Saint Kassia(ni) (born around 805 – died around 880) was a composer, hymnographer (wrote hymns), and poet. Born into a rich family in Constantinople, Kassia “grew to be exceptionally beautiful and intelligent”. As a young women, Kassia almost married the youthful bachelor Emperor Theophilis. However, when he met Kassia at his “bride show”, where he was seeking to choose a wife, Theophilis denied Kassia a place beside him on the throne. This was due to her promptly retorting to his demeaning comment of women from the bible, with another biblical quotation that proved women’s worthiness. As a result of this, Kassia founded an Orthodox convent in the West of Constantinople, which she led for many years. As a faithful abbess, Kassia travelled to Italy briefly, before passing away on the Greek Island of Kasos.
Kassia is one of the first medieval composers who has music which is legible at present, and one of two (the other Anna Comnena) who composed in her own name. She composed many hymns, 23 of which are contained in modern Orthodox religious texts. Similarly, she wrote many non-liturgical verses, many which are “gnomic” – meaningful sayings that are put into verse to aid the memory.
To further show her religious faith, Kassia composed music to accompany her spiritual poetry, as well as a number of hymns in honour of her fellow saints. Her longest composition is a Canon for the Departed. This consists of 32 strophes and is chanted at Parastas (memorial services). Here’s a clip of the Hymn of Kassia, one of her most famous compositions. It is a very demanding piece with a large vocal range that creates a melancholy atmosphere:
Hymn of Kassia, posted by University of King’s College Chapel Choir & Paul Halley – Topic
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassia
http://www.istanbulkadinmuzesi.org/en/kassia
coloraturaconsulting.com/2014/06/16/composer-biography-byzantine-women-composers-8th-and-9th-century/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomic_poetry
mezzocammin.com/timeline/timeline.php?vol=timeline&iss=800&cat=10&page=kassia
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