Hanna Petros (, ), was an Iraqi Assyrian composer and a scholar. He wrote numerous books and treatises on oriental music,

Iraqi Maqams Iraqi Maqam () is a genre of Arabic maqam music found in Iraq. The roots of modern Iraqi maqam can be traced as far back as the Abbasid Caliphate (8th–13th centuries AD), when that large empire was controlled from Baghdad. The ensemble of inst ...

and

Syriac hymnody Syriac sacral music is music in the Syriac language as used in the liturgy of Syriac Christianity. Historically it is best known from and important for its part in the development of Christian sacred music since Antiquity. The Syriac churches hav ...

. He also established a renowned conservatory in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Life

Hanna Petros was an ethnic Assyrian, born to a

Chaldean Catholic The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church ('' sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is headed by the Chaldean Patriarchate. Employing in its liturgy the East Syri ...

family in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

in 1896. After finishing preparatory school, he studied oriental music at the hands of an Ottoman army officer from 1914 to 1918 and was shortly employed at the Ottoman military band in 1918. He subsequently worked as an instructor for scouting groups in Mosul in 1921. Later in 1924 he was asked to compose music for the Iraqi army's marching bands. In 1936 he was asked to establish the

Baghdad Conservatory The Baghdad Conservatory is a music conservatory in Baghdad, Iraq. Hanna Petros founded the institution in 1936. The conservatory has produced such famous oud players as Munir Bashir and Jamil Bashir, Salman Shukur and Ghanim Haddad. The maqa ...

which quickly drew musicians who gained fame such as

Jamil Bashir Jamil Bachir or Bashir (; b. Mosul, Iraq, 1920; d. London, September 24, 1977) was an Iraqi musician and expert oud player. The Iraqi Music Institute was opened in 1936, under administration of Hanna Petros (1896–1958), then in 1937 Sherif Muh ...

and later his brother

Munir Bashir Munir Bashir (; ; 1930 – September 28, 1997) was an Iraqi-Assyrian oudist. Bashir is considered one of the foremost virtuosos of the Arabic oud, and is widely renowned as one of the most important figures in 20th century Middle Eastern music. ...

Şerif Muhiddin Targan Şerif Muhiddin Targan (January 21, 1892 – September 13, 1967), also known as Sherif Muhiddin Haydar or Serif Muhiddin Haydar, was a Turkish Arab classical musician and oud player. His instrumental compositions for the oud departed from the trad ...

was later appointed as the conservatory's dean and Hanna Petros continued to play a major role in the conservatory. It was then that he wrote most of his books. Moreover, he often appeared on the national radio to perform some of his musical works. Hanna Petros died after a heart attack on 1958, and was buried in Baghdad.

Works

Hanna Peros' main attention was concentrated on oriental music, he composed and performed pieces in

and

Syriac sacral music Syriac sacral music is music in the Syriac language as used in the liturgy of Syriac Christianity. Historically it is best known from and important for its part in the development of Christian sacred music since Antiquity. The Syriac churches hav ...

. He also left many literary works on that field most notably the ''Principals of Music Theory'' and ''The Book of National Anthems''.

Discography

As composer/performer

* ''Caruzutha d Hasha (Qdom Shapir, Hymn, 1931)'' * ''Geyassa (Hymn, 1931)'' * ''Baydagh d-Ature (National Song, 1931)'' * ''Bmani Mnawnakh (National Song, 1931)''

References

* * 20th-century Iraqi musicians People from Mosul 1869 births 1958 deaths Iraqi Eastern Catholics Chaldean Catholics Iraqi composers {{ChaldeanCatholic-stub