Petros Bereketis

Petros Bereketis or Peter the Sweet (Πέτρος ο Γλυκής) was one of the most innovative musicians of 17th-century Constantinople (Ottoman period). He, together with Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes, Balasios the Priest and Germanos Bishop of New Patras was one of the most influential figures in the evolution of the Byzantine psaltic art following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, although he never was associated with the Patriarchate in Fener. For many years, he served as the protopsaltis (first cantor) of the parochial church St. Constantine of the Hypsomatheia (Samatya) quarter close to the Marmara coast.
During his lifetime, which is approximately supposed to be between 1665 and 1725, while Chrysanthos mentioned that he served there in the time of the Archon Protopsaltis at the Great Church of Christ of Panagiotis Halatzoglou and his Lampadarios John Trapezountios (1727-1748).
Education
Nothing is known about his real life time, so that Gregorios Stathis assumed that there was a confusion between Petros Bereketis, John Trapezountios' student Petros Peloponnesios and the latter's follower Petros Byzantios. Petros Bereketis began his musical studies in his home city of Constantinople, but later visited Mount Athos for a considerable length of time to study under the noted teacher of Constantinopolitan musicians, the Moldavian Monk Damian of Vatopedi (1650-1720).
Compositions
The surviving compositional corpus left by Bereketis is extensive, spanning works across all ecclesiastical genres including communion chants (koinonika for both Sundays and weekdays), asmatic doxologies, cherubic hymns, kratemata, pasapnoaria, polyelea, doxastica and katavasies for various feast days. Among the more notable of his compositions is the eight-mode setting of "O Theotokos and Virgin" for two alternating choirs, most commonly chanted in all-night vigils on Mount Athos.
Heirmoi kalophonikoi
In particular, his musical settings of the heirmoi (unsurpassed both in quality and in quantity by his contemporaries) gave rise to a style of paraliturgical chant that came to be known as the kalophonic heirmological style, named for a certain method of melodic thesis which referred to the Old Heirmologion, but in a soloistic and rather deliberate way characterised as kalophonic ("beautifully sounding") melos. With respect to Petros' exceptional talent which he mainly developed in the genre of kalophonic heirmos, he is sometimes referred to as the "father of kalophonic heirmoi," although the genre existed since Byzantine times and it had already been revived by Balasios and some other contemporary composers like Germanos. Petros in fact got acquainted to this genre during his studies with Damian at Vatopedi Monastery, and within the well-known collection of the heirmologion kalophonikon, entirely created by composers during the Ottoman period, and other not so well-known prints and sources not less than about 45 compositions are ascribed to him.
The name "Bereketis" is derived from the Turkish word "bereket" (literally "abundance") with which he was known to reply to his students' eager requests for more kalophonic heirmoi or other mathemata to study. Already Balasios the Priest had made the heirmos kalophonikos to one of the most important genres of Ottoman Greek music. This genre was paraliturgical and therefore more experimental than the kalophonic way to compose stichera, which was already established by Late Byzantine composers like John Koukouzeles and Manuel Chrysaphes. The Ottoman collection of heirmoi kalophonikoi became more popular than the Byzantine stichera kalophonika within the living tradition of Orthodox chant, and it was published in the transcription of Gregorios the Protopsaltis by Theodoros Phokaeos. But there are handwritten heirmologia kalophonika notated in exegetic neume notation whose collection are not in every respect identical.
The surviving works of Bereketis were transcribed from the old system of Byzantine parasemantic notation largely by Gregorios the Protopsaltis and his colleague Chrysanthos of Madytos near the beginning of the 18th century. The transcriptions by Gregorios had been republished in two volumes by Charalambos Karakatsanis.
Contributions to the genres of the divine liturgies
The eight-mode, two choir structure format employed by Bereketis in his notable setting of "O Theotokos and Virgin" was inspired by a similar composition ("More Honourable than the Cherubim") by Constantine of Aghialos, written several centuries earlier. After Bereketis, this style became more common and was used several times by later composers, including Nikolaos of Smyrna (in two works entitled "We Have Seen the True Light" and "Unfading Rose"), Monk Ioasaph of the monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos (very slow apolytikia of the despotic feasts of the Church), John the Protopsaltis, Theodore Phokaeus, Stephanos the Lambadarios, and Chourmouzios the Archivist of the Great Church.
Bereketis also composed two large cycles of the papadic genre (cherubic hymn and Sunday koinonikon) that are formulaically valid, since the formulas were not written out in Middle Byzantine notation, they were rather part of the performance based on conventional melopœia. One cherubikon as well as one version of the Sunday koinonikon can be chanted in any of the eight Byzantine modes without alteration of the actual neumes, varying only the starting pitch.
