years. He taught at the Sixth Patriarchal Music School. He published at his own expense, in collaboration with Stavrakis Grigoriadis and Ioasaph the Russian, the Musical Library , which, after the publication of the first two instalments, foundered because of the death of Stavrakis and the ill health of Dimitrios. Excellent unpublished works by him have been preserved.
Antonios, Lampadarios of the Great Church: He was born in Adrianople and was the nephew of Patriarch Kirilos. He studied with Manouil the Protopsaltis and Georgios the Cretan, whose way of analytical notation he imitated. He had a fine voice, and was knowledgeable in the field of secular music. He died in Russia in 1828. His works were left in the hands of the musician Georgios, priest of Rysio. He composed Cherouvika, Koinonika and metrical Idiomela for the Vespers for the Assumption of the Virgin, and the Octaechos and the Dichoron Doxastiko Sticheron Thearchio nevmati (Sign of God). A manuscript codex of his, with works of various composers, is found in the library of Constantinos Psachos.
Antonis, the Violinist (Kemani Andon) (?-1915): He is known for his very popular composition kürdîli-hicazkâr aksak.
Germanos Aphthonidis69: His name was Georgios, and he was born in 1823 in Cibali of the Phanar district. He studied in the Great School and spoke, in addition to the Hellenic language, also the Vlach and French languages. In 1862, he went to Cairo, where he became a monk, under the name Germanos, in the monastery of Sinai. He had a command of ecclesiastical, European and secular music and was a skilled player of various musical instruments. In 1875, he lost his sight in London, but he endured his terrible suffering with much fortitude, finding solace in poetry and music. He was distinguished for his broad educational and authorial ability. He wrote the history of Sinai and published Ypsilantis’ After the Fall in 1876, a translation from the Moldavian language, On the schism of the Raskolniki, and in 1888 the Ethical Entertainment, poems of a moral and diverting content. He served the interests of the Church as a member and secretary of church committees, but also with a series of articles in Ecclesiastical Truth. He contributed to the construction of the musical instrument "Psaltirion" during the first Patriarchate of Ioachim III. In 1872, he published in the almanac "Constantinople Year" his treatise entitled Essay on Greek sacred music in opposition to European, from the viewpoint of art.
69 Entry by Neoklis Sarris in the Great Encyclopedia of Neohellenic Literature , Haris Patsis Publications.
He collaborated with the famous French musician L. Bourgault-Ducoudray on the possiblility of some accompaniment to the melodic line, which resulted in the so-called "double ison", followed up later by C. Psachos. He also wrote many poems which he set to music, or fitted, following the practice of the time, to pre-existing melodies. He died in Halki n 1895 at the age of 72.
Theodoros Aristoklis: He was born in Halki in the early 19th century, and died in Tatavla in 1880. He was a scholar and musicologist, studied with Hourmouzios Hartofilakas (the Archivist) and taught Byzantine music at the Fifth Patriarchal Music School. He collabor ated in the publication of the Musical Library, and wrote the biography of Patriarch Constantios I of Sinai.
Grigoris Asikis: A songwriter and oud virtuoso, he enjoyed success during the interwar years. He was born in 1890 in Constantinople and from the age of fifteen he started playing the oud, and being singled out for his voice. He finished the Hellenic school, and learned the Turkish language very well. As a job, he worked in the manufacture of brass beds. In 1922 he was in Athens, and settled in Vyronas. He played the oud in a popular tavern on Athena Street called “Asia Minor”, and soon he was accepted by the local musicians. In the decade of the 60s, he recorded traditional rebetika and amanedes for Columbia, Odeon and Parlophone. He died in Athens in 1967.
Athanasios, the Hierarch of Seleucia: He was born in late 18th century in Nicosia, Cyprus and died in 1850 in Constantinople. A profound scholar in theology, the Hellenic language and music. A learned musician with experience in the theory and practice of music, an expert in both the old and new musical system and Arabic-Persian music. He was a pupil of George the Cretan and the Patriarchal School of Music, where the three teachers taught. He interpreted ((in other words, transferred to the new notation) many works by Petros the Peloponnesian. His compositions passed into the hands of his pupil Kyriakos Philoxenis the Ephesiomagnis.
Balasios or Valasios, the Priest:70 Nomofylax (Law Keeper) of the Great Church, he was a preeminent music teacher and a distinguished composer. His works are encountered in various musical books. Using extended or analytical transcription, he explained the musical notation of Damaskinos with great fidelity. Manuscripts of Balasios are in the Holy Sepulchre Dependency in the Phana r and in the Iviron Monastery. Among these we find an Eirmologion, Polyeleos, Doxologies, Cherouvika, Koinonika, Kalophonic Eirmoi and various other pieces.
Alekos Batzanos (Kemençeci Aleko Bacanos): Born in 1888, in Silivria and died in Constantinople in 1950. He was the son of Haralambos Batzanos and brother of the oud player, Georgios Batzanos. His uncle Anastasis and his younger siblings Theodoros and Sotiris were also lyra players. He first played the violin, but soon turned to the kemençe. Playing for many years in the nightclubs of Constantinople, he accompanied many famous singers on stage and in their recordings. He published a periodical, the Nevzâd-ı Mûsikî, with scores of songs. He traveled to Europe and Egypt. He also worked at the Radio Station in Constantinople. Many of his songs are still played.
Giorgos Batzanos (Yorgo Bacanos): Hailing from Silivria on the Sea of Marmara, he was born in Constantinople in 1900 and died in 1977. He was brother of Alekos Batzanos and the son of another musician, the laouto player Haralambos Batzanos. His father, when he was five years old, bought him a small oud, and with him he took his first musical steps. Thereafter, he studied with the Armenian oud players Kirkor and Kainik Garmiryan. At the age of 12 he entered the musical world, participating with his oud in a band at the club "Eptalophos" in Constantinople. Thanks to his special virtuosity, he quickly gained great fame, and he has gone down in history for his fast playing. His reputation passed the limits of Constantinople and spread throughout Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean. In 1928, he made recordings in Berlin and in 1930 he gave performances in Paris, Cairo and elsewhere. He collaborated with all the eminent musicians of his time. He participated in the band of the Municipal Conservatory and the Orchestra Fasil of the Radio Station in Constantinople. He retired in 1967. He composed and recorded many songs on gramophone records, with the voice of the famous Hafie Aila. He also recorded many taximia (improvisations). Among musicians, twenty-one of his works are very well known.
Haralambos Batzanos (Lavtaci Lambo, 1860-1915): A laouto player from Silivria who settled in Constantinople in the early 20th century. He was the first instrument in the nightclub where his family played. He was the father and teacher of the great Gorgios Batzanos and the lyra player and singer Alekos Batzanos.
Athanasios Christopoulos: He was born in Kastoria in 1772. He studied at the High School in Bucharest and later in Buda, where he studied Latin literature, philosophy and medicine and finally at the University of Padua, where he studied law. He was teacher and advisor to various rulers of Wallachia. He studied with various musicians, among them the three teachers of the new method, from whom he learned the tambour (pandourida). He stayed for some time in Constantinople, then went to Hellas, and from there returned to Wallachia. He died in Bucharest, in 1847. He was a supreme scholar, poet and member of the Filiki Etaireia (Society of Friends). His scholarly work includes essays on themes of linguistics, politics, philosophy and the natural sciences, many of which have not been preserved. His famous Lyrics are considered as a milestone in the course of Hellenic literature. Perhaps his continual travels prevented the preservation of the music which, it is conjectured, he had composed for his poems. These ar e, however, found in their dozens in various collections, sometimes without the composer being identified, so probably he is hidden among them.
Chrysanthos of Proussa, from Madytos: He was Metropolitan in Durrahio, Smyrna and Proussa. This great and wise priest came from Madytos. Highly erudite in Hellenic, Latin and French, he had a great facility for studying and collecting material from various libraries. Profoundly knowledgeable in ecclesiastical music, he also knew very well European and Arabic-Persian music. He played the European flute and also the ney very well. He was taught music by Petros Byzantios. Being a priest, Chrysanthos was systematically involved in ecclesiastical music. He was deeply concerned about the teaching of music to the young. He saw that with the existing old system, learning was very difficult. He began to study the issue of music, fitting monosyllabic sounds to the scales, at the same time writing analytically the old Mathimata and also the theoretical part, from the ancients up to his time. However, by many people his work was not liked, so he was denounced to the Patriarchate, which after much pressure, exiled him to his hometown, Madytos. But not even there did he he stop his investigations. He began to teach his countrymen music, applying the variation of monosyllabic sounds pa, vou, gka, dhi, ke, zo, ni, pa.
Chrysanthos’s students, using the new method, learned music within ten months, in contrast to the students of the old method, who needed ten years. Chrysanthos’ exile ended because the Metropolitan Irakleias heard some pupils chanting, was enthusiastic and recalled him to Constantinople, where he taught, along with Grigorios and Hourmouzios (the “three teachers”), at a school founded by the Patriarchate, with brilliant results. The Chrysanthine system, although it was strongly criticized, became in 1814, and still is today, the official musical notation system of our
Church. Chrysanthos issued two books with the details of his system, the Small (mikro) and the Large (megalo) Theoretical (Paris 1821, Trieste 1832). The volume of 1832 is the first book by a Hellene musician, after the 14th century, which gives information about Ancient Hellenic music. Chrysanthos, with the collaboration of other teachers, standardized the scales of notes, the wheel and the diapason system, writing two important works. He composed many Mathimata and he transcribed many into European musical notation.
He also, however, did the reverse, transcribing various courses of European music into Byzantine notation, of which unfortunately nothing survives today. Correspondingly Chrysanthos, who was a student of languages, also referred to western polyphonic music. He had obviously read the Manual of Harmony of Rameau, and other Western essays on the aesthetics and philosophy of music. According to Iannis Plemmenos, Chrysanthos, especially regarding the chapter of the Large Theoretical entitled The disposition of hearers of music , was influenced by the German musician and academic H. C. Koch (1749-1816), but also by two other Germans, the music critic and author F. Rochlitz (1769-1842) and the thinker J. G. Sulzer (1720-1779), who had also been studied by Koch. This great musician died in Proussa, in 1843. His works are the Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Ecclesiastical Music (1821 Paris), Large Theoretical of Music (Trieste 1832), Theoretical and Practical Ecclesiastical Music (Editor Margaritis Drovianitis, 1851, Galata), Foundation of the Theory and Practice of Ecclesiastical Music (Editor Domenikos Minas, 1872, Athens).
Panagiotis Chrysaphis, the New: Protopsaltis of the Great Church. (He is also referred to as Manouil Chrysaphis the New). He was born in Constantinople and flourished around 1660. A distinguished poet, composer and theorist of Byzantine music, he wrote a special manual about the characters, modes and particularly fthores (modulation symbols), as well as an exhaustive treatise (unpublished) entitled Interpretation of fthores. He studied with Georgios Raidestinos the First, and it seems he was close to the Patriarch Nektarios of Jerusalem. He composed many works, Anastasimataria, Sticheraria, Koinonika, Cherouvika, Anoixantaria, Polyelei, Doxologies, slow Pasapnoaria, Kalophonic Heirmoi, Kratimata, etc., as well as a Primer for the Slow Sticherarion for the training of beginners. The main part of his work was transcribed into the New Method by Georgios Hourmouzios Hartofylakas.
Manouil Chrysaphis (Doukas), the Old: He was Lampadarios of Hagia Sophia during the Fall, in 1453. He was a distinguished composer with many works, among which the 78th Psalm O Theos elthosan ethni, which was transcribed into the new notation by Marcos Vasileiou. It was composed in 1458, constituting a profound lament by the outstanding musician for the Fall of the Queen of Cities. This lament was recorded by Ioannis Arvanitis in the CD "Ealo i Polis" (The City has Fallen) of FM Records. He also wrote a theoretical treatise on church music, while his Sticherarion inspired Chrysaphis the New. His student, the monk Gerasimos, was probably the one who together with Georgios (Grigorios) Alyates was invited by the Conqueror to transcribe the songs of the Persian Hanedes in the palace.
Grigorios Constantas (Samos, 1812-1896): A scholarly music teacher of the 19th century, an expert in both the old and the new method. He studied in Constantinople with Hourmouzios Hartofilakas and Theodoros Phokaeas. He also listened to Constantinos the Protopsaltis and Peter Symeon the Agiotaphitis. Highly educated, he held for fifty years important educational and legal positions in Samos, for which he was decorated by the Sultan. In 1875, he was appointed music teacher at the Seminary of Malagario, newly established by the governor Constantinos Fotiadis. In 1884, he was appointed Director and music teacher at the Ecclesiastical Music School founded at Vathi by the governor Constantinos Adosidis. In 1888, on a resolution of the Assembly, four music schools were established in Samos, one in each of the four sections of the hegemony. Constantas took over the management of the School in Mytilene. As a composer he was very prolific, with work ranging from hymns to the Sultan (Turkish texts set to music in various modes ) to Salutation Anthems ( Polyhronismoi – many years!) for kings and rulers. Also, three Doxologies (only the Doxology for Festivals was published, in 1877), a Service of Marriage and Christening and a Memorial Service. His compositions contain many Idiomela Doxastika, Cherouvika (in the eight modes), Koinonika and Axion Esti. Constantas transcribed many works from the old to the new method (such as the famous Kratima Kai Nyn of the Polyeleos by Petros the Peloponnesian in the plagal first mode and semi-slow tempo) and he published various popular songs in instalments (1889) under the title The Musical Siren. He taught many students, such as Georgios Violakis and Basileios Zachariou.
Constantinos Byzantios, the Protopsaltis: Born in 1777, he was a student of Georgios the Cretan and Manouil Byzantios. He chanted in the Church of the Sinaitic Dependency in Valata. In 1800, he joined the Patriarchate where he chanted for 55 years, 43 of them as Protopsaltis, until 1855. Subsequently, due to illness, he remained at home, composing and publishing his works. He died in Halki in 1862, at the age of 85. He composed many works including a Ritual in Slavonic, an Anastasimatarion, Doxastaria and a two-volume Anthology of music. There are still many unpublished works by Constantinos. He also composed skillful Kalophonic Eirmoi, chants, odes to patriarchs and many others.
Antonios Lampadarios, Ioannis Byzantios, Georgios Raidestinos and Nicolaos Stogiannis Lampadarios were his students. He died in Halki in 1862.
Constantinos, of Aghialos71: An important musician of the late 16th century. His work is very widespread in manuscripts. He composed asmatic Trisagia, Theotokia, Kratimata, Mathimata of the Sticherarion, Kalophonic verses, Cherouvika, Koinonika for Sundays and more. His masterpiece is the oktaechos (the melody passes through the eight modes of Byzantine music) Timiotera, known as "most skilful", the first confirmed historical oktaechos composition of this type, the autograph of which is probably preserved (Lesbos, Monastery of Ipsilos no. of MS 48). Constantinos’ work is considered innovative, because, already at the end of the 16th century, it reflected a new musical reality.
Apostolos Constas or Croustalas or Constalas: He was born in Chios in 1790 and lived in Constantinople. He was one of the eminent men of letters and musicians of his time, a master of the tambour which he used for the exact transcription of his compositions. He composed Cherouvika, Doxologies, etc. He was profoundly knowledgeable in the secrets of notation. He concerned himself with the explanation of the old notation and wrote a great theoretical essay, in which he explains in detail the importance and value (qualitative and quantitative) of the symbols in the old notation. He copied many anthologies, and at least seven times his Theoretical, for economic reasons. Despite his great contribution, he was unfortunately ignored by the three teachers. He died in poverty in 1840.
