Cycle 1: Composer Study:
St. Kassianí (810-865)
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Biography of Venerable Cassiani (Kassianí) the Hymnographer
Venerable Cassiani the Hymnographer
(Commemorated on Sep. 7)
Saint Kassiani the Hymnographer and poet was born between 805 A.D. and 810 A.D. in the city of Constantinople into a wealthy family and grew to be exceptionally beautiful and very intelligent. Three Byzantine chroniclers claim that she was a participant in the "bride show" (the means by which Byzantine princes/emperors sometimes chose a bride, giving a golden apple to his choice) organized for the young bachelor-emperor Theophilos the Iconoclast by his stepmother, the Empress Dowager Euphrosyne. Smitten by Kassiani's (Kassia) beauty, the young emperor approached her and said: "Through a woman came forth the baser things," referring to the sin and suffering coming as a result of Eve's transgression. Kassiani promptly responded by saying: "And through a woman came forth the better things," referring to the hope of salvation resulting from the Incarnation through the Most Holy Theotokos.
- "Εκ γυναικός τα χείρω."
- "Και εκ γυναικός τα κρείτω."
His pride wounded by Kassiani's rebuttal, Theophilos haughtily passed her by and chose Theodora to be his wife.
We next hear of Kassiani in 843 A.D. when it is recorded that she founded a women's monastery in Constantinople, becoming its first Egoumenissa (Abbess) and devoting her life to asceticism and the composing of liturgical poetry. The best known of her compositions is the Doxastikon Hymn on the Aposticha of the Bridegroom Orthros (Matins) for Great and Holy Wednesday (which is, in parish churches, chanted by anticipation on the previous evening).
Holy Tradition says that in his later years the Emperor Theophilos, still in love with Kassiani, wished to see her one last time before he died, so he rode to the monastery where she resided. Kassiani was alone in her cell, writing her now famous hymn, when she realized that the commotion she heard was because the imperial retinue had arrived. Being now devoted to God in her monastic life, Kassiani fled from her cell and hid, leaving the unfinished hymn on her writing desk. Theohilos was directed to her cell and entered it alone. Not finding Kassiani, he turned to leave when he noticed papers on the desk and read what was written upon them. When he was done reading, he sat and added one line to the hymn; then he left - never to see Kassiani again. The line attributed to the Emperor is "those feet whose sound Eve heard at dusk in Paradise and hid herself for fear." When the emperor and his party departed from the monastery, Saint Kassiani returned to her cell, discovered what Theophilos had written, and finished the hymn now popularly known as "They Hymn of the Sinful Woman."
Saint Kassiani was a Byzantine Egoumenissa (Abbess), poet, composer, and hymnographer. She is commemorated by the Church September 7th. Approximately fifty of her hymns are extant and twenty-three are included in the Orthodox Church liturgical books. The exact number is difficult to assess, as many hymns are ascribed to different authors in different manuscripts and are often identified as anonymous. In addition, some 789 of her non-liturgical verses survive. Many are epigrams or aphorisms called "gnomic verse". An example: "I hate the rich man moaning as if he were poor."
*Source: St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church
Week 12:
Lamplighting Psalms, Mode 2: “Lord, I Have Cried” (~5.5 min.) [Spotify]
St. Kassianí composed her own musical settings and stíchera (hymns) specifically designed to be interspersed with the chanting of “Lord, I Have Cried" during Great Vespers.
In these services, a cantor chants the psalm opening: "Lord, I have cried unto Thee, hearken unto me; attend to the voice of my supplication when I cry unto Thee."
Week 13:
Stíchera Prosómoia of Christmas, First Set (~10 min.) [Spotify]
Stíchera prosómoia are hymns patterned after a melodic model. The Christmas Stíchera feature theological poetry recounting the Incarnation, contrasting the humility of Christ's birth with the majesty of God. The First Set is typically comprised of hymns that are chanted after the verses of the Lamplighting Psalms (specifically verses starting with “For your name's sake I have waited for you, O Lord” and “From the morning watch until night”).
