Kassia – Byzantine Hymns (2009)

The Tale of Theophilos and Kassia

Once upon a time there was a young man who happened to be emperor of a nation called Byzantium, better known as the Eastern Roman Empire. This young man, Theophilos, was in need of a wife. Therefore, he ordained for the daughters of his generals, courtiers and other nubiles of the royal entourage to assemble in a large hall, so that he might decide who among them was to be his future bride.
In honour of an ancient Greek myth, the emperor would enter the hall carrying a golden apple. Having made his acquaintance with each and every young woman present, his highness would then hand the invaluable gem to the maiden of his choice.

After long preparations, the big day finally arrived. The girls had gathered in the largest hall of the palace, and were nervously waiting for the emperor to appear in person. Nervously? Yes, of course. You don’t get an opportunity to become the most powerful woman on earth every day.

Now, had they known the emperor was not exactly the world’s most experienced lover, they would have realized the man might turn shy at the sight of so much accumulated beauty in front of him. Yes, they could have relaxed a little and played their girlish games with the poor youth….but as it happened, they had reason enough to feel dejected; for his royal highness had rested his eyes on one woman only ever since his arrival…Kassia!

Kassia was the daughter of a prominent military nobleman. She was as intelligent as she was beautiful; conversed elegantly, wrote poetry, composed music, and was generally considered one of the best educated among the maidens; indeed, even among men.
It was she who was singled out by Theophilos; and, emperor or not, his heart felt cowed by the radiant beauty of the girl he was now approaching…he was desperate for a smooth opening line (er,…you know how that feels). So, vainly trying to introduce himself as an artful seducer, he stuttered his way through a long-winding sentence, saying something like, “All these n-nice g-g-girls, Yes! -er, peasant and imp-, er, emperor alike would feel uneasy, for as you kn-know, Woman is the source of all Evil and all that, and there’s just too many of them. Of evil. Of women I mean. You know, here”

When Kassia heard the poor lad thus making a fool of himself, she retorted quickly, “But Your Higness, surely women are the cause of much good too? Think of our Holy Mother Mary…”.
One might think, did she mean to help him forget his ungainly start and stimulate the conversation, or did she mercilessly go for the kill? We cannot be sure. You never know with women.
Anyway, at this answer, His Highness’s despondency deepened and his confidence crumbled. Dismissing the girl, he fled from the scene; and on his way out, he absent-mindedly threw the much coveted apple to a less fierceful representant of the opposite sex.
Kassia, a woman, had dared to disagree with the words of a man. This was considered bad enough in those days, but the man in question happened to be the Roman emperor. Read Suetonius to get an idea how Roman emperors used to deal with those who opposed them.

Right. Have no fears, Kassia did not lose her life, but this incident marked the premature end of a promising secular career. She entered a monastery, became abbess, and devoted her life to study, science, poetry, and….music!

Music. This is where the real story begins, the story for us. Kassia was the first female composer to leave the world a body of carefully notated hymns. The quality of her output is unmistakable, and just as awe-inspiring as the compositions of Hildegard van Bingen, who was to follow in her footsteps ca. 300 years later. Like Hildegard’s, Kassia’s songs are incredibly beautiful…but have this unfamiliar tinge of Middle Eastern mystery to them.

For me, this album is the greatest discovery in many months. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, and will do for a long time to come.

Remember that name: Kassia.

Tracks:

01. Doxazomen sou Christe - We Praise, Oh Christ [0:01:40.27]
02. Ek rizes agathes - from a Good Root [0:01:27.49]
03. Apostate Tyranno - The Apostate Tyrant [0:02:45.15]
04. Pharisaion - The Pharisee [0:02:23.31]
05. O Vasilevs tis doxis Christos - Christ, the King of Glory [0:02:56.09]
06. I Edessa - Edessa [0:04:18.36]
07. Tin pentachordon lyran - The Five-stringed Lute [0:03:22.56]
08. Igapisas Theophore - O God-bearing father, You Cherished [0:03:12.66]
09. Yper tin ton Hellenon - Above the Greeks [0:01:31.35]
10. Peripesousa gyne - The Fallen Woman [0:03:49.60]
11. Pelagia - Pelagia [0:01:40.66]
12. Tou stavrou sou e dynamis - The Power of Your Cross [0:02:28.12]
13. Olvon li pousa patrikon - Leaving the Wealth of her Family [0:01:40.59]
14. Petron ke Pavlon - Peter and Paul [0:03:01.38]
15. Isaiou nin tou prophetou - Now Isaiah the Prophet [0:03:12.56]
16. E ton leipsanon sou thike - The Tomb of Your Remains [0:02:25.58]
17. Avgoustou monarchesantos - Augustus, the Monarch [0:01:49.72]
18. Christina martys - Christina, the Martyr [0:01:19.00]

Performers:

The Ensemble VocaMe are:

Sigrid Hausen – mezzo-soprano
Natalia Lincoln – alto
Sabine Lutzenberger – soprano
Sarah M. Newman – soprano
Elisabeth Pawelke – mezzo-soprano
Gerlinde Samann – soprano

Johann Bengen – santur

Michael Popp – musical direction