Daniil of Tyrnavos, Protopsaltis: He was born in Tyrnavos, Thessaly and was a student of Panagiotis
Halatzoglou. He was Domestikos (1734), Lampadarios (1740-1771) and Protopsaltis of the Great Church (1771-1789). As Lampadarios, he chanted with the renowned music teacher and protopsaltis
Ioannis Trapezountios, whom he succeeded. He taught at the Second Church Music School. He was a master of secular music, which he was taught by Hanede Zacharias, to whom Daniil taught church music. He composed hymns, lengthy and skilful kratimata, a Doxology, Polyeleos, Cherouvika, Koinonika and other works. He was also known as poet of fifteen syllable hymnographic verses. Daniil Protopsaltis also incorporated Turkish elements in his melodies. He died in December 1789.
Constantinos Dapontes, later Kesarios: He was born in 1713 or 14, in the island of Skopelos, where he received a basic education. In 1731, he travelled to Constantinople, where he stayed for a few months and then to Bucharest, where he studied; and from there to Iasi where he settled down, working as secretary to the ruler. He acquired wealth and was promoted to Kaminaris (tax collector) but in 1746 he fell into disfavour with the Turks, fled to the court of the Khan of Crimea, and the following year was imprisoned in Constantinople for 20 months - a period he dedicated to the writing of religious hymns, letters and lengthy verse works, such as the Mirror of Women. After his release, he went to Halki where after a while he married, had a daughter who died young, and soon after that he became a widower. In 1753, disillusioned with the world, he decided to follow the monastic life. He took the name Kesarios, and after living for three years in Skopelos he traveled to Mount Athos in 1757 and joined the Monastery of Xeropotamos. In the following years he visited regions of Hellas and the Danubian Principalities to raise money for the monastery. He died in 1784, after returning to Mount Athos. Manuscripts of his are kept in the Library of the Monastery. His life is recounted by himself in the metrical narrative Garden of Graces . He was one of the most important Hellenes lyricists and chroniclers of the 18th century, while he was also a musician of stature and a hymnographer who set verses, the Akathist hymn, Kanones to the Virgin, etc. He printed several of his books, although others remained unpublished as manuscripts. Several of the unpublished ones were later distributed by Constantinos Sathas and Emile Legrand. It is noteworthy that Dapontes used to put a warning ("penance") to future editors at the ends of his texts, that they should be sure to print the works diligently, not to leave out verses, not to make mistakes and not to appropriate or falsify his texts, because in such a case, they would have God as an opponent.
Antonios Diamantidis or Dalkas (heartache): He is one of the important musicians who settled in liberated Hellas after 1922. He was a singer, composer and lyricist. He first played the oud, and subsequently the 9string guitar. He was born in 1892, in the Arnaoutkioi suburb of Constantinople. During his youth, he worked helping his father, who was a tailor. From childhood he visited the most famous nightclubs of Constantinople, hearing and admiring the great Hellenes and Turkish singers and musicians of the beginning of the century. One evening, a musician invited him to sing a song. In fact, Antonios went up on stage that night, around 1910, and didn’t come down again until the Germans invaded Athens in 1941. His voice made such an impression that his professional career began immediately, at the age of eighteen. For a few years he sang on the ocean liners of the Hellenic-American Line. His discography begins in 1925, with more than 450 songs, some of which were his own compositions. After the occupation of the country by the German army in April 1941, he retired from work and fell into melancholy. He died in early 1945.
Tetos (Theodotos) Dimitriadis (1895-1968?): He was born in Constantinople, a descendant of a historic family. His brother was the famous sketch-writer Phokion Dimitriadis. A guitarist, composer, songwriter and singer, he made his career in the US during the interwar period and he is known for the recordings he made there. He made several trips to Hellas to record famous singers of rebetiko songs, as well as popular instrumentalists and classical singers of the era. His name appears on his records, as well as various pseudonyms, such as Nontas Sgouros, Takis Nicolaou or Tendi. He was the producer, director and lead actor of the first Hellenic talking film, which was shot in America in 1930.
Dorotheos Agiotaphitis: He was scholar and musician, Archimandrite of the Holy Sepulchre and nephew of Athanasios of Jerusalem, of Constantinople descent. He studied literature with Nicolaos Logadis and music at the Fourth Patriarchal Music School. He died in 1858.
Efthalia (Bosphorus 1891 - Constantinople 1939): Her real name was Anastasia Georgiadou. A singer of Hellenic origin, who became a legend. It was said that her voice resounded on the far side of the Bosphorus, for this reason she was called "daughter of the sea” (Deniz Kızı Eftalya). She first appeared at the music cafes in Galata with a wide repertoire of folk and urban songs, as well as songs from Ottoman classical music. Later, she married the famous Turkish violinist Sadi Isilay and made her first recording in France for “Pathé” (1926-29), during their tour. She attained a unique international reputation and she was the first non-Muslim artist to become a member of the National Association of Music "Daroulelchan". There are countless stories about the beauty of her voice and her vocal art. She died relatively young, after a long illness.
Roza Eskenazi (Constantinople 1885 – Peristeri, Attica 1980): She was born Sarah Skinazi. She was singer, dancer, lyricist and composer, one of the greatest female voices of rebetiko. Of Jewish origin, she settled in Thessaloniki in the late 19th century, where she worked for a lengthy period as a dancer. In the mid-1920s, she came to Athens and in 1928 her recording career began, which continued until the decade of the 1960s. She worked with leading composers and sang some of their greatest hits. Her recordings of more than 350 songs include, apart from rebetiko, amané and traditional folk songs.
Marika Frantzeskopoulou, the Politissa (Woman of Constantinople) (~1895–1977): Born in Constantinople around 1895. She belongs to the first generation of women who sang rebetika. She recorded in Athens from 1932, and collaborated with most of the composers of the era.
Manouil Gazis72: Lampadarios and composer of church music in the 15th century, before the Fall. From a manuscript of the Leimon Monastery, we know that he traveled to Crete, where he also died. Of his few works which have survived, the best known is the Pasapnoario, which is included in various anthologies. He composed the Doxology, and polyphonic Koinonika, including the "Symbol of the Faith" (Credo), something very common in the Western Church, but rare or unknown in the Eastern. He set to music the whole text, once in the Fourth Mode and a second time, from the words "and in the Holy Spirit", in the Fourth Plagal Mode. Also, Mihalis Adamis has discovered, in the 15th century manuscript no. 2401 in the National Library, a Koinoniko Aide (Praise) by Gazis, bearing the inscription (rare for a Byzantine manuscript): " This Koinoniko is sung by two, the one sings the black in the fourth mode, the other sings the red in the plagal fourth". Indeed, the work has two parallel lines corresponding respectively to the two different modes, which, according to the finder, makes it probable that this is the oldest example of polyphonic Byzantine church music that has been discovered to date.
Gennadios, monk of Raidestos: Protopsaltis of the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, distinguished for his musical experience and his big, powerful voice. He was a student of the three teachers. He died in 1868 at the age of eighty. He composed odes, hymns, and a lengthy, skilful Encomium (praise) to the Patriarch Kyrilos II of Jerusalem, in the Fourth Mode, followed by a long kratima.
Theodosios Georgiadis (1878-1962): A distinguished music teacher, protopsaltis, theologian, icon painter, scholar and founder of two Byzantine choirs. He was born in Pyrgos, Eastern Roumelia, in 1878. He learned letters at home from his uncle, the hierarch Vasileios Georgiadis. He went to Constantinople and studied at the Great School of the Nation and at the Patriarchal Music School (1899). He was apprenticed to Protopsaltis G. Daniilidis ("Tsesmelis") and I. Karakatsanis (in Neohorio on the Bosphorus). He became a psaltis and teacher at many churches in Constantinople. He taught theory, orthography and composition at the Patriarchal Music School. He founded the famous "ThirtyVoice Byzantine Church Choir". He settled in Athens in 1925, where he taught Byzantine music at the Musical Lyceum of Athens. In 1944, he established a new choir for the dissemination of Byzantine music. He died in Athens, in 1962. He wrote many compositions, including The Riches of Byzantine Music" (2 volumes) etc. His book The New Muse includes valuable information about church history. Just before his death, he was preparing his great theoretical work entitled New Method for our ecclesiastical Byzantine music, which unfortunately he did not complete. It was published in 1963 by his student and son-in-law, Vladimiros Enternidis. Among his students were many who later became masters of ecclesiastical chant in Athens. .
Triantaphyllos Georgiadis (Aksaz Kyzicus 1865 - Constantinople 1934): Theoretician, Protopsaltis and composer of Byzantine music. He studied with Kyriakos Ioannou (the so called "Kalogirou"). He studied at the Great School of the Nation, where he was at the same time student and Kanonarch (assistant psaltis) to Georgios Raidestenos the Second and Constantinos Phokaeas. He was a psaltis and music teacher in Constantinople and in various cities of Asia Minor. He settled as protopsaltis in Trebizond, where he taught church music, hymnody and European music, and taught singing at two famous educational institutions, the Preparatory School and the Trebizond Girls’ School. There, he founded a choir to perform Hellenic traditional and other songs. Later, in Constantinople (in 1922), he taught composition and the orthography of Byzantine musical notation at the Patriarchal Music School. He was also a Protopsaltis, Patriarchal librarian (from 1925) and secretary of the magazine Orthodoxy. He collected and transcribed folk songs of the islands in Byzantine notation, and the unpublished Sequence for the Yearly Cycle . Some of his folk songs were published in Phorminx. He also published a study of Hellenic ecclesiastical music in Orthodoxy (1929). He wrote Eirmologion of Katavasion, Menologion, Pentecostarion, Triodion etc. His ecclesiastical chants were published (in 1973-74) by his sons, in six volumes, under the title Garden of the Graces . In 1974, he published his remarkable work The National Muse: Collection of folk songs. Songs of Pontus
Christodoulos Georgiadis, Kessanieus: Famous protopsaltis, composer and theorist from Kessani in Eastern Thrace. He was an authority on secular music and one of the first who tried to be accurate to the rhythm of melodies in Byzantine notation. An important work of his is the Treatise on Ecclesiastical Melody (Athens 1856). He also set to music the Three War Songs of Alexandros Soutsos (Athens 1856).
Georgios Cres (the Cretan) (fl. c. 1790 - † 1815)73: He is one of the most important ecclesiastical musicians. He was a student of Meletios Sinaitis from Crete and Iacovos the Protopsaltis. He didn’t exercise the profession of psaltis, nor did he hold any official or other ecclesiastical office. He taught music not only in private but also at the Mutual Teaching Schools in the Phanar, Chios and Kydonies. Among his students were the greatest masters of ecclesiastical music, such as Grigorios the Protopsaltis, Hourmouzios Hartofilakas, Antonios Lampadarios, Apostolos Constas, Stavrakis the Domestikos, Nikiforos of Chios, Apostolos Constalas, Athanasios Seleucias, Petros of Ephesus, Constantinos Protopsaltis, Petros Agiotafphitis, Eftychios Ougourlous, Theodoros Phokaeas, Zaphirios Zaphiropoulos and others. He died in Kydonies in 1814, before he had the chance to work with the three inventors of the new method, by whom he had repeatedly been invited to Constantinople. His compositional work is broad and remarkable. He composed many chants, Kalophonic Eirmoi, Koinonika for the Yearly Cycle, Kratimata and others. Most of them were very widely known in their time, and some of them are still sung today. Besides his original compositional work, Georgios the Cretan is primarily known as an interpreter of the old melodies. Essentially, he was the successor of Petros Byzantios, the most important immediately before Grigorios Protopsaltis, and the last substantial stage in the development of musical notation prior to the three teachers.
Georgios, of Lesbos: His name was Georgios Doumanelis and he was born around 1790, in Agiasos, Lesbos. He studied with his uncle Kallinikos of Lesbos and Georgios the Cretan. In 1815, he went to Constantinople and studied at the Patriarchal Music School under the three teachers. He later returned to Kydonies (Ayvalik) and Smyrna and from there, in 1816, moved to Iasi, where he taught music. He stayed in Moldova until 1821. There, he was initiated into the Society of Friends (Filiki Etaireia) by Manouil Bernardos the Cretan. With the outbreak of the Revolution, he went to Russia, where he was active in both the spiritual and national life of the thriving Hellenic communities there. After he had written the Grammar of the old system, as well as an essay against the new method, he announced the creation of a new notational method of his own inspiration, called the Lesbian System. He believed that the reformation of the symbols would bring ease and progress. But unfortunately, his new musical symbols made things more complicated and falsified the tradition. In 1826, he moved to Aegina and founded a Music School, at which he first presented his system. Subsequently, Capodistrias’s government founded an official Music School in Aegina where the interested could study free of charge, to which he was appointed as music teacher. Capodistrias introduced the "Lesbian system" also into the Orphanage. So the new system was fairly widely disseminated. It was fought against by Zaphirios Zaphiropoulos in Athens, and Protopsaltis Constantinos Byzantios and Theodoros Phokaeas in Constantinople. In 1846, Patriarch Anthimos VI issued an Enyclical against the Lesbian system. The system passed slowly into obscurity and its creator died completely ignored and embittered. In the meantime, he had
published the following books using his system: Theoretical (1840), Anastasimatarion (1840), Anthology: Meliphonos Terpsinoi (Sweet-voiced Delights) (1847), The Spiritual Trumpet: Eirmologion Katavasion and Slow and Short Doxastarion (1856), Terpsiphonos Lyre (1861), New Ecclesiastical cymbal (1863). He is mentioned also as composer of the Paraklitic (supplicatory) canon at Agios Nikolaos. He and his followers published books even after the Patriarchal Encyclical, thus we have the Asmatologion (Collected Songs) of Sappho the Lesbian (1870), and An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of the Musical Art (1871 and 1872), both in collaboration with Nicolaos Vlachakis from Athens and Stavrakis Anagnostou from Lesbos.
Eftyhios Georgiou (called Ougourlous): Born in Caesarea, Cappadocia. He was taught the old notation from Georgios the Cretan and Manouil the Protopsaltis and the new by Grigorios Levitis. For many years he chanted in the church of Agia Kyriaki in Kontoskalio, Constantinople. At the end of his life he became a monk and went to Chios, where he bought a private monastery and lived as a monk until his death in 1866. He composed the Tin gar sin mitran (For He made your womb a throne..) in the Fourth Plagal mode, and eight Kalophonic Eirmoi in the eight modes, which were transcribed in the new notation and published by Theodoros Phokaeas.
Nicolaos Georgiou74: Protopsaltis of Smyrna. He was born in Kavala, and was a student of the three teachers. He was one of the most important musicians of the 19th century, very active in chant, teaching, composition and publishing. He created a strong personal musical tradition which was also influential beyond Smyrna, mainly in the Hellenic nation, and remains so today. His style is quite different from that of the patriarchal psaltes. His compositional work is very rich. First, he composed and published (Constantinople, 1857) the Doxastarion of the Triodion and Pentecost . Likewise, a three-volume anthology entitled The New Treasury, a Musical Anthology (Smyrna 1862-1867) which contains most of the Papadika and other of his pieces. Finally, the
Georgios of Lesbos, Introduction in the Theory and Practice of the Musical Art by the Lesbian System , Athens 1840.