Week 14:
Stíchera Prosómoia of Christmas, Second Set (~7 min.) [Spotify]
Unlike St. Kassianí’s standalone Idiómelon, the Christmas hymns are prosómoia, meaning they are written to be sung to the melody of a pre-existing “model" hymn. For the Second Set, the prescribed model is “When You Appeared, O Christ.” The text of the Second Set contemplates the awe, wonder, and paradoxical nature of the Incarnation, specifically focusing on the Virgin Mary's astonishment at bearing the Creator. It recounts Mary tearfully asking how she can bear or nurse the eternal infant who “nourishes the whole of creation with [His] divine power."
Week 15:
Doxastikón of Great Vespers of Christmas Day: “When Augustus Reigned” (~5 min.) [Spotify]
A celebrated Byzantine doxastikon (hymn) sung during Great Christmas Vespers. It contrasts the earthly, universal empire established by Caesar Augustus with the spiritual kingdom born through the incarnation of Christ. The hymn draws a direct connection between the census ordered by Augustus, which enrolled all earthly subjects, and the incarnation of God, which enrolls the faithful into the name of the Holy Trinity.
Week 16:
Idiómelon from Great Vespers on the Eve of the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (~3.5 min.) [Spotify]
St. Kassianí’s hymn sets the spiritual tone for the Lenten Triodion by adopting the persona of the repentant sinner: “Almighty Lord, I know how powerful tears are. They washed away the sins of the harlot, and they justified the Publican instead of the Pharisee. Accept my weeping as well, O Master, and have mercy on me."
Week 17:
Tetraódion for Great and Holy Saturday: Odes 1 and 3 (~5.5 min.) [Spotify]
The Tetraódion for Great and Holy Saturday is chanted during the Matins of Holy Saturday (often celebrated as the Midnight Office at the tomb) to help the faithful observe the “Sabbath rest" while anticipating Christ's victory over Hades. A unique four-ode liturgical canon, and unlike standard canons, it is restricted to Odes 1 and 3 (along with 8 and 9), and creatively weaves the dramatic theme of Christ's descent into Hades with biblical typology.
Week 18:
Idiómelon from Matins for the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican (~3 min.) [Spotify]
The Idiómelon of Kassiani for the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican introduces the Lenten Triodion. It focuses on the parable from Luke 18, contrasting the Pharisee's boastful pride with the Publican’s repentant humility. The hymn contrasts the two men who went to the Temple to pray. It warns against the Pharisee’s hypocritical self-righteousness while praising the Publican’s humble plea for mercy. Through this, the Church teaches that genuine repentance and humility are the essential starting points for the spiritual journey of Great Lent.
Week 19:
Tetraódion for Great and Holy Saturday: Odes 4 and 5 (~6 min.) [Spotify]
St. Kassianí’s Tetraódion for Great and Holy Saturday is a four-ode canon that poetically explores Christ’s descent into Hades. Odes 4 and 5 dramatically expand on the biblical canticles of the prophets Habakkuk (Ode 4) and Isaiah (Ode 5), weaving together theological reflections on the salvation of the dead.
Week 20:
At Great and Holy Wednesday at Matins: “Lord, the Woman Found in Many Sins” (~8 min.) [Spotify]
One of St. Kassianí’s most famous hymns is sung during the Matins service on Holy Wednesday, on the subject of the woman who had fallen into many sins, which is based on Saint Luke's Gospel (7:36-50). Often referred to by its opening line ("Lord, the woman who had fallen into many sins"), it is not the psalm itself, but an idiomelon (a hymn with its own unique melody). It tells the deeply moving story of the sinful woman who anointed Christ's feet in Luke 7, reflecting on themes of repentance, the bitter sting of sin, and divine mercy.
Extras:
Kalophonic Stícheron: “Lord, the Woman Found in Many Sins” (~25 min.) [Spotify]
An extended, highly ornate setting of St. Kassianí’s famous penitential hymn sung during the Orthodox liturgy of Holy Tuesday evening. While the original hymn of St. Kassianí is a simpler, syllabic composition chanted during Holy Week, the kalophonic (beautiful-sounding) versions were developed by later Byzantine master chanters (such as St. John Koukouzeles in the 14th century).
Further reading on St. Kassiani:
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