opinion is that Gregorios is mistaken by another psaltis with the same name (Gregorios
Vyzantios), which was active in Iasi from about 1816 to 1842, when he died.
don't know about any evidence that Suceveanu traveled to Constantinople; he had
as teachers two Greeks (Gregorios Vyzantios, Gregorios Paraskiadis) and one Romanian
(Nicu Dimcea jr.).
Fr C. Hanga:
The Romanian Anastasiamatarion is not Suceveanu's but Victor Ojog (can see it in
the first page). Actually Dimitrie Suceveanu was a great Romanian protopsalti and
maistor who lived in the 19th century (in Iasi) and, along with Macarie The Hieromonk,
it is one of the founders of Romanian psaltic music (they translated a lot of music
from Greek to Romanian, also they created some new, original chants and also they
have translated some of the work of the Great Maistores from the old system to the
new Hrisanthic one.