New Anastasimatarion, which was published after his death (Smyrna, 1899). Thanks to Nikolaos, who continued the tradition of Theodosios the Deacon (teacher of Petros the Peloponnesian) and Dimitrios Lotos, Smyrna was strengthened as a centre of musical education, gaining a wider fame and influence, alongside Mount Athos and Constantinople. He died in November 1887, at the age of about a hundred.
Germanos, Metropolitan of New Patras: (fl. approx. 1660-1685). He came from Tirnavos. He was almost a contemporary and a direct disciple of Chrysaphis the New. His tenure at the Cathedral of New Patras (today’s Ypatis) was short. Subsequently, it seems that he lived and worked in Wallachia. He is one of the four most important musicians of the first great flowering (1650-1720) of church music in the years of Turkish rule, along with Chrysaphis the New, Balasios the priest and Petros Bereketes. He was an important composer, a teacher and a scribe.
The most important of his works is the musical setting of the old Stichirarion in a new style and according to the Kalophonic genre (1665). His chief compositional work includes Pasapnoaria for Matins, Doxologies, Cherouvika, Koinonika for Sundays, Weekly and Annual Koinonika, Mathimata, Kratimata and more.
Germanos of New Patras must be regarded as the first who consciously cultivated the new type of Kalophonic Eirmos. Among his many works, there particularly stands out the brilliant funeral song of the Epitaph Lamentation Ton ilio krypsanta (Hiding the sun).
Germanos, of Old Patras (Germanos Palaion Patron):75 He was born in Dimitsana, in 1771, and went to school in his birthplace. Later he went to Argos, where he was ordained deacon and afterwards to Smyrna, where he met his compatriot, Metropolitan (and later Patriarch), Grigorios, who provided him with the means to study at the School of Smyrna. There, he attended theological courses, philosophy, philology and French literature.
When Patriarch Grigorios V ascended the throne, he followed him to Constantinople and became his right hand man. In 1807, he was ordained Metropolitan of Old Patras. He also wrote poetry. Some of his love poems are in the MS. Melpomene, set to music by Nikiforos Naftouniaris, the archdeacon from Chios. His role in history is well known.
Giorgis of the Phanar (Fenerli Yorgi Efendi, 19th century): A famous Hellene violinist who lived in the first half of the 19th century. He was Vasilakis’ violin teacher (Vasilaki Efendi, from Silivria).
Giorgis or Stravogiorgis (Kemani Corci or Kemani Yorgi)76: Blind – for which he had the nickname “Stravogiorgis”- violinist at the court of Sultan Selim III (17891808). He was born in Tatavla in the middle of the 18th century, and died in 1810. His principal instrument was the four-stringed lyra, to which he added another three strings, creating the seven-stringed lyra - the "great violin", translated into Turkish as keman (which, however, seems from various illustrations to be the viola d' amore ) an instrument he introduced to the Sultan’s court. Some modern experts, though, (Ch. Tsiamoulis - P. Erevnidis) insist that there was another blind musician, with the same name, prior to Stravogiorgis, who played all instruments, and was the one who introduced the "great violin" to the Sublime Porte. They base their theory on Charles Fondon, who around 1753-1760 stated that "blind Giorgis, who plays at the palace, introduced the violin" (under Mahmoud 1, 1730-1754).
Giovaniskos of Moldovlachia: Instrumental teacher and a famous musician in secular music. He was a student of Myronis and loved by Sultan Mahmoud and his court. He taught music in the palace with a generous salary, and had many privileges. He was also a music teacher in the harem of Mohammed Ali, in Egypt. He died because of his drinking habit, when in 1840 he was burnt, drunk in an Egyptian street, by a paper lantern he was holding.
Nikolaos Gounaropoulos77: Aristocrat, scholar and musician. He was born in Sozopolis, Eastern Romelia, around 1840. He was the father of the composer and journalist Vasilios Gounaropoulos. He was active both in music and theatre. During the 1870s, he was in Varna, where he participated in the performances of local actors in the hall of the Girls’ School. We know of his participation, in 1874, in performances of the drama "The Rabbi’s Daughter" and the comedy "Phiakas". He composed works of church music (Troparia, Apolitikia, etc.) In the Musical Selection of Ioannis Zographou Keivelis (1873) is found his work Hymn to his Majesty the Sultan , poem by Ioannis Nicolaou, set to music by N. B. Gounaropoulos of Sozopolis ”. This anthem was chanted in Varna on the arrival of the Sultan.
Stavrakis Grigoriadis: Of Ainos origin, he was a student of Georgios Protopsaltis of Ainos. He chanted at various churches in Constantinople, where he was summoned from the Church of the Presentation in Pera and appointed Protopsaltis of the Great Church for five years (1866-1871). He was an expert in Arabic-Persian music, and a virtuoso on the lyra and tamboura. He taught music at the Sixth Patriarchal Music School (1868-1871) and published, together with others, the Musical Library. He died in 1871, at the age of 65.
Grigorios Bounis, the Alyatis: He was born with the name Georgios, and lived during the 15th century. He was a major creator of codices, and an important teacher of psalmody. After the Fall of Constantinople he was Protopsaltis in Hagia Sophia,and he was honored by the Conqueror, as testified by the chronicler Dorotheos of Monemvasia, who recounts the following: " Sultan Mehmed learned that the Romioi write down the singing of the psaltes and the singers, so he called them to the Palace, where th ere was a distinguished Persian,and ordered that while he was singing, the psaltes Georgios and Gerasimos should write down the singing of the Persian. So they wrote the song of the Persian, and then he ordered them to sing it; and they sang it so much better than the Persian, that it pleased him greatly, and he wondered at the refinement of the Hellenes, and rewarded the psaltes; the Persian, seeing that they were such masters, knelt before them. Of his works, the greater part has not been preserved, the surviving ones belonging to the Papadic genre. Grigorios composed a Primer for the training of beginning students in the chromatic genus. His work the Method of Metrophonia by the monk Mr. Grigorios Bounis the Alyates survives in libraries.
77 P. S. Athanasiadis, “The Theatre in Thrace during the 19th century”, lecture for the Panhellenic Federation of Thracian Societies, Thessaloniki, 4/2/2001· also, in Kotzageorgis, “Music and Theatre in the Greek communities of Bulgaria”, Balkanika Symmeikta, iss. 8, Thessaloniki 1996, p. 92-94.
Grigorios, Bishop of Vizis (afterwards of Chios): He studied with the three inventors of the new method at the Fourth Patriarchal Music School. He was distinguished as an experienced musician. He died in 1862.
Grigorios the Chios, deacon: Born in 1780. He knew both the old method and the new, which he had been taught by the three teachers. In 1816, he left Constantinople in order to chant as Protopsaltis in the Cathedral church of Iasi,and teach at the Music School there. He was a teacher at the Music School in Bucharest in 1819, with Petros of Ephesus, and together they undertook the publication of a Musical Library, with the financial support of Grigorios Ballianos.
Grigorios Protopsaltis (called Levitis):78 Lampadarios of the Great Church and one of the three inventors of the new notation system. He was born in Constantinople, in 1777, on the day that Petros Peloponnisios died. From an early age he learned language, literature and music from the Armenians. His parents, to detach him from them, sent him to the abbot of the Sinai Dependency in Valata, Archimandrite Ieremia the Cretan, where he was taught Hellenic literature and became a psaltis. He was also a student of Iacovos the Protopsaltis, Petros Byzantios and Georgios the Cretan. He was revealed as one of the most renowned musicians of his time, a master also of secular music, which he was taught by the famous Hanede Dede Ismailaki. He sang while playing with great skill the pandourida (tambur). He became Protopsaltis at the patriarchal church in 1819. Grigorios wrote, in 1805, his 1282page Papadiki, containing all kinds of music. He composed many other works which make up five bulky volumes. He transferred from the old notation many works of Sophronios, Germanos of New Patras, Manouil Chrysaphis the New, Petros the Bereketis, Petros the Peloponnesian, Petros Byzantios, Iacovos Protopsaltis, Ioannis Trapezountios of Damascus, Georgios the Cretan etc. He, along with Hourmouzios and Chrysanthos, standardized and fixed the scales, and wrote a book about the fthores (modulation symbols), of the three genres, etc. He taught the new system of music at the Patriarchal Music School. He wrote about thirty secular/ urban songs, mainly in the idiom of the Turkish makam. He himself wrote the verses of these songs, many of which were dedicated indirectly to various persons, such as Alexandra, Tarsitza, Smaragda, etc. using acrostics. Several of them are found in the periodicals Euterpe and Pandora. He died suddenly in 1821, at the age of only 45.
Panagiotis Halatzoglous: He was born in Constantinople and had an exceptionally fine voice. He flourished around 1708-1748. He learned his first letters and gained his first knowledge of ecclesiastical music from a certain monk from Trebizond in Mount Athos, a relative of his father, who also came from Trebizond. In order to complete his musical studies, he travelled to Mount Athos and studied with the renowned musician of the time, Damianos of Vatopedi. After he returning to Constantinople, he was appointed as Primikirios (assistant cantor) (1703) and as "teacher" (1708) in the Patriarchate, and later as Lampadarios and then as Protopsaltis of the Great Church (about 1721-1736). He marks a new, dynamic period for the development of the psaltic art, not only for the Patriarchate but also for the whole Orthodox Church, since he initiated the great succession of Lampadarii and Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ, who, for almost two centuries, were the determining factor in the shaping and evolution of the theory and the practice of church music. He raised many students. He composed various works, of which we know the Kalophonic Eirmos Efrixe Gi (Shuddering Earth) in the first plagal mode with a Kratima, another instrumental Kratima in the grave mode in the diatonic family etc. He wrote a small handbook on music, entitled A Comparison between the Arabic-Persian and our Ecclesiastical Music in which he discusses fthores (modulation symbols), and other things. He died in 1748.
Hourmouzios (Georgios or Georgiou) Hartofylakas (the Archivist) of the Great Church, the so-called "Yamalis" because of a black mark on his temple.79 He was born in Halki. He was a student of Iacovos Protopsaltis and Georgios the Cretan. He was a psaltis at St. Dimitrios in Tatavla, St. Ioannis of Chios in Galata and at the Sinai Dependency in Valata, at the same time also teaching at the Fourth Patriarchal School during its six year (1815-1821) operation. After eighteen years of intensive work, he transcribed, into the new notation, all the compositions of the old musicians, from the time of Ioannis Damaskinos until Manouil Protopsaltis, which were gathered together into seventy volumes. They were purchased in 1838 by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Athanasios, abridged into fewer volumes under the editorship of Kyrillos II, First Hierarch of the Zion Church, and deposited in the Library of the Holy Sepulchre in the Phanar, where they are preserved. He wrote an introductory manual on the practical part of music, another larger one on the theoretical part, and a bulky volume with the best of the old and the new musical system. He composed many other works and published many books. He reviewed and corrected the Euterpe collection of ArabicPersian songs. All this was done with wonderful patience and perseverance, as he was tormented by great poverty. He died in Halki, in 1840
Hatziaphentoulis, the Sarantaekklisiotis (from Saranta Ekklisies ): He knew well the old and the new method, as well as secular music. He composed Cherouvika, Doxologies, Koinonika, Kratimata, etc. He chanted in the most important churches in Constantinople. He died in Epivati, Thrace in 1835.
79 G. Hatzitheodorou, “Hourmouzios Hartofylakas the Halkenteros (the Indefatigable), website Contribution to the Order of Orthodox Worship, http://www.symbole.gr/chmu/hithac/603-chartchalk
Michael Hatziathanassiou: Born in 1880, in Kato Panagia, Smyrna, where he received his first musical knowledge from Constantinos Repakis. In 1895, he went to Chios as Left Psaltis in the Monastery of St. Anargyri, completing his musical educa tion with the Abbot of the monastery, Papa-Hadzis Gennadios, and in 1901, he settled permanently in Constantinople. There, he studied with Giagkos Stoikos (a student of Panagiotis Kiltzanidis), as well as at the Music School of the Phanar (1902-1903). He was closely connected with Nileas Kamarados, adopting his theoretical views on music and his notational system. He was a psaltis, initially in the Convent of Christ in Prigkipos and then in the Church of the Zoodohos Pigi (Life-Giving Well) in Valoukli. He also taught, for a short time, at the Music School in the Phanar and at the Theological School of Halki. He trained many students. Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas was one of them. Alongside his chanting function, however, Mihail Hatziathanasiou excelled primarily as a church composer and musical theorist. He belongs to the circle of Constantinople musicians and teachers outside the Patriarchate, who, in the late 19th and especially in the first half of the 20th century, represented a wider tradition of Eastern ecclesiastical music. He composed some Liturgies with Axion Estin in various modes, Cherouvika, Koinonika for Sundays and memorial services, Doxastika for various festivals and many others. Many of these chants were published also in newer collections, especially in the Musical Zoodohos Pigi (Polyhronakis Publications, Neapolis, Crete, 1975). Also interesting is a (published) theoretical manual of his, entitled The Bases of Byzantine Music (Stamboul, Tsitouri Brothers’ Printing House,1948.)
Iacovos (Giakoumakis), the Peloponnesian80: Born around 1740, he was a student of Ioannis of Trebizond and an excellent composer, hymnographer and a well- educated man. He served as secretary to the Patriarchal Office. He composed melodic Kanones, the Sequence of the Martyr Euphemia, the slow Sticherarion or Doxastarion, eight Doxologies, Cherouvika, an Apolytikion (dismissal hymn), Kontakia, odes, eulogies to patriarchs and many secular songs. At the instigation of Patriarch Grigorios V, he inspected and corrected the errors of church books. He was the first who “composed according to the meaning”; thus, in order to respect the meaning of the words in certain Prosomoia chants, he did not follow the original rhythm. Iacovos fought against the reformed system and the European notation of Agapios Palliermos of Chios. He died in 1800.
Ilias (Ilya) (? - 1799) 81: He was a well known musician and music teacher of the 18th century Ottoman Empire, at the court of Selim III (17891808). He is referred to as a formidable performer on the tambour and as a composer-teacher of the eirmos-beste (a type of slow vocal composition). He died in 1780 or 1799. Five of his songs and two instrumental compositions have survived, which however are likely to belong to another composer called Ilya, who was Jewish.
Nicolaos Ioannidis: He was born in 1839, in Neohori on the Bosphorus, and died in 1883. He was a psaltis with a fine voice, and a skilled musician. He studied with Ioannis Protopsaltis. He published the Asmatologion for Use in elementary schools , and composed many other mathimata whose publication was undertaken by his psaltis son, Dimitrios. He was one of the founders of the Hellenic Music Association in Constantinople, and a member of the Patriarchal Musical Committee.
Ioannis, the Byzantine82: Protopsaltis of the Great Church: He was born in Neohori, Bosphorus around 1800 and was student of Theodoros Symeon the Short (Kontos). In 1824, he entered the Patriarchal Church as Second Domestikos; in 1831, he was appointed Lampadarios and later Protopsaltis. As a patriarchal psaltis he left a great name, alongside his contemporary Constantinos the Protopsaltis. He was, however, also an outstanding ecclesiastical composer, publisher and editor of important music books. He composed a new Eirmologion (Constantinople 1839 and 1856) . Essentially, this is an embellishment of the Eirmologion of the Katavasia of Petros the Peloponnesian and the Concise one of Petros Byzantios, to which he added "Kanones for the whole annual cycle ", just as they are "already chanted in the great Church of Christ". In this form, Ioannis’ Eirmologion has been maintained from that time, and is still chanted (in modern editions) by patriarchal and other traditional psaltes. Among his other compositions, we must mention the brilliant and, for their time, innovatory short Koinonika for Sundays according to mode, published in the Treasury Anthology (Constantinople 1838), the Koinoniko of the Cross Marked upon us (in the Second, Fourth and Plagal Fourth Modes ), many Mathimata for various festivals (St. Andrew, St. Nicolaos, the Three Hierarchs, St. Haralambos, St. Athanasios of Athos, the Third Sunday in Lent), the Octaechos of the Vespers of the Ascension Anelifthis en doxi (Taken up into Heaven in glory), the Kalophonic Eirmoi Kyklo tis trapezis sou (Cycle of your Altar) in Grave mode, Nyn ta anikousta ikousthi , in Fourth Plagal Mode, an Asmatiko in Grave mode eptaponos (makam evitz) in Daniil’s Doxology, etc. He also composed odes to Patriarchs and Kanones for bis hops and the Virgin Mary’s festivals.