List of works
This list is incomplete. Most of the works are included in the collection of the Archive of the Elders on the island of Syme, Ms. 341, but the last part of the collection was destroyed, the Mathematarion of the Menaion is damaged after January (only the first half has survived), and the main collection of heirmologion kalophonikon is missing, except some kalophonic settings of Theotokia which had been arranged in octoechos order. The heirmoi kalophonikoi are mainly known in the printed exegesis by Gregorios the Protopsaltes, while Oktaecha cycles (cherubikon and Sunday koinonikon) are better known according to the transcription made by Chourmouzios, but both teachers at the Music School did an almost complete transcription of Bereketis' compositions. It proves that they were already appreciated at the Patriarchate by the turn to the 19th century. It should be also mentioned that there was an own Romanian reception since the 17th century especially of the heirmologion kalophonikon, which was taught in Jassy by Dionysios Photeinos and also Gregorios the Protopsaltes had to move there.
Troparic and psalmodic compositions of the octoechos
Polyeleos compositions
Δούλοι Κύριον (Ps. 134 "Servants of the Lord"), first mode and plagal fourth mode
Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ κυρίῳ (Ps. 135 "Give thanks"), plagal second mode
Kalophonic settings of Theotokia
Θεοτόκε μὴ παρίδης μὲ, second mode
Θεοτόκε, σὺ εἶ ἡ ἄμπελος, plagal second mode
Οἱ ἐλπίδα καὶ στήριγμα, plagal fourth mode
Σὲ μεγαλύνομεν τὴν ὄντως Θεοτόκον, grave mode
Ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις σὲ ὑμνῷ παρθενομήτορ, plagal fourth mode
Ώ δέσποινα πανάχραντε, Megalynarion, plagal first mode
Heirmologic compositions
45 kalophonic heirmoi including their kratemata
Echos protos
Ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου κατήλθεν
Αὕτη ἡ κλητὴ καὶ ἁγία ἡμέρα
Δεῦτε πόμα πίωμεν καινόν
Ἐν τῇ βροντώσῃ καμίνῳ
Ἡ τρίφωτος οὐσία
Ἴδε ἣν προέφης
Ποίαν σοι ἐπάξιον
Συνέχομαι πάντοθεν
Tὴν σὴν εἰρήνην
ᾨδὴν ἐπινίκιον
Ὤ θείας! ὢ φίλης!
Ὢ τῶν ὑπὲρ νοῦν θαυμάτων tetraphonon (κε)
Echos devteros
Ἐν βυθῷ κατέστρωσε ποτὲ
Ἐπίβλεψον, ἐν εὐμενεία
Echos tritos
Θεοτόκε ἡ ἐλπίς, πάντων
Λατρεύειν ζῶντι Θεῷ
Πάναγνε ἡ μόνῃ τῷ πλαστουργῷ
Τὴν πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα μου
Ἐσείσθησαν λαοὶ
Σέ τὸ καθαρότατον
Tῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ
Xαῖρε φωτὸς νεφέλῃ
Xαῖροις ἄνασσα
Ἀντίληψις μου κόρη
Ὁ ἄγγελος ἐβόα
Στένω, ἐκ βαθέων τῆς ψυχῆς
Xαῖρε πύλῃ Kυρίου
Ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν μου
Ἐν λύπαις γὰρ
Θεὸν ἀνθρῶποις
Ὁ μέγας προέγραψεν
Tὸ ὄμμα τῆς καρδίας μου
Πᾶσαν τὴν ἐλπίδα μου
Χαῖρε Νύμφῃ φαεινὴ, Μήτηρ
Ἄγγελοι καὶ οὐρανοί
Ἐν κλίνῃ νῦν ἀσθενῶν
Έφριξε πάσα ακοή
Κυρίως Θεοτόκον, σὲ ὁμολογοῦμεν
Mουσικῶν ὀργάνων
Οἱ τῆς Χαλδαίας καμίνου
Πῶς σου τὴν χάριν ὑμνήσαιμι
Τὸν ἄναρχον Βασιλέα
Sticherarion kalophonikon
Menaion
Σὺ Βασιλεῦ, ὁ ὢν, plagal first mode (1 Sept, SAV 8)
Ἐγκαινίζου ἐγκαινίζου ἡ νέα Ἱερουσαλήμ· first mode (13 Sept, SAV 43)
Ἡ Ἐλισάβετ συνέλαβε, plagal second mode (14 Sept, Exaltation of the Cross, SAV 611)
Εὐαγγελιστὰ Ἰωάννη, Ἰσάγγελε Παρθένε, plagal fourth mode (26 Sept, SAV 108)
Δαυϊτικῶς συνελθόντες οἱ Πιστοὶ, plagal fourth mode (18 Oct, SAV 151)
Triodion
Let my prayer be set forth, plagal fourth mode
Prokeimenon Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν (Ps. 26:9 "Turn not away Thy face"), plagal fourth mode
Thou hast given an inheritance, plagal fourth mode
To Thee the champion leader, plagal fourth mode (for two choirs)
Ἐκ παντοίων κινδύνων τοὺς δούλους, fourth mode
Pentekostarion
Ὡς ζωηφόρος, fourth mode
Ἀνάστα ὁ Θεὸς Arise o God, plagal first mode
What God is so great as our God, grave mode
Kontakia
Χαῖρε, νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε ("Rejoice O unwedded Bride") and Alleluia, plagal fourth mode, Akrostichon during service of the Akathist
Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ (syntomon) plagal fourth mode, Kontakion of the Akathist
Την ὡραιότητα (argon) third mode, Troparion of the Akathist
Papadic compositions
Cherubikon cycles
First mode (2)
First mode pentaphonon (ἀπὸ τὸν ζω')
Second mode
Third mode
Fourth mode
Plagal first mode
Plagal second mode
Grave mode (2)
Plagal fourth mode (2)
Oktaechon (model "to sing in all eight modes")
Anticherubika
