9 May 1970 – Priest VISARION D. IOAN PETRESCU, professor, musician and composer, passed away in Bucharest. Studies at “Nifon”” Seminary of Bucharest (1895 – 1902), at the Faculty of Theology of Bucharest (1902 – 1906), Conservatoir of Bucharest (1924 – 1928) and “Schola Cantorum” of Paris (1928 – 1931). Priest in Moara Vlăsiei, county of Ilfov (1909 -1911), then at “St. Visarion” church of Bucharest (1991 – 1968), transferred to the Romanian Orthodox church of Paris (1928 – 1931). Professor of History of Oriental Music and of Musical Byzantine Palaeography (1934 – 1941), professor of Gregorian Chants (1937 – 1941) and director (1939 – 1941) at the Academy of Religious Music of Bucharest, professor of Gregorian Chants at the Conservatoire of Bucharest (1941 – 1948). He published precious studies of musical Byzantine palaeography, delivered essays and conferences at Congresses in France, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania; member of the Union of Composers of Romania.
Works: Les idiomeles et le canon de l’office de Noel (Paris, 1932)¸ Condac of the Nativity of the Lord, Study of Compared Musicology (1940); Passions of the Lord, oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra, Byzantine texts of the mediaeval epoch, deciphered, translated and arranged by I.d. Petrescu (1946, orchestration by Paul Constantinescu); Etudes de paleographie musicale byzantine (1967).