Besides the above, he published a Summary of Kalophonic Eirmoi (Constantinople 1842), in small format, with additions and Odes to Patriarchs, compositions probably of his own, the Slow and Concise Anastasimatarion of Petros the Peloponnesian (Constantinople 1846, 1858 and 1863), "corrected with addition of Verses, Kanones, katavasia and other necessary things”, the well known 4-volume Pandekti
(Constantinople from 1850 to 1851), together with Stephanos I the Domestikos, one of the most important and authoritative polyonymous Anthologies and Collections of Papadika (Vespers - Matins - Liturgy) in the history of church music editions. (This is essentiall y a publication of the manuscript 4-volume Anthology of Grigorios Protopsaltis). It should be added that the publication of the Anthology of Paul Tsaloglou (Constantinople 1846) has been "supervised and corrected" by Ioannis Lampadarios. Through the publishing and editing of these musical books, the “corrections” of the melodies, the “beautifying” of the compositions, the psalmody and the whole of his activity, Io annis the Protopsaltis was proved to be one of the most important musicians of the 19th century, a worthy successor of the three teachers (especially Hourmouzios Hartofilakas). He died in 1866.
Ioannis of Silivria: A famous Hellene composer and virtuoso on the Constantinople lyra during the Ottoman Empire of the nineteenth century (he died in 1890). He was either a wealthy merchant, or held some high office, because he had the nickname Tsorbatzis (prominent citizen, ruler) He performed at meyhanes (music taverns) and in his songs he incorporated both Hellenic and Turkish folk music, as well as the particularities of the urban fashions of his time. Thirteen of his songs have survived.In various Turkish source s he is referred to as Usta (Master) Yani, or Kemençeci (lyra master) Yani Ağa.
Ioannis of Trebizond (18th century): Protopsaltis of the Great Church of Christ, student and successor of Panagiotis Halatzoglou (1748). An excellent musician who "polished" the style of his era with his Eirmologic pieces , Kanones, Katavasies, short and slow-short Mathimata, Pasapnoaria, Doxologies, Cherouvika, Koinonika, Polyelei, the slow "Allelouario” etc. In the library of the Monastery of Great Lavra (Mount Athos) a Papadiki in his own hand survives. He raised many important students, including Iacovos Protopsaltis and the famous Petros the Peloponnesian. Seeing the difficulties that the notational system was creating for psaltes, he tried hard to find a simpler and more methodical one, so he used new symbols and a new way of writing, in which he transcribed many ancient texts, as well as his own works.
Ioasaph the priest, the Russian: An important musician of the 19th century. He was born in Andronikio, Caesarea in Cappadocia. He studied at the Evangelical School and was a student of the protopsaltis Nicolaos Georgiou. He became a monk at the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos, where he received the nickname “The Russian”. Later he went to Athens and after that to Constantinople, where he chanted in various churches, and later went to Caesarea and Romania. He also knew European and ArabicPersian music and composed various ecclesiastical mathimata. He collaborated with Protopsaltis Stavrakis of the Great Church, and also Protopsaltis Dimitrios Byzantios in the publication of various ecclesiastical books. He wrote the Guide to European Music and gave various
lectures; On Prosody, On Byzantine composition, On Ancient Hellenic music, On Jewish music etc. He worked with the Hellenic Musical Association on the construction of the Psaltirio (an organ with intervals smaller than semitones), and trained many remarkable students.
Grigorios Kalagiannis: A scholar priest from Mytiline, a student of languages and a learned musician, he studied at the Fourth Patriarchal Musical School. He taught Byzantine music at the Music School in Vienna and at the Rizario School in Athens. He died around 1870.
Constantinos Kalfagiannis: He was born in Kydonia. He studied with Georgios the Cretan and the three teachers. He chanted for many years at St. Nicolaos’ Church in Galata, then in Kydonia, Trieste, Cefallonia and finally again at Kydonia, where he died.
Nileas Kamarados83: A distinguished music teacher, protopsaltis, composer and theorist of Byzantine music in Constantinople. He was born in 1847, in Diplokionio (Besiktas) on the Bosphorus, and grew up in Mega Revma. He studied with Gerasimos Kanellidis, Panagiotis Kiltzanidis, Ioasaph the Russian (by whom he was also taught European notation) and Kyriakos Philoxenis. He learned at the same time the theory and instrumental technique of Arabic-Persian music. He was also taught Armenian musical notation by Levon Hantzian. In addition, he played the piano and stringed instruments. One of these, of his own invention and construction, was a kind of dulcimer which could play all the intervals of Orie ntal music, and with this he accompanied himself when performing the songs he had composed. He chanted for many years at various churches in Constantinople and finally at Agios Nicolaos in Galata, where he served as Choral Director.
He was a founding member of the Hellenic Musical Association of Constantinople, and a member of its Educational Committee. What characterises his work, however, is his more than half a century of study in everything relating to music, from the ancient theoreticians up to his participation in the construction of Ioakim’s famous Psaltirio (an organ with intervals smaller than semitones). Subsequently he worked with Psachos on the construction of the new improved instrument. He helped with the imposition of tonal rhythm and he was one of the initiators of the double consonant line under the main melody. He died in Constantinople in 1922. His theoretical musical work was published in six issues of the Appendix to Ecclesiastical Truth, while two boxes of his manuscripts remained unpublished in the hands of his children in Athens. Among his students were Panagiotis Antonellis, Nicolaos Vlachopoulos, Dimitrios Voutsinas, Themistocles Georgiadis, his son Basileios Kamarados,
Pliakas, Constantinos Bekiaris, Ioannis Palasis, Socratis Papadopoulos, Zaphirios Papachristou, Efstathios Timonidis, Emmanouil Farlekas, Mihalis Hatziathanasiou etc. The Archive of Nileas Kamarados includes his full repertoire. This constitutes an important proof of the activity of Hellenes musicians of Constantinople during his time. It consists of manuscript compositions, musical books and periodicals, in cluding twenty musical manuscripts from the early 19th century. Today, it is found in the Great Music Library of Hellas.
Stephanos Kanellos: He was born in Constantinople in 1792, and studied medicine in Vienna. He worked in Romania until 1822 and then he went to revolutionary Hellas and fought beside Dimitrios Ypsilantis. In 1823, he accompanied the temporary Commissioner Emmaouil Tobazis to Crete where he died, of the plague which was cutting down the inhabitants of the island. He wrote patriotic poems such as Tourkomachos Hellene (the Turk-fighting Hellenes) and Paidia Ellinon, ti kartereite (Children of Hellas, what are you waiting for?), which, following the practice of the time, he fitted to preexisting melodies.
Stephanos Kanellos
Demetrios Kantemiris, Dimitri Cantemir (1673-1727): Although he was not a Hellene, he is mentioned because he wrote a treatise on music in Hellenic, including in his book many works by the Hellenes composers of his time, thus preserving them. The son of the Voivode of Moldavia, he was educated in the Phanar, with Angelis and Ahmet Çelebi as teachers. He was a well known composer and theoretician and produced his own musical notation system. He composed about 150 (or 300 according to others) pieces, of which about 43 have been preserved. G. Papadopoulos mentions in his book Historical overview of Byzantine ecclesiastical music from the apostolic years up to our own (1-1900 AD): "... Dimitrios Kantemiris, born in 1673, in Crimea and deceased at fifly years of age, served during the reign of Sultan Mahmoud IV as ruler of Wallachia • He was a well-educated man, multilingual, very learned in our music as well as the Arabic-Persian, a player of the Arabic flute (ney) and pandourida: he wrote a treatise on Music in Greek and Arabic-Persian, discussing the various systems of Arabic-Persian music. To him is attributed the invention of the rhythm called "Zar bein" in Turkish (the Bey’s die)...". At the same time he was a historian, geographer, ethnologist, novelist and politician. He wrote many books, among which is the famous Kitâbu 'İlmi'l-Mûsiki alâ Vechi'l-Hurûfât, Mûsikiyi Harflerle Tesbit ve İcrâ İlminin Kitabı (Musical theory through notation) which includes a theoretical part, and 350 transcriptions of musical compositions by himself and others’.
Costas Karipis or Karipopoulos: Constantinople 1895 ? - Athens 1952 ?: He was singer, composer, lyricist and instrumentalist, one of the very important musical personalities who came from Constantinople after 1922. After a glittering career as a singer between 1922 and 1932, he occupied himself with composition, while remaining until his death the most important guitarist in the field. He appears in recordings in 1925, singing traditional songs, amanes and works by various composers from Asia Minor. As a singer, he recorded around fifty mainly traditional songs, and approximately sixty more as a composer.
Ioannis Kavadas, Protopsaltis of Chios: He was born in Constantinople, but descended from a family in the the village of Chalkeio in Chios. He was raised in the Phanar, where he studied with Petros Symeon the Agiotaphitis and Hourmouzios Hartofilakas.. He was a psaltis from 1844 to 1899, when he died. Being an experienced musician with a fine voice, he composed many works and trained many students in Constantinople and also in Chios, where he taught music to some sweet-voiced nuns.
Chatzi-Panagiotis Kiltzanidis (Georgiadis): He was born in Proussa around 1815, where he first practiced the profession of psaltis. From 1848 until 1882 he chanted at various churches in Constantinople. He died in 1896. He is rightly considered one of the most distinguished music teachers of his time, one of the most erudite in music theory, an unrivalled psaltis, an inimitable composer, profoundly learned in Asian, European and Armenian music and a virtuosic player of musical instruments. He published various musical books, such as the Sweet-Voiced Siren (with Turkish-Hellenic songs, published in Constantinople twice, in 1862 and 1888), the Ecclesiastical Musical Anthology (1861), the Anastasimatarion of Antonis Lampadarios (from the Old to the New Method, 1866), the Sacerdotal Musical Handbook " (1870 and 1875), the Cherouvika of Daniil Protopsaltis and the Anastasimatarion of Constantinos Protopsaltis (from the Old to the New Method and from the Grave Mode until the end, 1863 ), the Short Doxastarion of Petros Lampadarios (1882 - 1886), the Methodical Teaching for Learning the Secular Melody of our Music, Compared to the Arabic-Persian (1881), etc. Apart from these, he took charge of the publication of the musical books of Stephanos Lampadarios and Ioannis Protopsaltis. He wrote and published treatises "on Music", such as the Elementary teaching of ecclesiastical music (1888), etc. and "answers" to the objections addressed to him, through the Neologos of Constantinople, by the music teachers Efstratios Papadopoulos and Misail Misailidis (he mainly opposed the rejection of the 68-part division of the musical scale and the proposal for 72 parts). He worked conscientiously both for the Ecclesiastical Music Association and the Hellenic Musical Association of Constantinople. He also taught at the Fifth Patriarchal Music School and was a member of the Commission that undertook the publication of the Musical Library ( a scholarly periodical, from 1868) and the "Committee of 1881" (which built the Psaltirio). Finally, he brought out a multi-paged theoretical essay with the title Key of our ecclesiastical music , in which he methodically interpreted the compositions written in Ancient Byzantine notation. This essay was awarded the Gold Medal of the Fourth Olympic Committee (Athens 1890). Among his pupils were Nileas Kamarados, Polychronios Paheidis etc.
Constantinos Kirykou: He was taught the new method by the Three Teachers, and chanted for almost 40 years in various places. During the reign of Kapodistrias, he taught music in Nafplion, then in Syros and after that in Athens. He was a professor at the Athens State School along with Zaphirios Zaphiropoulos, and at the Rizareios School, where he was succeeded by Anthimos Nicolaidis, known for his efforts toward the harmonization of ecclesiastical music.
Constantinos Klavvas (Kyriakou): He was born in 1852 and was Protopsaltis at the Cathedral of Adrianople around 1875. In 1888, he was appointed Second Domestikos and he was promoted to Lampadarios in 1911. In 1916, he left due to illness and died in 1917. He worked with Iacovos Nafpliotis on the publication of the two-volume Doxastario of Petros the Peloponnesian.
Kosmas Evmorfopoulos of Madytos: Born in Madytos, Thrace, in 1860. He completed his secondary education in his hometown, after which he went to Constantinople and entered the Theological School of Halki, whence he graduated in 1882. During his studies in Halki, he was ordained Deacon, and served as Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Chalcedon and preacher at the same cathedral. In 1887, he was transferred to the Patriarchal Court and was appointed, at first, Grand Archdeacon and then Great Chancellor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In 1888, he was elected Bishop of Dryinoupolis and Argyrokastro (Gjirokastër), and later of Veria and Naoussa, where he remained until 1895. He then became Bishop of Pelagonia, Monastir. Due to his national activity during those sensitive years, he was transferred in 1899 to the Cathedral of Nikopolis and Preveza, but there too, because of his support for the Hellenic army, he was arrested and imprisoned. He died at the age of 41, in 1901. He composed a good number of works, but he is known for his Doxologies. In general, he moved away from traditional classical melody and he innovated with frequent influences from secular music. In 1897, he issued in Athens his three-volume anthology Poimenikos Avlos (Pastoral Flute), where in the first issue there is included the theory and practice of ecclesiastical music, in the second are ecclesiastical chants, and the third “scholastic songs.”
Stephanos Koutsogiannopoulos84: He was born in Chios, in 1869. In 1881, he went to Constantinople, where he was appointed Kanonarch at St. Ioannis of Chios, then at the Patriarchal Church and finally at St. Nicolaos of Galata under Georgios Raidestinos the Second. When he was fully trained he became Protopsaltis at St. Dimitrios of Prinkipos, where he also studied with Themistocles Byzantios, from whom he learned European music. Subsequently he went for six years to Holy Trinity in Amisos (Sampsouda) and from there to St. Nicolaos in Batoumi. At the same time, he also directed the Byzantine Music School in Kars. Thus he spread the Byzantine musical art through these remote areas, and he is rightly called the "Apostle of Music". He composed a Doxology and Hymn in honor of Tsar Nicholas II, who rewarded him with a gold watch. He composed many works and wrote various essays on the theory of music. In 1907, he was appointed to the Gymnasium of Sampsouda. He collected and transcribed folk melodies of Pontos in Byzantine notation. He died around 1950.
Dimitrios G. Kyfiotis: Psaltis in the Church of the Virgin of Kaffatiani in Constantinople. He published the Musical Anthology, containing the chants for various services, according to the new ritual. For use by Orthodox priests and psaltes everywhere. Constantinople, 1894.