Κατευθυνθήτῳ ἡ προσευχή μου, plagal fourth mode (Lessons during the Presanctified Liturgy)
Νῦν αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, grave mode ("Now the powers of heaven" Presanctified Liturgy)
Τοῦ δείπνου σου, grave mode (troparion and koinonikon for Holy Thursday)
Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σὰρξ βροτεία, plagal fourth mode (Holy Saturday)
Koinonika
Week cycle
Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους (Ps. 103:4) For Mondays, Archangels, second mode
Εἰς μνημόσυνον (Ps. 111:6b) For Tuesdays, St. John Baptist, Hierarchs, Righteous, third mode
Ποτήριον σωτηρίου (Ps. 115:4) For Wednesdays and Theotokos, fourth mode
Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν (Ps. 18:5) For Thursdays and Apostolic Feasts, plagal first mode
Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς (Ps. 4:7) For Fridays, Exaltation and Adoration of Cross, grave mode
Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι (Ps. 32:1) For Saturdays, Martyrs, Prophets, All Saints, plagal fourth mode
Αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον (Ps. 148:1) For Sundays, Forefeasts (eight mode cycle)
One koinonikon to be sung in all the eight modes
4 koinonika of the first mode, 2 tetraphona (ἀπὸ τὸν κε), 1 pentaphonon (ἀπὸ τὸν ζω')
second mode (temporary use of phthora nenano)
third mode
fourth mode
plagal first mode
plagal second mode (temporary use of phthora nenano)
2 koinonika in grave mode (second with temporary use of phthora nenano)
2 koinonika (one argon version with a long ) in plagal fourth mode
Year cycle
Menaion
Κύριε, ἠγάπησα εὐπρέπειαν, plagal first mode (Ps 25:8, 13 Sept Encænia)
Ἐσημειώθῃ ἐφ᾽ ἡμὰς, plagal second mode (Ps 4:7b, 14 Sept Exaltation of the Cross)
Λύτρωσιν ἀπέστειλε Κύριος, plagal fourth mode syntomon (Ps 110:9a, Christmas)
Ἐπιφάνη ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ, first mode (Titus 2:11, Theophany)
Ἐξελέξατο κύριος τὴν σιών, plagal fourth mode with (Ps 131:13, 25 Mar Annunciation)
Ἐν τῷ φωτὶ [τῆς δόξης], grave mode with nenanismata (Ps 88:16b-17a, 7 Aug Transfiguration)
Koinonikon oktaechon Θεοτόκε παρθένε ("Mother of God, Virgin") (through eight modes: α'-δ', πλα'-πλδ', α' each section concludes with a transitional teretismos) (15 Aug Dormition of the Theotokos)
Triodion
Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε (Ps 33:9 "O taste and see"), fourth mode / (Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday and Friday during Lent)
Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων, plagal first mode (Ps 8:3a Lazarus Saturday)
Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος, plagal first mode with long teretismos (Ps 117:26 Palm Sunday)
Ἐξηγέρθῃ ὡς ὁ ὑπνῶν, fourth mode (Ps 77:65, Holy Saturday)
Pentekostarion
Σῶμα χριστοῦ μεταλάβετε, first mode with teretismos (troparion, Easter)
Ἐπαίνει, Ἱερουσαλήμ, fourth mode (Ps 147:1, Antipascha or Thomas Sunday)
Ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα, fourth mode (John 6:56, Mid-Pentecost)
Ἀνέβη ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, first mode (Ps 46:6, Ascension)
Τὸ πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἀγαθὸν, plagal fourth mode (Ps 142:10b, Pentecost)
Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ· fourth mode (Ps 32:1, All Saints)
See also
Cherubikon
Chourmouzios the Archivist Entry at Orthodox Wiki
Heirmologion
Koinonikon
Octoechos
Sticherarion
References
Manuscripts
Exegetic Middle Byzantine notation
Transcriptions according to the New Method
Chourmouzios the Archivist (exegesis and transcription): Athens, National Library of Greece (Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη της Ελλάδος), Metochion of the Holy Grave (Μετόχι του Παναγίου Τάφου) ΕΒΕ-ΜΠΤ, manuscripts 704 and 705 (1837).
Print editions
Recordings of traditional paltes
Studies
External links
About Gregorios the Protopsaltes:
Gregory Protopsaltes the Byzantios
Gregory Protopsaltes the Byzantios
Recordings
Byzantine composers
Composers from the Ottoman Empire
Eastern Orthodox liturgical music
Musicians from Istanbul
Greeks from the Ottoman Empire
17th-century Greek people
Male classical composers
17th-century Greek musicians
18th-century Greek musicians
17th-century Greek writers
17th-century Greek educators
18th-century Greek writers
18th-century Greek educators
17th-century male musicians