Transcriptions by Porphirij Uspenskij

[Shota]

As a historical curiosity, I attach the transcriptions of several pieces into staff notation done by Archimandrite (and later Bishop) Porphirij Uspenskij* (they were published in his Первое путешествие в Афонские монастыри и скиты в 1846 году. Ч.2. Приложения к 2-му отделению 2-й части. 1881. The entire volume can be downloaded here). I don't know where he got them from. The pieces are as follows:

- Kekragarion of Mode 1 (no lyrics), pp. 93-94.
- Kekragarion of Mode Plagal 1 (no lyrics), pp. 95-96.
- Dogmatikon of Mode Plagal 1 (no lyrics), pp. 97-98.
- Cheroubikon of Balasios, Mode 1 (no lyrics), pp. 99-102.
- Cheroubikon of Chrysaphes, Mode 3 (no lyrics), pp. 103-106.
- Axion estin (Greek lyrics transliterated into Russian), p. 107.
- Teaching method of Balasios (no lyrics), pp. 108-112.

* Russian traveller and erudite with some disposition towards stealing rare old manuscripts from the Christian Orient.

 

[emakris]

Well, no mystery, my friend. He transcribes from Cod. Petropolitanus graecus 238, a Greek manuscript written in Kievan staff notation, with the exception of "Axion estin", which (according to my experience) originates probably from an Ukrainian Heirmologion (I cannot identify it right now, but I will look for it). The Mathema by Balasios is the Theotokion Τὸ τοῦ Ὑψίστου ἡγιασμένον in fourth mode (no teaching method).
He makes some mistakes, but his transcription tries to be faithful to the original.

 

[Shota]

Well, no mystery, my friend. He transcribes from Cod. Petropolitanus graecus 238, a Greek manuscript written in Kievan staff notation, with the exception of "Axion estin", which (according to my experience) originates probably from an Ukrainian Heirmologion (I cannot identify it right now, but I will look for it). The Mathema by Balasios is the Theotokion Τὸ τοῦ Ὑψίστου ἡγιασμένον in fourth mode (no teaching method).
He makes some mistakes, but his transcription tries to be faithful to the original.

I actually now found relevant information in Uspenskij's book (pp. 83-84): indeed he says that the transcriptions are from a ms written in Kievan staff notation that he discovered by chance in the metochion of St. Catherine's monastery in Cairo. He says that judging by the shape of the notes and overall "new look" of the ms they are done in Kiev (there was St. Catherine's monastery which belonged to Mt. Sinai there) at the end of the 18th c. He further speculates that they are possibly done at request of his teachers by the hieromonk Constantios (later Archbishop of Mt. Sinai and Ecumenical Patriarch) who studied in Kiev Theological Academy. This version sounds a bit contrived. As far as Balasios' mathema is concerned, in the Russian original it is called "chanting exercise", so I thought it's some teaching method.

 

[emakris]

And, of course, he took the manuscript with him! Another manuscript of the same type, written by the same unknown scribe, remained in St. Catherine's monastery. It is the well-known Cod. Sinai 1477, described by Stathes. There are some minor differences in the melody between the two manuscripts, so that I can be sure he transcribes from Petropolitanus gr. 238.
The story about Constantios is interesting. It explains perhaps the existence of such transcriptions in a Greek monastery.

 

[Shota]

And, of course, he took the manuscript with him!

It's not the first one, not the last one. For instance in Georgia he is known for stealing from St. Sabbas' monastery in Palestine the 9th c. Georgian Tropologion (now ms H 2123 kept at the National Center of Manuscripts in Tbilisi). He thought it was in Ethiopian(!); what attracted him was probably the fact that it was partially written on papyrus.

Another manuscript of the same type, written by the same unknown scribe, remained in St. Catherine's monastery. It is the well-known Cod. Sinai 1477, described by Stathes. There are some minor differences in the melody between the two manuscripts, so that I can be sure he transcribes from Petropolitanus gr. 238.

Indeed, Uspenskij talks in plural about mss with Kievan notation (p. 83). So there must have been at least two. With no sign of humility he goes on to say that "It is most remarkable that I, after 814 years after 1051, have renewed in Kiev that chant that was introduced during Yaroslav's times by Greek chanters who came there from Constantinople" (p. 84).

 

[emakris]

This is a good collaboration! You know Russian, I know the music! :wink:

 

[Shota]

Judging by what Theodoros Aristokles writes his introduction to the biography of Patriarch Constantios the First from Sinai (he transmits information by Germanos Aphthonides) one can presume that (part of?) Constantios' library was brought to the Juvanian metochion of St. Catherine's monastery in Egypt. This is exactly the same metochion that Uspenskij talks about and where he found the mss in Kievan notation. I also attach one page from Aristokles' book, where he describes Constantios' studies in Kiev.

 

[Shota]

Since it is likely that there exist Constantios' autograph mss in the library of St. Catherine's Monastery, it makes sense to compare them to the two musical mss.

 

[emakris]

The scribe of both musical manuscripts is a systematic misspeller (e.g. Εἰς τῶν ποληέλεων instead of Εἰς τὸν πολυέλεον or Κυνονικός instead of Κοινωνικόν!). Constantios was a very literate person. I don't think he has written them himself.

 

[Shota]

The scribe of both musical manuscripts is a systematic misspeller (e.g. Εἰς τῶν ποληέλεων instead of Εἰς τὸν πολυέλεον or Κυνονικός instead of Κοινωνικόν!). Constantios was a very literate person. I don't think he has written them himself.

Then it possibly was written by a non-native Greek speaker? Would fit with a Russian/Ukrainian teacher/student in Kiev.

 

[emakris]

Then it possibly was written by a non-native Greek speaker? Would fit with a Russian/Ukrainian teacher/student in Kiev.

Yes, I think it is quite probable.