Agathangelos Kyriazidis: Protopsaltis, composer, musician and publisher of musical books, hailing from Chrysoupoli on the Bosphorus. A student of Georgios Raidestinos the Second, he chanted in Constantinople, Athens, Braila and continues as Protopsaltis in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. He published A Flower of Our Church Music " (Constantinople 1896), and Ai Dio Melissai (The Two Bees) (in collaboration with Nileas Kamarados, Constantinople 1906); also, a treatise on rhythm entitled Rythmografos (1909). Other publishers included many of his Mathimata in their books. He died in 1913. Among his students is numbered Platon Stoikidis.
Antonis Kyriazis or Kyriazidis (Lavtaci Andon): A renowned Hellenic laouto (lavta) and oud player, and composer in Constantinople during the early 20th century. With his family band, he played various Hellenic and oriental songs (traditional and urban) at restaurants and cafes in Galata. His sister Eriphili sang and his brothers Christos and Iannis also participated. Likewise, the famous lyra players Vasilakis and Nicolakis took part. Among his best known compositions are a Husseini Pesref and a Husseini Saz Semai. He died in 1925. During the last years of his life he lived in Scutari with his son.
Christakis Kyriazis (Lavtaci Hristo, Hristo Efendi, Hristâki Kiryazis, Hristo Ağa): Brother of Antonis, Yiannis and Eryfili Kyriazis. They had a famous family band in Pera, which performed at the Palace, and was admired by the greatest virtuoso of Ottoman music during the 20th century, Tanburi Çemil Bey. Christos Kyriazis, an excellent songwriter, was the favourite of the Palace and the generals. It is said that he greatly resembled Sultan Abdul Hamid. He played very often at the Serai, and indeed it is also said that the Palace officials would go to his house to pick him up. His songs in makam Kurdilihicazkar, Karsiyaka da lzmirin gulu and Gidelim Goksuya bir elem-i ab eyleye- lim are among the most important of the 20th century and are widely known. He loved his wife very much, so many of his songs were written for her. It is indeed very strange that, even if he didn’t know notes, scores of all of his songs have survived. It is said that an Armenian would visit his house, and transcribe his new pieces. It is very likely that Melekset was the one who often visited Christakis’ house in Ferikoy, near the Catholic cemetery. He adapted the Zeybekler of Ahmet Mithat Efendi for the operetta, so he is considered as one of the first representatives of the trend for modernizing Ottoman music. He was the most important song composer of his time. Nevertheless, he committed suicide in 1914, after suffering for a long period from depression.
Yiannis Kyriazis (Lavtaci Çivan): He played the laouto (lavta), singing at the same time. He was also a brilliant composer. He bore the nicknames "Tzivanis" and “Tiflos" (Blind) because he could not see well. He died in 1910. He was a very well known performer and participated in orchestras called kabasaz (rough instruments). From his compositions it is evident that he was a fine composer and knew the musical modes well, and for this reason he was also the teacher of many famous Constantinople musicians, such as the Armenian Tatyos Efendi and the Hellene Vasilakis. There are about 21 compositions of his, the best known of which is the Sarki in makam Nihavend, Dil seni sevmeyeni sevmede lezzet mi olur. The instrumental part of this song uses the 3/8 rhythm and is unique of its kind.
Anastasios Leontaridis (Kemençeci Anastas): An important lyra player, son of the lyra player Leonidas Leontaridis. He played at the Constantinople Radio station and recordings of his survive that reveal the greatness of his virtuosity, but also the influence of Cemil Bey. He died in 1938, leaving two musician sons: the lyra player Parashos Leontaridis, and Lambros Leontaridis, known for his recordings of rebetika and popular songs in Hellas.
Lambros Leontaridis (Kemençeci Lambros): Born in Constantinople in 1898. He learned to play the lyra from his father, Anastasios Leontaridis. At the time of the Asia Minor catastrophe, he was on tour in the Middle East and Egypt; so he didn’t return to Constantinople, but went to Hellas, where he met the patriot Antonis Diamantidis (Dalkas) and associated himself with the field of rebetiko. Between 1927 and 1937, he recorded, for various companies, either his own instrumental pieces, or accompanying amanedes and other pieces by Antonis Dalkas, Marika Frantzeskopoulou, Roza Eskenazi etc. In 1937, he disappeared for a long time from the music industry. Later, in 1950,he gave a few performances in Constantinople. He collaborated then with his younger brother Paraschos, as well as with Agapios Toboulis and Roza Eskenazi. He recorded there a number of Turkish and Hellenic songs for the company “Balkan”, which were released in USA. He continued his performances in Hellas, mainly at parties and festivals, and died of an incurable disease in 1965.
Paraschos Leontaridis (Kemençeci Parasko): He was born in Constantinople in 1912 and died there on April 13th, 1974. He was the son of Anastasios Leontaridis and brother of Lambros. He took his first music lessons, with his father as his first teacher, immediately after graduating from the Hellenic School in Feriköy. He played for many years in various clubs in Constantinople, then 1950 until his death he played at the Constantinople Radio Station.
Fragiskos Limpritis: Born in Crete in 1795. He learned the old method from Georgios the Cretan, and the new from Grigorios Levitis. He taught at the Music School of New Ephesus and later at the monastery of Agia Zoni in Samos. A most valuable work of his, entitled Introduction to the theory and practice of ecclesiastical music, remained unpublished. He also wrote various other works. He died in 1876.
Symeon Manas(e)idis 85: A scholarly priest of the 19th century, composer, musicologist and teacher in Feres in the province of Ainos. He was also a collector and transcriber of folk songs. He produced many compositions, educational songs and Salutation Anthems, and invented his own system of musical notation, which was however rejected. In 1906, he published a treatise, copied "from a short ancient printed Ok-
85 Nicos Andrikos, “Turkish language Polychronia and Eulogistic Chants to the Sultan Abdulhamit the Second, set to music by ecclesiastical composers”, Moussikos Loghos, iss. 10, Ionian University, 2012.
taechos", in which the notes of the European, Arabic-Persian, Byzantine and Ancient Hellenic musical system are compared, with a relevant diagram provided. He died shortly afterwards. He published many articles in the periodicals of the time ( Ecclesiastical Truth, Phorminx, etc.). Some of his works are preserved in the Patriarchal Library. Among them there is a complete setting of the Akathistos Hymn, book s on varied linguistic subjects, fairy tales and manuscripts in the collection Living monuments of Hellenism.
Manouil Byzantios: He studied with Iacovos the Protopsaltis and Georgios the Cretan. He was distinguished for his serious ecclesiastical style. He became Protopsaltis at the Church of St. Kyriaki in Kontoskalio. He composed Cherouvika, Koinonika , courses of Mathimata, Antiphons, Doxologies, Stichologies, blessings and a collection of Idi omela, Kontakia and Apolytikia. He died in 1819 and was succeeded by Grigorios Levitis.
Mathaios Vatopedinos (1774-1849)86: He was born in Kusadasi, with the name Meletios. A famous musician in Mount Athos, of Ephesus origins. He studied with Petros Byzantios, the three teachers and Ioannikos Vatopedinos. He was famous for his compositional ability and for his musical knowledge in both the old and the new notation. He had many students. Some of his works were published in the Doxastarion of Hourmouzios Hartophylakas. He was also a scribe, creating a rich body of codices (more than forty) and explanatory works, and he was also a poet. In MS 1971 of the Monastery of Vatopedi, there is a touching poem by him dedicated to the national martyr Archbishop Kyprianos.He composed Mathimata, Koinonika, Cherouvika, a Polyeleos, but also newer compositions such as Axion Esti, Katavasies, Apolytikia and Prosomoia.
Alexandros Mavrokordatos (1627-1709): Great Logothete of the Church and Great Interpreter of the Sublime Porte (the so-called "Dragoman"). He was born in Constantinople to parents from Chios. He studied literature, theology and medicine in Italy. He settled in Constantinople where he was appointed Principal of the Patriarchal School (1665-1672), while at the same time he practiced medicine. Soon he gained an international reputation as a scientist and diplomat. He wrote many books - medical, historical, religious, hymnological, literary, philosophical etc. He had wide knowledge of music and was one of the authors of the Preface to the Musical Library, and thus he is numbered among the musicians of his time.
Dimitrios Mavropoulos: He was born in Constantinople where he became a psaltis after finishing high school. After the Asia Minor catastrophe, he came to Hellas and continued as a psaltis
in Aigio. He wrote the Method for practical and theoretical teaching of ecclesiastical Byzantine music in1966, the New Edition of the Divine Liturgy, Melissa (The Bee) in 1968 and the Anthology of classical musical works.
Melhisedek of Raidestos (17th century): Composer and scribe. He was Bishop of Raidestos (1620-1628) and Georgios Raidestenos studied with him. There are Mathimata of his in Papadic and Kratimatario, as well as a slow Doxology (in the first mode). There are autograph manuscripts of his in both the National Library and the Monastery of the Archangels in Aigio (first musical Codex, 1618).
Mikes: He is mentioned as a composer of the 19th century, without further information.
Georgios Misaelidis: See p. 210.
Mihail Misailidis: Protopsaltis of Smyrna. He was born in Koula, Philadelphia where he received his first musical education, which he completed in Constantinople with Theodoros Phokaeas and Ioannis Protopsaltis. Studying the music of the Ancient Hellenes, the Theoretical of Chrysanthos and its completion by P. Agathoklis, he pointed out several inconsistencies, which he presented in 1879 at the Mnemosyne club in the Phanar. He tried to demonstrate that ecclesiastical music is descended from Ancient Hellenic rather than Hebrew music. He also proposed the division of the scale into 72 units (particles) instead of the existing 68, and several other themes. He composed school songs and Salutation Anthems for one or more voices. Mihail was chiefly active in Smyrna, where he published theoretical essays and other things. It was he who introduced Bourgault Ducoudtray to the secrets of eastern music.
Arsenios Moulinos, the monk: A famed music teacher from Kefalonia. He studied music in Mount Athos and in Constantinople with the three teachers. He was a psaltis in Constantinople, Braila, Constantza, Patras, Athens, Lefkada, Syros, Pyrgos, Aigio and finally Galaxidi. He passed away in 1895. His works, which fill 26 volumes, were published by the Holy Synod of the Church of Hellas in 1899.
Stephanos Moysiadis: He had the nickname Koutras, due to his large forehead. He was born in Salmatomvroukion, Constantinople in the early 19th century, and died in 1881 at the age of 79. He studied at the Great School of the Nation. He was taught ecclesiastical music by Petros Simeon Agiotaphitis. In 1846, he disapp roved of and condemned the system of Georgios of Lesbos before the Holy Synod, with the result that it was banned by the Great Church. He was member of the Constantinople Musical Association, and a teacher at the Church Music School. He wrote essays on the differences between ecclesias-
tical music and “tetraphony" (four-part harmony) and the Ottoman and Arabic-Persian music, published in various newspapers in Constantinople, Trieste and Smyrna. He was a master of the lyra and tambour. Wanting to fill in the omissions in Chrysanthos’ Theoretical, he worked for almost twenty years on the publication of his book entitled The Triumph of Music . He composed many works, and trained many students.
Myronis (Kemani Myron): He was from a family in Iasi, and had rare musical skills. He was a violinist, and he and the Jew Isaak Fresco Romano, who played tambour, were the most important musicians of their time. Giovaniskos of Moldovlachia was Myronis’s student. He died very old in Constantinople, in 1842.
Iacovos Nafpliotis (1864 – 1942): He was born in Naxos, probably in 1864. His father was Protopsaltis of the Cathedral of Naxos. From a very young age, Iacovos made his presence felt in Constantinople, being distinguished for his excellent kalliphonic singing, for which he was appointed in 1876 - 1877 as Kanorarch (assistant cantor) in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Galata, and later as First Kanonarch of the Left Patriarchal Choir in 1878 - 1879. His great love of learning quickly raised him to the remaining stages of the musical Hierarchy - Domestikos, Lampadarios and in 1911, Protopsaltis, a position from which he resigned due to old age in 1938. During this time, he taught Byzantine Music at the Patriarchal School in the Phanar. In 1894, he published Phorminx in two volumes, with Songs and other Odes " for the use of Municipal Schools and all friends of Music" and in 1899, along with Domestikos Constantinos Klavvas, the Doxastarion of Petros the Peloponnesian, in two volumes - "faithfully interpreted from the ancient notation to our own by Georgios Violakis". Then, with the cooperation of the Ecclesiastical Association of the Phanar, he recorded various Ecclesiastical Mathimata on records for the Phonographic Company "Orfeon". On many of them, he was helped by his Domestikos, Constantinos Priggos. Iacovos Nafpliotis was a professor at the Patriarchal Great School of the Nation, the Theological School of Halki, the Zappeion Girls’ School, the Maraslio and other institutions of higher education in the Archdiocese of Constantinople.
Nikiphoros Naftouniaris or Kantouniaris of Chios, Archdeacon of Antioch (appr. 17701830): He was taught music after 1790, in Constantinople, by Iacovos Protopsaltis. Afterwards he was in Damascus, where he was ordained Deacon. Finally he went again to Constantinople and from there to Iasi, where he taught in the thriving music school there. To Nikiphoros we owe, aside from his many ecclesiastical and secular compositions, the first transcriptions of the music of at least three folk melodies, as well as the printing, in Byzantine notation, of many Phanariot songs, and of several European, Turkish, Arabic and gypsy songs. His anthology is entitled Melpomene and is found in the library of the Monastery of Vatopedi. Nikiphoros’s man-
uscripts are valuable not only for the highly original material t hey contain, but also because there is a systematic citing of the composers and the lyricists of the collected works. Moreover, he used to embel lish his transcriptions with various comments revealing his likes or dislikes among the works, and even the people represented in his manuscripts.
Anthimos Nicolaidis / Nikolaidis: See p. 211.
Aristidis Nicolaidis: He was born in Constantinople around 1851 and died in 1923. He was a student of Ioannis Protopsaltis, Georgios Violakis and Georgios Raidestinos the Second. He became an excellent performer of the psaltic art, chanting at the Patriarchal Church for 29 years continuously, and following all the stages of the psaltic hierarchy, from 1882 until 1911. Among his students were Patroclos Pananidis, Emmanouil Farlekas etc.
Vasileios Nicolaidis, the Protopsaltis: Known in the psaltic circles of Constantinople with the nickname "Vasilakis”, he was born in 1915 in Pikridio (Hasköy), Constantinople, in the district of Keratio, opposite the Phanar. His father was the famous and sweet-voiced Father Kallinikos, parish priest in Pera. He graduated from the Patriarchal Great School of the Nation in the Phanar and the Turkish State Conservatory, where he was distinguished as a prizewinner in classical Turkish and European music. But his most important study was the Patriarchal Lectern. From childhood, he climbed up to the Lectern next to Iacovos Nafpliotis, and later to Constantinos Priggos. Later, he was appointed to and chanted in various churches in Constantinople. After the expulsion of Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas and the sudden death of Nicolaos Daniilidis, he assumed the position of Protopsaltis in 1966. He directed the Great Choir of the Friends of Music Association, and he taught Byzantine Music at the Theological School of Halki. In addition, he taught European Music in Constantinople’s high schools for 27 years. Treatises by Nicolaidis, published in Constantinople, are: Liturgical (1961), Compendium (Epitome) Anastasimatarion of Matins (1966), The Eleven Eothina (1966), Anthology of Liturgies (1967), The Solemn Vespers (1968), The Great Compline (Apodeipnon), The Divine Liturgy of tha Presanctified (Proigiasmena), The Akathistos Hymn (1968), Short Katavasiai (1969) Anastasimatarion for Vespers (1971) Holy Week (1971), Koinonika (1973), Vespers (1980), Various Psalms (1982). His unpublished works are: Comparison between European and Turkish music , A Volume on Turkish Music and Theoretical on Byzantine Music . His voice is heard on records, which were released under the editing of the musicologist Professor Grigoris Stathis of the Greek Cultural Centre of London, from live recordings at the Patriarchal Church (1981-1982 ). He died after a heart attack on January 4th, 1985.
