Women
Hymnographers of the Orthodox Church
By Dimitris Salapatas
(Orthodox Outlook, June/July
2016, Issue 120, pp.13-15
and
Introduction
The role of women in the Orthodox
Church is of increasing interest. What is evident in a number of publications
and conferences is the fact that we need to hear not only what the Church proclaims
on this issue, but how women themselves understand the theology and the
tradition of their role in Orthodoxy.
Quoting verses from Holy Scripture such as Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” can only take us so far. In order
to understand the role of women in Orthodoxy we need to go further; we need to
establish their role today, identify the true Orthodox Tradition and examine
the history of this matter, practically, historically and theologically. Here
we will examine the role of women by looking at women hymnographers in the
Byzantine Tradition.
Kassiani
When looking at the history of
Byzantine Hymnography and Music we can see that it is dominated primarily by
men. However women are not totally absent, but they are ‘the exception to the
rule.’ The most famous woman hymnographer is of course Kassiani the
Hymnographer (known also as Kassia or Eikasia). She is known for the Troparion
of Kassiani which is chanted during Matins of Holy Wednesday.
Lord,
the woman who had fallen into many sins, perceiving your divinity, took up the
role of myrrh-bearer, and with lamentation brings sweet myrrh to you before
your burial. ‘Alas!’, she says, ‘for night is for me a frenzy of lust, a dark
and moonless love of sin. Accept the fountains of my tears, you who from the
clouds draw out the water of the sea; bow yourself down to the groanings of my
heart, you who bowed the heavens by your ineffable self-emptying. I shall kiss
you immaculate feet, and wipe them again with the locks of my hair, those feet
whose sounds Eve heard at dusk in Paradise, and hid herself in fear. Who can
search out the multitude of my sins and the depths of your judgements, my
Saviour, saviour of souls? Do not despise me, your servant, for you have mercy
without measure.’
It is considered to be one of the
greatest masterpieces of the Byzantine hymnographic tradition.
She was born between 805 and 810
AD in Constantinople, during the reign of Emperor Nikephoros I (802-811). She
was known for her beauty and her cleverness. Three Byzantine Historians: Symeon
the translator, Georgios Amartolos and Leon Grammatikos, claim that she was
part of the ceremony for the bride choice for the Emperor Theophilus (829-842),
which was organised by his step-mother Euphrosyne. During this ceremony the
emperor would choose his wife by giving her a golden apple. Dazzled by the
beauty of Kassia, the young emperor approached her and said: “All the bad things came to this world from a
woman” referring to the sin and suffering that resulted from Eve. Kassia then
answered: “And all the good things came from a woman,” referring to the
Theotokos and to the hope of salvation from the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The emperor’s egoism was injured, which resulted in his rejection of Kassiani.
Instead he chose Theodora as his wife.
We know that Kassiani founded a
cenobium in Constantinople in 843 AD, near the western walls of the City, where
she became the first abbess. It was at this monastery that she began writing
hymns and poems. “St Kassiani also wrote secular songs and poems on moral
themes which were witty, often crass, sometimes funny, and usually defended
women’s rights.”
She was in close contact with the Studion Monastery, which played a key role in
the re-publications of Byzantine Liturgical Books during the 9th and
10th centuries.
This great poet, hymnographer and
melodist of the Orthodox Church, Saint Kassiani, is commemorated on the 7th
September. Having a special talent, intelligence, and sensitivity she excelled
in the creation of melodies; this was due to her high education and noble
lineage. Her work is timeless moving everyone within the Orthodox world.
Forty-nine of her hymns are still
used in the Orthodox Church: though “only twenty-three of those have been proven
by scholars to be genuine.”
The reason why modern scholars are not 100% sure of the authenticity of a
number of hymns, by both men and women, is due to the issue of anonymity within
the Orthodox hymnographic tradition. This practice was maintained during the
Byzantine period due to moral and spiritual reasons. “It was believed that
spiritual anonymity would supersede any earth-given praise.”
Many of Kassiani’s hymns have
been set to music by various hymnographers. The majority of her musical works
are in sticheron form, i.e. pieces chanted during Matins and Vespers. She wrote
many idiomela: hymns which have their own unique melody, doxastika (longer
hymns which begin with ‘Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit, Both now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen,’ which tell the
stories of the lives of the saints). “St. Kassia has numerous doxastika
following the lives of St. Mary of Egypt, St. Christina, St. Eudokia, St.
Agathe, St. Barbara, St. Pelagia, St. Thekla, and others.”
Additionally, “she is also credited with writing the odes for the Tetraodion
for Holy Saturday, widely appreciated for their beautiful, programmatic
imagery.”
She has, additionally, written
the idomelo doxastikon of Christmas:
‘Glory. Both now. The same Tone.
By Kassia.
When Augustus reigned alone on
the earth, the many kingdoms of mankind came to an end; and when you became man
from the pure Virgin, the many gods of idolatry were destroyed; the cities of
the world passed under one single rule; and the nations came to believe in one
single Godhead; the peoples were enrolled by decree of Caesar; we the faithful
were enrolled in the name of the Godhead, when you became man, O our God. Great
is your mercy, Lord; glory to you!’
From the above we understand why
she is the only memorable female Byzantine poet.
Kassiani was not the only female
monastic hymnographer. We also know about Thekla, Martha, Theodosia, who were
all abbesses during the 9th century. The music they composed was
primarily intended for use by the female monastic choirs within their
monasteries. “Kouvouklisena was a domestikena, or director and lead chanter for
female choir in a monastery who lived during the 13th century.”
Palaeologina, who was a nun and a hymnographer (15th century) was
related to the Imperial family in Constantinople and was well educated. She
also composed hymns. The daughter of Ioannes Kladis (an accomplished chanter in
the Imperial city)
is the other hymnographer (15th century), whose writings appear
together with her father’s, making it apparent that she was also his student. Egon
Wellesz in his important book A History
of Byzantine Music and Hymnography, has a list of the best-known
hymnographers from the 5th until the 15th century. In it
we find two women Kassiani and Thecla (the Nun).
Irmoi from the Canon at Matins on
Great Saturday
by Kassiani
3. When it saw you, who had hung
the whole earth freely on the waters, hanging on Golgotha, creation was seized
with great amazement and cried, ‘None is holy but you, o Lord’.’
4. Foreseeing your divine
self-emptying on the Cross, Avvakoum, amazed, cried out, ‘You cut off the might
of the powerful, O Good One, you speaking with those in Hell as all-powerful’.’
5. Isaias, as he watched by
night, O Christ, saw the light which knows no evening of your theophany, which
in your compassion came to pass for us, and he cried, ‘The dead will arise and
those in the graves will rise, and those in the earth will rejoice.’
6. Jonas was held, but not held
fast in the belly of the whale; for being a type of you, the One who suffered
and was given over to burial, as from a bridal chamber he leapt forth from the
beast and cried to the guard, ‘You who vainly and falsely keep guard, you have
forsaken your own mercy’.’
7. Ineffable wonder! He who in
the furnace delivered the holy youths from the flame, is laid in the tomb a
lifeless corpse for the salvation of us who sing, ‘God, our Redeemer, blessed
are you!’
9. Do not weep for me, Mother as
you see in a tomb the Son whom you conceived in your womb without seed; for I
shall arise and be glorified, and I shall exalt in glory without ceasing those
who with faith and love magnify you.’
