An Unknown Greek Manuscript Bearing on Koukouzelian Notation Theory

Written by Romanians for their fellow-countrymen and constituting the object of intense research, the small musical grammars, also called propedias, to be found in the Koukouzelian notation in Greek and Romanian psaltic manuscripts in this country, have a small number of pages and show a content which is in most cases limited to the presentation of the neumes used and to a brief description of the significance and the functionality of those neumes. Two manuscripts, namely ms. gr. III/89 at the University Central Library of Iasi (p. 1-27) and ms. gr. at the Romanian Academy Library of Bucharest (f. 3-58) constitute an exception to this general situation. They include a large part of Plousiadinos' Herminia (late 15th century). Unlike these two manuscripts, ms. gr. 9 at the State Archives of Drobeta-Turnu Severin includes 88 folios of theoretical texts selected by Demetrios Damea the Cretan (17th century). The manuscript was copied by Theodorus of Wallachia in 1751, and includes "excerpts referring to Ioannes Koukouzeles' Paralaghia as well as a presentation of the 8 echoi". It also includes fragments of herminias by Ioan Plousiadinos, Manuel Hrisafis, Pseudo John of Damaskus, Pahomie the hieromonk, etc. It it the only manuscript of this kind in this country, and not only its dimension but especially its contents confer it special importance.

Alexie Al. Buzera