Nicolakis (Nikolaki Efendi): He was a famous lyra and laouto player (kemençeci, lavtaci). He played in the orchestra of Antonis Kyriazis (Lavtaci Andon). He is considered the best lyra player before Vassilakis. He composed instrumental and vocal works with obvious Western influences. He composed approximately 26 pieces, the best known of which are Mahur and Sehnaz Saz Semaisi. He died around 1915.
Onouphrios Byzantios87: A famous psaltis and composer. He was born in Mega Revma, Bosphorus in 1807 and studied the Patriarchal Music School of the three teachers. He learned secular music from the hanede Dede Ismailakis. He chanted at many churches in Constantinople, and died in Tatavla in 1871. He composed many ecclesiastical chants, as well as secular and scholastic songs. He had the favour and respect not only of the patriarchs and the high clergy, but also of the Sultan Abdul Aziz, who honored him with a gift of 10.000 piastres, when he presented him with a special song in the the Grave Mode Eptaphonos (makam evitz), dedicated to him, and performed by a choir of twelve sweet-voiced kanonarchs. He worked at the Ecclesiastical Music Association and taught many students of the Music School there.
Georgios Pachtikos: See p. 216.
Nicolaos Paganas: He was born in 1844, in Plomari, Lesbos. He chanted for 20 years in his home region, until he stopped for health reasons. Later, he settled in Constantinople where he was the director of the Patriarchate’s registry office until his death. He was involved exclusively with study, and he published, in periodicals, various proposals for the invention of a prototype string instrument able to perform all the eastern scales, for the reformation of the musical intervals, for the correction of the Psaltirio etc., as well as various answers and arguments arising from others’ publications. He issued the works: Teaching of the whole musical art, or Grammar of the language of music (1894), Musical Pedagogy (1897), Musical World (1901). His theoretical views were refuted by Andreas Spatharis, while his Mathimata were not approved by the Great Church (i.e. the Patriarchate). He died in 1907.
Polyhronios Paheidis (Makrineia, Thrace 1850 - Constantinople 1930)88: A learned music teacher and psaltis. At just 11 years old he went to Constantinople, where he became Kanonarch next to the renowned Protopsaltes Theodoros Aristocles and Georgios Raidestinos. He studied with the Deacon Polykarpos of Krini and Hadzi-Panagiotis Kiltzanidis. He was Domestikos of the Patriarchal Cathedral (with G. Violakis as Protopsaltis). He chanted in the Church of Evangelistria in Tatavla and after 1871, in Holy Trinity, in the Church of Christ the Saviour and in the Church of the Assumption in Diplokionio. After 1880 he served as Protopsaltis of The Virgin Kaffatiani in Galata for 22 years, when he left without justification, but he was later appointed again to the Church of Evangelistria, where he had begun his career. He was an active member of the Hellenic Musical Association as secretary and teacher at its School. Later he taught at the school of the Ecclesiastical Music Association. He published in the newspaper Constantinople a full Bibliography of the Twelve Days published by Alexander Byzantios, undertaking the entire cost of publication himself. He also published several of his studies on rhythm in Constantinople’s newspapers, as well as in the journal of the Ecclesiastical Music Association. He supported (and taught) the division of the diapason (octave) into 6 tones (12 semitones). Among his students were Constantinos Katsolas, Constantinos Kiosseoglou (or Kiosses), Eliou
I. Simeonidis, Mihail Hatziathanasiou etc.
Paisios Xiropotaminos: Thettalomagnis, Archimandrite, student of Georgios the Cretan and the three teachers, and a famous musician of his era. He was born in 1790 and died in 1853. When he was at the Plouvouita monastery in Romania, he tried to compose sacred chants in alphabetical notation, in collaboration with two other musicians. In the Library of the Monastery of Xeropotamos there are seven of his booklets containing chants for the annual sequence in alphabetical notation.
Ioannis Palasis: He was born in 1891, in Vogatsiko, Macedonia. As a child, he settled in Constantinople, where he studied at the Zographeio Lyceum, while at the same time he was studying with Neleus Karamados. He was very young when he became Protopsaltis of the Cathedral Church of Amisos in Pontos (Sampsoudos), where he chanted until the Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922). He returned to Constantinople, where he continued to chant as Right Psaltis, initially at St. Euphemia of Chalcedon (1922-1931) and then at St. Nicolaos in Galata (1931-1942). Here he earned wide popular acceptance for his fine voice and art, chanting his own melodies or those of others. At the same time he founded (along with Nileas Karamados and Michael Hatziathanasiou) non-liturgical polyphonic choirs in halls and churches in Constantinople, a tradition that was followed later also by Constantinos Priggos and Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas. As a modern ecclesiastical composer, he is one of
the most meritorious and well known, also in the wider Hellenic area. He composed many and various chants, such as Doxastika, Cherouvika, Services with Axion Esti in various modes, Trisagion (Thrice Holy) Power, also in various modes, etc.
Georgios Pantzoglous, the Hanede (19th century.): An excellent song writer with a sweet voice, for which he gained the favour of the Sultans Mahmoud and Medzid. He composed various songs which he performed for hours at a time, rooting his listeners to the spot. Some Armenian Hanedes were so jealous of him, that they organized a feast where Georgios was richly rewarded, but forced to sing for 15 consecutive hours, a fact that, as tradition says, caused him to spit blood incurably, from which he died in 1850. Among his pupils wa s also Anestis the Hanede.
Polydoros Papachristodoulou: He was born in Saranta Ekklisies, Eastern Thrace, in 1883. He finished the High School and the Teaching School in Adrianople and Philippopolis, and he studied Literature at Athens University. He taught at various schools in Smyrna, Larissa, Thessaloniki, Piraeus and Athens, including the Army Academy and the Naval Academy. He wrote: Thracian Folklore, The Turkmens, Easter and Christmas in Thrace , Lost Worlds , the Past in Thrace, Christmas and New Year’s Eve Stories, The Greek identity of Thrace, Georgios Vizyinos as poet and novelist, Thracian Folklorists of the 19th century. The Anastenaria etc He was president of the Thracian Studies Society from 1938 until his death. His contribution to the study of the folk culture of Thrace was particularly important. He was director of the Thracian magazine until 1933. In 1934, he founded and directed the Archive of Thracian Folklore and Linguistic Treasury. He died in Athens in 1967.
Panagiotis Papadakis: Of Syros descent, he was a student of the three teachers and served as a psaltis in various cities in Turkey and Hellas for fifty years. The Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church approved the "Anthology" he composed, which contains the entire annual sequence together with the Triodion and the Pentekostarion.
Efstratios Papadopoulos89: He was born in 1847, in Kontoskali, Constantinople and he was one of the best students of Georgios Raidestinos. From the age of sixteen, he chanted as Domestikos in the Patriarchate, and then in St. Paraskevi in Hasköy for five years. Subsequently, he sang in the Virgin Mary Kamariotissa in Neochori, Bosphorus, from there in Agios Dimitrios, Tatavla and finally in the church of the Presentation in Stavrodromi, where he stayed for 35 years, from 1877 to 1909. Apart from ecclesiastical music, he also knew European, which he was taught by Cristiani. He was very skilled on the piano, violin and other instruments. He taught music at the Ioakeimio Girls’ School and Zographeio Gymnasium etc. He was the first who created children's choirs, and brought them to sing in church. Later, he was imitated by many others. It was said that his greatest asset was his unimaginable voice and physical endurance. He also knew ArabicPersian music well, which he had studied with the famous Turkish musician Sevki Dede, whose many melodies published in Ioannis Zographos Keivelis’s Anthology he transferred to Byzantine notation. In 1877, he published in Neologos an essay on the intervals, which was refuted by Kiltzanidis. He was offered a post at the Athens Conservatory, but he preferred to stay in Constantinople. He died in 1909.
Georgios Papadopoulos (1862-1938): He held the office of Grand Chief Advocate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and was the secretary and an active member of the Church Music Association, and director of its music school. He is mainly known for his treatises Contributions to the history of our church music, Historical overview of Byzantine ecclesiastical music and Dictionary of Byzantine Music . He also wrote On Gregorian music, The modern hierarchy of the Eastern Orthodox Church and a supplicatory Kanon to the Virgin.
Papas (Papaz): One of the earliest composers, he lived during the 16th century. We have transcriptions of works of his made by the Polish musician and translator at the Palace, Wojciech Bobowski (Ali Ufki). He is also referred to by Kantemir.
Agathangelos Papatheodorou (baptized Ioannis): He was born in 1885, in Arcadiopolis (Loule Bourgaz), Eastern Thrace. He studied in Adrianople and at the Theological School of Halki, whence he graduated in 1909. He stood out for his musical knowledge, his fine voice and his literary skill. He was Protopsaltis of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Pera, he served for 15 years as deacon and school teacher, he was ordained Presbyter in 1924, he was elected Bishop in 1926 and in 1943, he was elected Metropolitan of Kydonies (Ayvalık). Always remaining in Constantinople, he was also involved with journalism. He wrote studies On Church Music , On the Musicians of Thrace and On musical movements in Hellas. He died in Constantinople, in 1960.
Parthenios, of Milos: He lived around the end of 17th century and he was a distinguished expert in ecclesiastical and Arabic-Persian music. He composed Doxologies etc.
Parthenios Mikrostomos: Deacon, an eminent musician, student of Grigorios Levitis and of the hanedes Dede Ismailakis and Stavrakis. He was born in 1804, in Psomathia, Constantinople, where he completed his general education with the monk Iosif of Thesprotia. He chanted in the Church of Christ in Galata and in St. Constantinos in Psomathia. He died in 1870. He composed Eothina, artful Cherouvika and various other ecclesiastical chants, and transcribed the melodies of many Turkish songs in Byzantine notation.
Mihail Pavlidis, the Second: Domestikos of the Great Church, one of the best psaltes who maintained the serious patriarchal style. He was born in 1840 in Chios, and studied with Sotirios Vlahopoulos and others. He was a psaltis in various churches in Constantinople, and Domestikos of the Great Church for almost a decate (1872-1881). He taught theory at the School of the Hellenic Musical Association in Galata and was a member of the Musical Committee of the Patriarchate. He composed many works and trained many students. He died in 1894 in Kandyllio on the Bosphorus.
Petrakis (Tiryaki): An important Hellene composer and instrumentalist in the Ottoman empire of the 16th century. He lived in Constantinople, probably between 1543 and 1600, and participated in an order of Dervishes with the nickname Tiryaki (Theriaklis ). About ten compositions are attributed to him. In some sources he is referred to as Petrakis the Great (Petraki I Kebir), but is more likely that this name relates to the later Petros the Peloponnesian.
Petros Byzantios, the Fugitive90: A pupil of Petros the Peloponnesian, he was born in Neochori, Bosphorus. A virtuoso on the pandourida and the Arabic flute (ney). Following the notational system of his teacher, he wrote down his own works and explained many others that were written in Koukkouzelis’ notation. He composed Cherouvika and Koinonika - many of which were published in various AnthologiesKatavasiai, a Doxology, Kekragaria etc. There is also an autograph Papadiki in the library of the Holy Sepulchre in the Phanar. Other works of his are: Eirmologio of Petros the Peloponnesian , Short Eirmologio, Anastasimatario of Petros the Peloponnesian, Short Anastasimatario, Doxastarion of Petros the Peloponnesian, Doxastarion of Iacovos Protopsaltis etc. Due to his second marriage, he was dismissed from the post of Protopsaltis, and went to Hersona; for this reason he was called "the Fugitive". From there, he went to Iasi, where he died in 1808. Iannis Plemmenos, having identified in Mount Athos nine poems of an amorous character with the name Byzantios in their surtitles, placed them in a chronological order, and with their help, was able to unravel the thread of his life. A troubled life, from the infidelity of his first wife, the ensuing painful separation, his unjust removal from the post of Protopsaltis because of his justified second marriage, to his wandering and death in Eastern Europe (Ukraine - Romania).
Petros Glykis (the Sweet), the Bereketis91: He was a famous composer of ecclesiastical music, one of the most distinguished composers and musicians of the 18th century and the whole period after the Fall. He studied Byzantine music, initially in Constantinople and then with the distinguished Damianos of Vatopedi in Mount Athos. He was head psaltis in the Church of St. Constantinos in Psomathia for a long time, and he acquired the nickname "Bereketis" because when he was asked by his students if he had more eirmoi to teach, he would reply with the Turkish word Bereket ("abundance”). He was the "most popular" church music composer under Ottoman rule.
His work, radical and original in its entirety, expresses the delightful and the artful in an unrivalled degree. His Complete Works, transcribed quite early (1708 Mrs. Eq.) in a Collection, were soon widely distributed. He composed many and various chants, eirmoi in particu-
90 Iannis Plemmenos, The musical portrait of the Neohellenic Enlightment , Psepheda (Digital Library & Institutional Repository of University of Macedonia), Athens 2002.
91 Research and Publications Centre, http://www.e-kere.gr/biographika/PETER BEREKETIS
lar, which were melodically sweeter than others of his contemporaries (hence, such eirmoi were named Kalophonic, and Bereketis is called "the father of the Kalophonic Eirmos"). He composed the slow dichoro "Virgin Mother of God" (with the kratima) divided into eight short sections (corresponding to the eight modes), which is chanted at vigils, considered as his masterpiece. He also composed: Polyelei, Doxologies, artful Asmatika, a Pasapnoario of Matins, various Koinonika, Cherouvika and Katavasiai for the Sunday before Christmas; in addition, a Salutation Anthem to Peter the Great of Russia. All his works are found in Constantinople, in the library of the Holy Sepulchre Dependency. Many of these were published in several Anthologies (transcribed into the new method by the three teachers). Recently, in Athens, in 1996 and 1998, the First and Second part of his Complete Works were published in a transcription by Grigorios.
Petros Ephesios (c. 1840): Born in Kusadasi, in the second half of the 18th century. His father was a builder, specialising in the building of minarets. Peter followed the profession of his father from a very young age. At the same time, he was taught ecclesiastical music by the famous musician, composer and music teacher Georgios the Cretan, who stayed for some time in Kusadasi. His inclination towards music soon became apparent, and so his father sent him to Constantinople, to continue his education there. He studied at the Patriarchal Music School with the three teachers. He was trained in the old shorthand system of ecclesiastical music. In Constantinople, Peter, along with ecclesiastical music, studied also European. In the early 19th century he was active as a psaltis and music teacher in the city, where he excelled. Thanks to his skills, he became more widely known. As a result, the community of Bucharest invited him to teach music at the Hegemonic School there. Peter responded to the call with success. While he was in Bucharest, he also founded the renowned Hegemonic Choir, which followed the monophonic system. His contribution to the printing of ecclesiastical music is also important. After continuous study and application, he created typographic elements for the musical characters of the new writing system of ecclesiastical music. With these elements he published in Bucharest, in 1820, the first Anastasimatarion and then the original Short Sticherarion or Doxastarion of Petros Lampadarios the Peloponnesian. Both books were transcribed from the old shorthand into the new notation system by Grigorios the Protopsaltis. The composition of ecclesiastical works is also attributed to Petros Ephesios. He died in Bucharest in 1840.
