Yared

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Saint Yared (Ge’ez: ቅዱስ ያሬድ) lived from 25 April 505 to 20 May 571. He was an Ethiopian Aksumite composer, hymn writer, and scholar who created the country’s traditional sacred music and helped shape the liturgical practices of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches.

Yared developed Zema, the chant tradition of Ethiopia, and created a system of musical notation. He wrote the Book of Deggua, which set out three chant modes used in worship: Ge’ez (plain chant for ordinary days), Ezel (more measured for special occasions like funerals), and Araray (a freer mode for festivals). He also organized the music into arrangements called Seraye, guiding how hymns should be sung. Yared’s work used ten musical tones, a different approach from some European systems, and the Deggua books took years to complete.

Born in Axum to Abyud (Isaac) and Christina, Yared studied with teachers and learned to read and translate Scripture into Ge’ez. After early hardships in schooling, a turning moment came when a small incident with a worm inspired him to study Holy Scripture more deeply. He eventually became a priest at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion and gained the favor of Aksum’s king Gebre Meskel. He later asked to retire from court life to teach and pray among the people in the Semien Mountains.

In the Semien region, Yared wrote and refined the Deggua and taught students, helping to build churches and spread his musical system. He is said to have helped consecrate churches such as Debre Damo and to have founded others in places like Gojjam, Begemder (Gondar), and Tigray. He died at age 66 in a cave while traveling to teach, and his feast day is observed on 19 May by Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Christians, as well as Ethiopian and Eritrean Catholics.

Yared’s legacy endures. He is regarded as the founder of the Ethiopian musical tradition called qene, and his chant and voice are remembered as powerful times of worship. His music continues to influence liturgical practices today, even as some chants become rare or transition into new forms. Legends say he ascended to heaven with angels singing, and his life remains a cornerstone of Ethiopian sacred music.