Yared (505–571)
Born 505 CE, died 571 CE.
Saint Yared (Ge'ez: ቅዱስ ያሬድ; 25 April 505 – 20 May 571) was an Aksumite composer, hymnwriter and scholar. He was credited with inventing the traditional music of Ethiopia, he developed the music of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church. In a broader context, he helped establish liturgical music in the Coptic Orthodox Church and Syriac Orthodox Church, as well as create the Ethiopian musical notation system. Additionally, he composed Zema, or the chant tradition of Ethiopia, particularly the chants of the Ethiopian-Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, which are still performed today. According to the medieval chronicle The Gadla Yared (Acts of Yared), Yared was born in Axum. After the death of his father, his activity in education gradually declined which led him to be sent to parish priest Abba Gedeon. Yared then went to his uncle birthplace in Murade Qal. He saw a worm trying to climb tree with numerous attempts until the last moment. The worm struggle had inspire him and pursue to read and study Holy Scriptures. He became a priest at Church of Our Lady, Mary of Zion, then attracted to the Aksum king Gebre Meskel.
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