Petros Symeon Agiotaphitis: The so-called New Byzantios, he was famed Protopsaltis of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Dependency in the Phanar. He came from Constantinople and was a student of Georgios the Cretan, Manouil the Protopsaltis and the three teache rs in the Fourth Patriarchal Music School. He was famed for continuing the solemn ecclesiastical musical style of Manouil Protopsaltis, because he could retain faithfully in his memory the lines of innumerable compositions of the old music teachers. He was also an excellent musical calligrapher. He interpreted many old compositions, which the three teachers of the new musical method had not yet transcribed. He composed a collection of Idiomela and Doxastika for the whole annual cycle, with Apolytikia, Kontakia and other eirmologic pieces in a bulky volume; additionally, a series of Cherouvika in imitation of Petros Byzantios and eleven Eothinon, later than those of Petros the Peloponnesian. He trained many students. He was eighty years old when he died, in 1861.
Petros, the Peloponnesian92: One of the greatest musical figures of the 18th century. He was born around 1730 in the Peloponnese (perhaps in the village Gorani in Laconia) and died in 1778 from the plague. G. Papadopoulos informs us that he was a pupil "as a child in Smyrna" to some monk- musician, and later in Constantinople to the Protopsaltis Ioannis Trapezoundios. In 1770, upon the death of Ioannis and the appointment of Daniil as Protopsaltis, Petros became Lampadarios of the Great Church. As G. Papadopoulos quotes: “Petros Lampadarios is admired by his contemporaries, due to his excellent musical understanding and imitation, as well the fact that he is able to preserve faithfully with his writing any melody, even if it has been chanted by others. The Ottomans call him Hirsiz Petros (the thief) and Hotza (teacher)". The assertion does not seem to have been adequately proved that, during his stay in Smyrna, Petros was initiated into the Order of Mevlevi dervishes. However, the active participation of the dervishes in his funeral is striking. Beside ecclesiastical music, he was importantly involved in secular music (exoteriki mousiki). He verifiably composed over 100 secular songs, using Turkish scales and rhythms, but Hellenic verses. He taught secular music even to Turkish teachers. He composed the full range of musical mathimata, i.e. Sticheraria, Eirmologia, Kratimataria, Oikimataria, Papadikes, Doxastaria, Cherouvika, Koinonika, Doxologies, Pasapnoaria, Evlogitaria, Polyelei, Kalophonic Eirmoi and Kratimata. He preserved many older works by transcribing them from the old writing into his own notation system.
Nicolaos Phardys (1853-1900) 93: Born in Samothraki in 1853. His father Basileios taught him his first letters, and at the age of 12 he went to Smyrna, where he worked and at the same time studied psalmody and music with Nicolaos Protopsaltis of Smyrna, while attending the Boys' School. In 1874, he entered the Evangelical School of Smyrna. With the end of his studies, he returned to Samothraki, where he married Assanio Phragkomihali. With her he had eight children. During his studies in Smyrna, he collected the melodies he heard, as he said, on the streets, in taverns and other places. Some of these had been noticed by the specialists only for their verses, as M. F. Dragoumis writes. After Smyrna, Phardys decided to study medicine in Marseilles. At the same time, he gave private lessons to expatriate Hellene children. He worked with authoritative journals like the Sunrise of Smyrna, Zion of Athens etc. In 1884, his Essay On writing with no accents was published. In 1885, the Hellenic community of Marseilles decided to ask him to teach the Hellenic language and
92 Iannis Plemmenos, “Petros Lampadarios, a Peloponnesian dervish”, Sunday Vima, 18/7/1999 – Iss. No. 12640, p. B03.
93 Evaggelia Serafeim - Rigopoulou, “Nicolaos V. Fardys of Samothrace”, Endochora, Alexandroupolis 2006, and Nicos Katsanis, periodical “Exopolis”, issue 17, Alexandroupolis, winter 2002-2003.
tradition to the Hellenes of Corsica, where the Uniate Church was aiming at their latinisation. In 1887, he returned to Samothraki, where he participated in the public affairs of the island, sometimes as Mayor, and sometimes as a lively and dynamic element in Samothraki. Being trained in ecclesiastical music, he chanted in the church. He involved himself with musicology, and wrote articles on literature, history, religion, archaeology, language, folklore, coinage, geology and medicine, as characteristically noted by Marcos Dragoumis, the researcher of Phardys’ music collection. From 1890 onwards, he became a member of several Hellenic and foreign scientific associations, took part in musical competitions, while at the same time making public his thoughts on the course and the rules of those musical competitions. In 1893 , a year of earthquakes in the island of Samothraki, Phardys wrote an article on the subject, and subsequently completed his theory about Zgorafa "as the centre of the earthquakes in Samothraki". Also, in 1898, the School Lecture was printed and a year later The Coinage of Samothraki . The Epithetologio and the History of Samothraki remained unpublished due to financial difficulties. However, some novels, as the Anthroposostis Ailouros (The people-saving tomcat), were issued, while others, such as I Nisos ton Fagadon (The island of gluttons), To Proto Mou Fili (My first kiss), I Orfani (The Orphan Girl) and others, along with unpublished, satirical poems, folklore material and fairy tales remained unpublished. Phardys died in 1901, at 48 years old. Recently, Markos Dragoumis published the melodies that were written down by Phardys, and recorded some of them.
Emmanouil Pharlekas: He was born in Aidin, Asia Minor, in 1877. He served for more than thirty years in various positions in churches of Aydin, Constantinople and Ephesus. In 1924 he was in Hellas as secretary to the Archdiocese of Athens. For his contribution, his literary activity and his advice for the dissemination of Byzantine Music, he was given the title “protonotarios” (chief notary). He taught Byzantine music at the Athens Conservatory (1937-1957). His works included Anoixantaria, a Triodion, a Pentecostarion, An Akathistos Hymn, etc. He was co-founder of the Association "John of Damascus" (Ioannis Damaskinos). From 1924, he published the Ecclesiastical Calendar Handbook , as well as various musical works, such as a Triodion (Athens 1931), etc. He died in 1958.
Petros Philanthidis (Panormos Kyzikou [Bandirma] around 1840 - Constantinople 1915)94: An important scholar- musician of the 19th century from Asia Minor. He had a reputation as a psaltis with a be autiful voice and an esteemed composer. His real surname was Philentas (father of the scholar, Menos Philentas, 1870-1934). He studied with Ioannis Byzantios, Ioannis Kavadas, and possibly also with Georgios Raidestinos and he chanted for years in his home town. Later he became First Domestikos of the Patriarchal Church and taught at the Music School of the Ecclesiastical Music Association of Constantinople. He knew Arabic-Persian music well, and he formed a collection of 300 Byzantine songs and other secular compositions, of which it is said that not only did it receive an award in 1894-1895 from the "Zographeio Contest" of the Hellenic Philological Association of Constantinople, but it was also published in 1901, under the title Odeon (a fact which is disputed today with strong evidence by M. F. Dragoumis, although the edition of the Odeon was announced in 1902, in issues 17 and 19-20 of the "Forminx", 94 M. Dragoumis, “An unpublished song collection of Petros Filanthidis of Asia Minor”, Reading, issue 74, Athens 1992.
while the pre-registrations were made in issue 22). He also published studies and dissertations on Byzantine music (as in the Constantinople Review of June 1890, etc.) as well as transcriptions of folk songs (in Phorminx, the Appendix to Ecclesiastical Truth, etc.). In 1887, he issued in Constantinople a book of school songs entitled Children’s Paradise. He composed the melodic part of the Sequence for St. Emilianos. In 1906, he printed in Constantinople the Athoniada (a 2-volume Doxastarion, which combines the style of Petros the Peloponnesian with that of Iacovos Protopsaltis) and in 1908, he published an article entitled Pre-theory of our national melodies in Phorminx” He also formulated a rhythmic theory for the transcription of folk songs, using special rhythmic symbols
Kyriakos Philoxenis, priest, Ephesiomagnis: A scholar musician who also dealt with the literature of our music. He learned the practice of music from his grandfather, Haci Pali of Ephesus, who was a musician and died in 1808, as well as from a monk from Crete, named Iosifph, while he was taught the theory of music by Athanasios Selefkias, from whom he inherited many manuscripts on the subject of musical literature. In 1859, he published an Elementary Theoretical of Music , in which he included most of the Theoretical of Chrysanthos. He also issued the Dictionary of Greek Ecclesiastical Music (from the letters A-M), with explanations of all the technical terms of music in alphabetical order, chiefly in a theoretical analysis, but sometimes with musical examples for better comprehension. In 1870, he wrote a Dictionary of Jewish, Ancient Hellenes and some European and Byzantine musicians, (it fi nally remained unpublished) based on the two-volume Hellenic Library of Anthimos Gazis, the Dictionary of Fiction of Joseph Magnis, the Literary and Critical History of K. Kontogonos and other writings. Georgios Papadopoulos, who studied it, claimed it was valuable, and he used many of its entries, concerning the musicians of the 18th century, in his book Contribution to the History of our Ecclesiastical Music (Athens 1982), complementing them with further information he collected from older music teachers. Philoxenis died in 1880, in Constantinople, with his family around him.
Theodoros papa-Parashou Phokaeas95: He was born in Phokaea, Asia Minor in 1790. His father, Paraschos, was a priest and gave him his first musical lessons. During his adolescence, however, he lost his eyesight for nine years. Later he learned the old notation from his brother, Alexandros in Kydonies. He also studied with Georgios the Cretan and later in Constantinople, with the three teachers of the new method. He chanted for a long time at St. Dimitrios in Tatavla and St. Nicolaos in Galata, and afterwards concerned himself with teaching and the writing of books. He published many ecclesiastical works by ancient musicians (i.e. before the 18th century) in two and three volume Anthologies, with such great success that many editions were needed. With the Theoretical of Chrysanthos as a basis, he published the Bedrock of Musical Theory,
95 From an article by the professor Mr. Gregorios Stathis on the web site of the Athens Society of Constantinople Music Lovers, http://www.cmkon.org/home.php?action=view1&category=/psaltiki/istoria_mousiki/ymnodoi/theodoros_fokaes&hr=1&language=GR
the Musical Bee, the Treasury Anthology, the Pandora (a two-volume collection of Hellenic and Turkish songs) as well as Euterpe, a collection of Arabic-Persian and Hellenic songs attributed to Hanede Zacharias. He personally composed various ecclesiastical and other songs. He died in Constantinople, in 1851. Among his over five hundred pupils were included Georgios Violakis, Anestis Hanede, Grigorios Constantas, Misail Misailidis and others.
Dionysios Photeinos:96 Phanariot scholar, historian, poet and musician who was active in Romania in the early 19th century. In the preface of his work New Erotokritos, he informs us that he was from Patras. He was born probably in 1777 (Romanian researchers believe earlier, in 1769) and died in Bucharest in October, 1821, at the age of 44. His father Athanasios was a famous psaltis and doctor for a lengthy period in Constantinople, and he succeeded in being appointed the official physician of Sultan Abdul Hamid (1778-1789). After the death of the Sultan, he returned to his family in the Peloponnese. Dionysios went to Constantinople for studies. There, he completed his musical training – he had been initiated into ecclesiastical music by his father – beside the great masters Iacovos Protopsaltis and Petros Byzantios,- "of whom he was an imitator", as noted by his later pupil, Antonios Pantoleon (Anton Pann). Around 1797, he left Constantinople and went to Wallachia, where he worked at first as a psaltis and teacher of church music. He knew also eastern instrumental music, but also played the piano which had just been introduced in Wallachia.
As a good musician, a historian, an imaginative raconteur and a composer of epigrams with political content, Dionysios conquere d the sympathy of Bucharest society, and entered the Phanariot Court as Vatahos (Prefect, Inspector) under the protection of the Great Ban (governor) Dimitris Ghikas, in whose home he lived as the teac her of his children. In time, he assumed distinguished offices in the country and in 1812, he was ispravnik (prefect) in Gialomitza, Wallachia. The ruler of Wallachia, Ioannis Karatzas, fearing that Photeinos would write bad things about him in his work History of Dacia , awarded him the title, in 1818, of Great Serdar - the title held by the head of the cavalry. He was initiated into the Philiki Etaireia (Society of Friends,) possibly by his close friend Iacovakis Rizos Neroulos, and he often stigmatized the Turkish tyranny in his works. He married in 1820 "an ill-bred and debauched girl", as she is characterised by his nephew Elias, who “through her illwill, even plotted against his own life, secretly giving him poison to drink ” Dionysios died a year and four months after his marriage. He was buried with solemnity in Bucharest. Recently, his Anastasimatarion, which he wrote in 1809, was published in Karyes.
96 Communication by Panagiotis Ant. Andrianopoulos to the Achaean Intellectual Symposium held by the Society for Peloponnesian St udies, 2006, in Aegio, http://panagiotisandriopoulos.blogspot.gr/2008/12/blog-post_3900.html and Nicolae Gheorgjita, Prologue in the Anastasimatario of Dionysios Fotinos, Holy Skete of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Mount Athos 2009, http://www.impantokratoros.gr/dat/storage/dat/49617E91/ Anastasimatarion%20neon_Prologos.pdf
Georgios Constantinou Pilelis: Protopsaltis of Ioannina. For many years he studied at the Fourth Patriarchal Music School of the three inventors of the new method. He composed many ecclesiastical chants. He published articles on Byzantine music, in the religious newspaper Zion of Athens. He taught many students. He died in 1885, leaving his work Theoretical of our music unpublished.
Ioannis Plousiadinos (also referred to as "Koukoumas")97: Priest, polymath and great musician. It was said that he lived in the 10th century (before Koukouzelis), but recent research places him at the end of the 15th century (he died in 1500). He wrote a "Grammar of Music" that deals with Ancient Hellenic and Byzantine music, mostly the musical symbols, metrophony, rhythm and modes. There is also a “rhapsody” of the Great Ison of Papadiki, in which he ennumerates the characters and the locations of the principal and adjectival names, ie the large and small hieroglyphic symbols, the actions and their lines (used in his time to represent the melodies). There are also "positions" (melodically) in all three musical genres. The "Mega Ison" is entitled Method of Ioannis Plousiadinos . He also wrote a smaller Primer (in the eight modes) for the training of beginners (entitled Method of Mount Athos ) and a musical wheel called The wise variation. His works included several slow compositions. Among these is a hymn for two voices The eorakos eme, found in the MS. 215, f. 67 of the Doheiarios Monastery on Mount Athos.
Nikolaos Poulakis, Protopsaltis of Chios: He was born around 1810, in Chios and he died in 1889, in the hospital there, where he had remained after the earthquake on the island. He was a student of the three inventors of the new method. He composed many pieces which remained unpublished, and he taught many students.
Georgios Prasinos: The composer of the kratoma Psaltira. He was a Priest, Chamberlain and Protopsaltis from Athens. He lived before the Fall.
Constantinos Priggos:98 Born in Constantinople in 1892. There, he studied at the Zographeio High School. He took his first musical lessons in Pera, at the age of ten, from the students of Georgios Raidestinos the Second, Efstratios Papadopoulos Byzantios and Mihail Mourkidis. Subsequently he studied at the Patriarchal Music School with Iacovos Nafpliotis. He chanted in many churches in Constantinople. In 1925, he went to Hellas where he chanted in Tinos, Kavala and Thessaloniki. In 1933, he returned to Constantinople where, in 1938, he became Lampadarios and in 1939, he replaced the Protopsaltis Iacovos Nafpliotis - until 1959, when he resigned due to health problems. Then he left for Hellas, where he died in 1964. He was an excellent composer
97 Conomos Dimitri. “Experimental polyphony in late Byzantine psalmody, according to the Latins” in Early Music History, Vol. 2, October 1982, pp.1-6. Cambridge University Press, 1982.
