The Liturgical Songs of Kassia: Hymnody and Piety at the Dawn of the Middle Byzantine Era, lecture by Andrew Mellas (St Andrew's Theological College and University of Sydney), Zoom, November 13, 2024, 5:00 pm EST / November 14, 2024, 9:00 am AEST

Aurality & Devotion in the Pre-Modern World, a project sponsored by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life at Columbia University, is hosting a virtual lecture by Dr. Andrew Mellas "The Liturgical Songs of Kassia: Hymnody and Piety at the Dawn of the Middle Byzantine Era." 

Of all the hymnographers whose works appear in the liturgical books of Byzantium, only one—Kassia—was a woman. Living in ninth-century Constantinople during a time of political, cultural and ecclesiastical change, Kassia embodied this spirit of innovation in her compositions. This paper will explore a few of her songs, including her famous hymn on the sinful woman, which is still sung today on Holy Wednesday.

Andrew Mellas is a Senior Lecturer (Liturgical Studies) at St Andrew's Theological College and an Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney (Medieval and Early Modern Centre). 

Advance registration required by November 12.