This paper considers the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the
sung sermons by the sixth-century hymnographer, Romanos the Melodist.
Originally performed in Constantinople at vigils held on the eve of
feast days, these stanzaic hymns, or kontakia, enlivened biblical
characters through inventive use of dialogue and interior monologue.
Mary’s voice figures prominently in Romanos’s retelling of gospel
stories about the annunciation, as well as the nativity, infancy,
miracles, and passion of Christ. Building on recent studies by T.
Arentzen and S. Gador-Whyte, this paper focuses on performative and
affective dimensions of Mary’s voice in these biblical retellings.
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