98 Stamatis Papamanolakis, Constantinos Priggos in http://www.ec-patr.net/gr/psaltai/priggos.htm
with much rich creative activity, but, however, no publications. His only official essay is the Patriarchal Forminx, Holy Week, Doxastarion and Anastasimatarion. He composed many Cherouvika, liturgies, anthems etc. Priggos excelled as the choral director, from 1948, of the newly formed Choir of the Constantinople Friends of Music Association, which he directed with great mastery and discipline. In conclusion, Priggos honored the patriarchal lectern, standing out for his excellent singing and his musical cultivation.
Prokopios, Metropolitan of Sozoagathoupolis: He was a member of the Holy Synod of Constantinople during 1850, when the declaration of the autocephalous (independent) Hellenic Church was signed. He died as a private citizen in Pringipos, in 1884. He set some political lyrics to music, and composed some ecclesiastical chants.
Constantinos Psachos: see p. 246.
Constantinos Psaroudakis: Protopsaltis in Crete, one of the best pupils of the three teachers at the Fourth Patriarchal Music School. After his studies he went to Crete, where he became Protopsaltis, and taught many pupils. He died at a great age in July 1884.
Alexandros Rizos Ragkavis: Son of Iacovos, he was born in Constantinople in 1809 and died in Athens in 1892. He was a Professor of Archeology, a senior government official, Ambassador in many capitals, Minister of Foreign Affairs and a writer of novels, poems, songs, scientific studies and memoirs. He wrote many works in the fields of archaeology, drama, comedy, short stories, ancient translations, etc. In 1874, he issued in Paris the Mousiki Anthodesmi (Musical Bouquet), a collection of melodies adapted to songs of A. R. Ragkavis , including numerous poems of his, adapted to melodies of various composers of the era (Schubert, Shumann, Beethoven, Bellini, Weber, Haydn, Donizzetti etc.), written for voice and piano. He was also involved with Byzantine music, giving presentations at conferences and publishing several scholarly articles in newspapers ( Estia, Ecclesiastical Truth , I '7, p. 5102 1888). He was also a member of the committee of Archbishop Germanos for the restriction of tetraphony (four-part ecclesiastical music).
Georgios Raidestinos, the First:99 Protopsaltis and musician, he flourished around 1680. He was a student of Bishop Melhisedek of Raidestos. He composed many Mathimata in Papadic style and slow, artful Pasapnoaria of Matins in different modes, as well as other ecclesiastical chants of Kratimatario, Oikimatario and Sticherario. Most of his works were transcribed by the new method.
99 Web site of the Apostolic Deaconry of Greece , http://www.apostolikidiakonia.gr/byzantine_music/ymnografoi/ymnografoi.asp?main=melodoi_sort.asp&page=111
Georgios Raidestinos, the Second: Born in 1833, in Raidestos, where he was first taught music, completing his studies in Constantinople with Constantinos Byzantios. He developed into an inimitable psalmodist; by general consent the best of all his contemporaries, being famous especially for his archaic patriarchal musical style. He was a psaltis in various churches in Constantinople. In 1863, he was appointed Lampadarios and in 1871, Protopsaltis, a position he held until 1876. After that he chanted again in various churches. He edited all the Mathimata for the yearly sequence and composed many that are distinguished for their sweetness. He published two volumes with melodic sequences for Holy Week, Pentecost etc. His works were issued in the Musical Anthology of Dimitrios Kyphiotis (1894), in En anthos tis kath’ imas ekklisiastikis mousikis (A Flower of our Church Music) of Agathangelos Kyriazidis (1896) and in the musical newspaper Forminx (A’ yr., p. 3 and 129). He was president of the Hellenic Musical Association (1880-1884), as well as director and teacher of its Music School. Among his bequests, he also left a collection of traditional and other songs. He trained few but excellent students. He died in 1889.
Georgios Sarantaekklisiotis:100 A psaltis with a fine, flexible voice, an eminent composer and an expert in secular music. Born in 1841, in Saranta Ekklisies, Eastern Thrace, he was a pupil of Zosimas the monk, protopsaltis of the Iviron monastery, as well as to other great music teachers in Constantinople. From 1864 until his death, in 1891, he chanted in the most important churches in Constantinople. He composed various Mathimata, many of which were published in A Flower of our Church Music of Agathaggelos Kyriazidis and the Musical Twelve Days of Alexandros Byzantios. He also composed hymns and odes to the Sultan, published in the Sweet-Voiced Siren by Panagiotis Kiltzanidis. Many of his students became important psaltes. Georgios Sarantaekklisiotis composed an Ode, comprising three hanes in Hellenic and a refrain in Turkish for the Sultan Abdulhamid. This was chanted at a ceremony held in the Great School of the Nation on the first anniversary of the establishment of the Ecclesiastical Music Association of Constantinople.
Lambros Savvaidis: He was born in Constantinople around 1886. A virtuoso on the kanun, one of the most important of his time, he participated in recordings during the first half of the 20th century. He worked with great singers and musicians such Papasideris, Rosa, Roukounas, Asikis, Ambatzi, Tompoulis, Semsis etc. He belongs to the generation of musicians who came from Constantinople and Asia Minor after the disaster and gave an Eastern flavour to the music of Hellas.
Constantinos Savvopoulos: First Domestikos of the Great Church. He was born around 1820, in Saranta Ekklisies, Eastern Thrace and died in 1882. He studied at the Patriarchal School of Xirokrini where he had Stephanos Moyssiadis as his music teacher. He worked as secretary to the Bishop (and later Patriarch) of Crete, Dionysius V, and as Protopsaltis of Crete. In Constantinople, he became Director of the Municipal School of Tsivali and psaltis in various churches. In 1871, he was appointed Second Domestikos to the Patriarchal Church and taught music at the Seminary. He published, in 1881, the Canon for Holy Thursday. He left unpublished an Argon and Short Anastasimatarion. He trained many students.
Antonios Sigalas:101 A famous musician and composer of the 19th century, from the island of Thira (Santorini). He studied at the Patriarchal School of Music and completed his studies with Hourmouzios Hartofylakas. He composed the short Anoixantaria of Theodoros Phokaeas, published in Melissa (The Bee), as well as five national and royal ceremonies. Working tirelessly for half a century, he compiled a collection of three hundred national songs, which was given an award at the Third Olympic Exhibition of 1875, and published in 1880. He also composed numerous ecclesiastical chants, which were included, together with works by others, in 14 volumes of thirty sheets each, which received an award during the Fourth Olympic period. He wrote many articles on Hellenic music in newspapers, on an occasional basis. From his youth until his death, at the age of about 90 years, he did not stop chanting in churches, and teaching music free.
Meletios Sinaitis, the Cretan (the Old): He lived in the early 18th century. He mainly composed Kalophonic Eirmoi, two of which are the most widespread (in manuscript and printed tradition): the fifteen-syllable Pantanassa panymnite in the fourth mode, and the Poia metir ikousthi parthenos (Whose mother was a virgin) in the fourth mode..
101 Dean Ant. Valvis, “Ecclesiastical Music and the enlighted teacher Antonios Sigalas of Thera”, Holy Monastery of Koutloumousio, Mount Athos 2009.
Giorgakis Sivelioglou (Yorgaki Şivelioğlu, Şîvelioğlu kemânî Yorgi): A singer (Hanedes). In the decade of the 1780s, according to the biographer Antoine Murat, "the most important singer in the Turkman musical style was a Hellene named Giorgakis Sivelioglou. He had a deep knowledge of music and he brought the Turkman style to its highest level". Charles Fonton wrote in 1751, that he introduced the European violin to the Ottoman orchestra. There is a small possibility that Sivelioglou was the same person as George N. Soutzos (Yorgaki Efendi). Many of his Turkish language and instrumental compositions are preserved.
Costas Skarvelis or Pastourmas: He was born in Constantinople in 1880, and was involved with music from a very young age. After coming of age, in order to avoid conscription into the Turkish army, he fled and settled with relatives in Alexandria in Egypt. He most probably settled in Athens before the Asia Minor Catastrophe. His main job was as a shoemaker. Upon the settlement of the Asia Minor refugees in Hellas, he immediately began his professional career as a musician. With the beginning of popular recording in Hellas (1924-1925), he took part in the first recordings with all the then known companies. His own first songs were released by the French company Pathé around 1928-1929, while his voice was recorded on discs of the German Polydor label. From 1930, he was director of Hellenic Columbia. He wrote hundreds of songs, of which over 200 have been identified on 78 rpm disks. His songs were interpreted by the greatest singers of the interwar period. During the German occupation, in order to survive, Costas Skarvelis practiced his old profession, repairing shoes. But he didn’t make it, and drew his last breath on April 8, 1942, from hunger.
Georgios Skrekos: Born in the early 19th century, in Thessaly. He studied in Constantinople with the three teachers. He was an excellent musician and chanted for many years in Pyrgos, Peloponnese, where he died in 1884. His works remain unpublished.
Georgios Nikolaou Soutzos, the Dragoumanakis (1760-1816): 102 His teacher, in Constantinople, was Chrysanthos Apokouritis the Aitolian, and later Evgenios Voulgaris. He translated six tragedies of Metastasio (1779), the Loyal Shepherd of Guarini (1804) etc. He also wrote the Alexandrovoda, satirizing Alexandros Mavrokordatos the Firaris (1785). Although he was called “Dragoumanakis” (little Dragoman ) because he replaced his brother Alexandros as Great Interpreter, he stayed away from politics, cultivating letters and poetry, as well as TurkishPersian music, having been recognized and esteemed as a lyricist and "song maker". His poems are found in many anthologies, set to music usually by himself,. In the musical manuscript Melpomene we find also a beste that he composed "for his deceased daughter." This piece has also Ottoman lyrics (Suhmesrebdir, Zarif). A Phanariot song, Tin oraia sou eikona, ston kathreptin an idis ” (Your beautiful picture, if you
see it in the mirror), is included in the manuscript of Raidestinos, with the note that this song belongs to "the lord Postelnikos Georgios Soutzos". MS. 231, in the Gennadeios library, contains four poems that are likewise attributed to the " most noble lord Postelnikos Georgios Soutzos”. Two of these songs were very popular: the Ti megali symfora, ti imera, ti eidiseis (What a great calamity, what a day, what news) and the Ti kakon thanatiforon, ti anoetos pligi (What a lethal evil, what a foolish wound). We find the same ones in the MS of Iliaskos, but also printed in the Anthology of Zissis Daoutis and in the New Erotokritos of Dionysios Fotinos. Particularly interesting are the four poems of 1790 that are contained in a MS of the Library of the Benaki Museum, where the parentage of the verses is secured for Soutzos with the indication “by Georgakis Terzimanzades.”
Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas: Born in Constantinople in 1910, he studied with Dimitrios Therapianos, Michael Hatziathanasiou, Dimitrios Voutsinas, Giangos Vasileiadis and Ioannis Palasis. He chanted successively in numerous churches, such as St. Minas, Analipsi, St. Constantinos in Psomathia, St. Nikolaos in Galata (1929-1939), and finally in the Patriarchal Church, first as Lampadarios (1939-1959) and then as Protopsaltis from 1959 to 1964, when he was expelled from Constantinople. After that, he settled in Athens where he also chanted (1966-1981) in Agios Dimitrios in Ambelokipi. He died in 1987. Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas was the successor of a long tradition of great protopsaltes,and he fortunately left us many exemplary recordings. He also concerned himself with secular music, singing songs in the Byzantine style, few of which he recorded.
Stavrakis Constantinos Byzantios, the Hanede: He was born in Tatavla, Constantinople and was learned in Byzantine and Arabic-Persian music. For several years he chanted with Theodoros Phokaeas in St. Nikolaos in Galata. It is very likely that he was identical to the “İstavri Efendi” who is mentioned in various sources. In 1830, along with Theodoros Phokaeas, he issued a collection of Arabic-Persian songs entitled Euterpe, where there is no reference to the composers of the songs. Kyriakos Philoxenis attributes them to the much earlier Zacharias "Hanede", while others attribute them to the editors. He died in 1835.
Vasileios Stephanidis: Doctor, philosopher and deeply learned in music. Born in Neohori, Bosphorus and was active around the end of the 18th century He wrote his musical works in the notation system of Petros the Peloponnesian, though later he was taught also the new method by the three teachers. He wrote a theory of music in Latin, which was issued in Florence in 1791, under the title Harmonics. His theoretical treatise entitled Schediasma Peri Mousikis, Idiaiteron Ecclisiastikis en etei 1819 (Sketch of Music, Ecclesiastical in particular, in the Year 1819 was published in the fifth issue of the Journal of the Constantinople Ecclesiastical Music Association, from a manuscript belon ging to Georgios Violakis.
Stephanos Mihail Domestikos: He was Lampadarios of the Great Church, when Ioannis Byzantios was Protopsaltis. He was born in Tatavla and was a student of Hourmouzios Hartofylakas. He was an eminent psalmodist and composer. In 1840, he published the Muse in which he interpreted the system of the branches of Arabic-Persian music, and in 1850, together with Ioannis Lampadarios, the four-volume Pandekti which contained many works of various earlier composers. He also published the Musical Hive (Mousiki Kypseli) and a Compendium Anthology (Musical Encyclopedia). He was also writing a Theoretical, which was not finished because of his death in 1864, but was completed later by Panagiotis Kiltzanidis.
Stephanos the violinist (kemani Stefano): no further biographical information.
Nikolaos Stogiannis (or Stogianovich) : Lampadarios at the Great Church, he was born in the Tekfur district of Constantinople. He was a student of Constantinos Byzantios the Protopsaltis. He was distinguished for his modest style and his beautiful voice. He served in the Patriarchal Church for fifty years, until 1888, when he voluntarily resigned. He was also a teacher for 38 years (1833-1871) at the Municipal School of the Phanar, where he also taught ecclesiastical music. He died in 1893, over 90 years old. His works remain unpublished.
Theodoros Symeon, the so-called Short: He was one of the first students of the new method, and was distinguished for his big voice. Hanede Dede Ismailakis taught him secular music, which later Theodoros taught with great success. He held a place in the Church of the Archangels in Valata for fifteen years, and for eighteen years in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Diplokionio. He composed Kalophonic Eirmoi and school songs that remained unpublished. He trained numerous students.
Elias Tantalidis: He was born in Constantinople in 1818 and studied at the Patriarchal School there, the Evangelical School of Smyrna and the Philosophical School of Athens University. In 1841, he returned to Constantinople and released a religious periodical. Four years later he lost his sight, and the Patriarchate appointed him to the Halki Seminary where he taught successfully for thirty years, so that the Patriarchate rewarded him with the office of the great Orator of the Church. He wrote the poetry collections Games , Private Verses and a book of children's songs, the music of which was edited by him, while the harmonization was done by Bourgault-Ducoudray. He also published, in the Appendix to Ecclesiastical Truth, Salutation Anthems and Odes. Additionally, he wrote studies on Papal controls, The Schism and the Patriarch Kyrillos II of Jerusalem, etc. He died in Constantinople in 1876.
Anastasios Tapinos of Hydra: Sweet-voiced musician and composer, a pupil of Grigorios Levitis, whom he imitated perfectly. He lived to a great age and died in 1884, leaving many unpublished musical works.
