In The Virgin in Song, Thomas Arentzen explores the characterization of Mary in the songs of Romanos the Melodist, one of the greatest liturgical poets of Byzantium. Romanos s hymns shaped a figure, Arentzen argues, who related intimately to her flock in a formative period of Christian orthodoxy. In The Virgin in Song, Thomas Arentzen explores the characterization of Mary in the songs of Romanos the Melodist, one of the greatest liturgical poets of Byzantium. Romanos s hymns shaped a figure, Arentzen argues, who related intimately to her flock in a formative period of Christian orthodoxy.