Kassia of Constantinople

c. 805 - c. 865 AD

I hate silence when it is time to speak."

Kassia was born in Constantinople, at that time the capital of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire. At a young age, she was considered for marriage to the Emperor, but pursued a religious vocation instead and by 843, she was the abbess (leader) of a convent in the city. Her convent worked closely with the Stoudion, the most prominent monastery in Constantinople. This is not only is a testament to her influence but ensured the survival of her writings, poems, and musical compositions.

Her compositional style shows the development of music from monophonic Gregorian Chant into rudimentary polyphony, the simultaneous use of contrasting melodies.