Guest Lecture by Mr Andrew Mellas

On Tuesday 13 October, St Andrew’s was pleased to host Mr Andrew Mellas, PhD Candidate at the University of Sydney and good friend of the College, for H8530A Byzantine Studies. At the invitation of Dr Mario Baghos (Associate Lecturer in Church History), Mr Mellas gave a lecture on Byzantine hymnography entitled ‘Experiencing Hymnography in Constantinople: From the Cathedral to the Monastery and Back Again.’ The following are the reflections of Dr Baghos:

“Andrew Mellas’ love and support for St Andrew’s cannot be underestimated: he has published several articles in our journal, Phronema, as well as a chapter in the recently published Alexandrian Legacy: A Critical Appraisal. Andrew’s research is on the hymnographer-saints Romanos and Andrew of Crete, and he is always willing to share his insights into his field of expertise (Andrew is also a chanter at the church of the Resurrection of Christ, Kogarah). It was with pleasure that I introduced him to the students last night for a fascinating diachronic lecture on Byzantine hymnography. Mr Mellas began with an outline of the narrational dimension to Byzantine hymns that are meant to tell a story that evokes a response in the listener. Referring to several patristic texts that endorse the use of hymns, Mr Mellas went on to contextualise hymnography within the sacred space of the Church, especially in relation to Hagia Sophia, described with ‘musical’ overtones by the 6^th Century courtier of Justinian, Paul the Silentiary.

When addressing St Romanos the Melodist, inventor of the kontakion,which Mellas described as “a sermon sung in verse,” Mellas contextualised the kontakia within the pannychis or evening vigil that would have taken place in Constantinople before giving us examples of how they might have been performed. Turning to St Andrew of Crete and the development of the kanon, Mr Mellas addressed the saint’s Great Canon and its symbolic use within the Lenten period, as well as its construal of figures from the Old and New Testaments as paradigms, both positive and negative, for the congregation. Mr Mellas rounded off his lecture with a portrayal of St Kassia, or Kassiani, a ninth century iconodule who wrote 47 idiomela. He made a strong case that St Kassia should also be considered a melodist, as it would have been impossible for her to compose hymns without the accompanying familiarity with notation. We thank Andrew for this great lecture!”