Seikilos Epitaph
This piece is in unison voice, with a female soprano, and a male tenor, accompanied by a stringed instrument, though the stringed instrument and the flute take over the melody at times. The melody is largely conjunct, with few jumps that are larger than a diatonic third. The song is in what appears to be similar to a 6/8 meter, though it is engraved on the stele without meter, as was the custom of the musical notation of that time period.
The melody is accompanied by a stringed instrument that repeats fragments of the melody when the vocalist is not singing. There is drum and flute in the second part of the song. The flute takes over the melody until the voice comes back in, when the stringed instrument returns in accompaniment, the flute drops out. There are two voices, a male tenor and a female soprano. The instrumental accompaniment is a stringed instrument, possibly a lyra, a drone, and a type of flute. The percussive accompaniment is a two-voiced drum and jingles.
This particular recording is a reproduction, and is in theme and variations form, as the form was not specified in the original composition. A short introduction is played on the stringed instrument, possibly a lyra (the precursor to the lyre), on a solely monophonic melody, with no harmony until the chords are struck before the voice enters. When the solo soprano voice enters, the harmony is simple and echoes the melody or plays simple chords. Then, there is a short bridge with polyrhythmic aspects occurring in the stringed instrument, before the soprano voice enters again. When the soprano voice enters again, the melody is slightly varied from the first time, and the stringed instrument plays more intricate harmonies with varied rhythms and chords. There also enters a percussion instrument that is similar to jingles being struck when the chords are played. These continue after the voice drops. The two voices take over in unison on the melody, with the original string accompaniment. After the voice drop out, the flute comes in with the melody, accompanied by a two-voiced drum and the jingles. After one verse, the stringed instrument rejoins the accompaniment, and after another verse, the flute melody is taken over by the solo soprano, who is joined for a repetition by the male tenor in unison. The flute takes over the melody with the continued accompaniment from the drums, jingles, and stringed instrument. The voices re-enter, joined by a two-pitched drone, and on the last words, the soprano voice splits and there is harmony between the voices.
The melody is accompanied by a stringed instrument that repeats fragments of the melody when the vocalist is not singing. There is drum and flute in the second part of the song. The flute takes over the melody until the voice comes back in, when the stringed instrument returns in accompaniment, the flute drops out. There are two voices, a male tenor and a female soprano. The instrumental accompaniment is a stringed instrument, possibly a lyra, a drone, and a type of flute. The percussive accompaniment is a two-voiced drum and jingles.
This particular recording is a reproduction, and is in theme and variations form, as the form was not specified in the original composition. A short introduction is played on the stringed instrument, possibly a lyra (the precursor to the lyre), on a solely monophonic melody, with no harmony until the chords are struck before the voice enters. When the solo soprano voice enters, the harmony is simple and echoes the melody or plays simple chords. Then, there is a short bridge with polyrhythmic aspects occurring in the stringed instrument, before the soprano voice enters again. When the soprano voice enters again, the melody is slightly varied from the first time, and the stringed instrument plays more intricate harmonies with varied rhythms and chords. There also enters a percussion instrument that is similar to jingles being struck when the chords are played. These continue after the voice drops. The two voices take over in unison on the melody, with the original string accompaniment. After the voice drop out, the flute comes in with the melody, accompanied by a two-voiced drum and the jingles. After one verse, the stringed instrument rejoins the accompaniment, and after another verse, the flute melody is taken over by the solo soprano, who is joined for a repetition by the male tenor in unison. The flute takes over the melody with the continued accompaniment from the drums, jingles, and stringed instrument. The voices re-enter, joined by a two-pitched drone, and on the last words, the soprano voice splits and there is harmony between the voices.
This piece is written in the style of the ancient Greek compositions, as far as is known. This piece was an epitaph written on a stele of the wife of Seikilos’s gravestone. This is the earliest fully surviving written piece of ancient Grecian music. The inscription of the piece is “I am a tombstone, an image. Seikilos placed me here as an everlasting sign of deathless remembrance.” The lyrics to this piece are four lines of text stating:
“While you live, shine,
Have no grief at all;
Life exists only for a short while,
And Time demands its toll.”
The dedication on this piece on the original stele states “from Seikilos to Euterpe.” The piece was written in its original ancient Grecian musical notation. This stele was discovered by Sir William Ramsey in 1883, in Aydin, near Turkey. Seikilos was a poet and musician during the Hellenistic Greek period of time (around 100 BC to 100 AD) (Skolion).
“While you live, shine,
Have no grief at all;
Life exists only for a short while,
And Time demands its toll.”
The dedication on this piece on the original stele states “from Seikilos to Euterpe.” The piece was written in its original ancient Grecian musical notation. This stele was discovered by Sir William Ramsey in 1883, in Aydin, near Turkey. Seikilos was a poet and musician during the Hellenistic Greek period of time (around 100 BC to 100 AD) (Skolion).
"Ὅσον ζῇς, φαίνου,
Hoson zês, phainou,
While you live, shine,
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ·
mêden holôs su lupou;
have no grief at all;
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν,
pros oligon esti to zên,
life exists only for a short while,
τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
to telos ho chronos apaitei.
and time demands its toll." (Skolion)
These are the original words of the song, translated first to the Greek pronunciation alphabet, then to modern English (Skolion).
Hoson zês, phainou,
While you live, shine,
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ·
mêden holôs su lupou;
have no grief at all;
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν,
pros oligon esti to zên,
life exists only for a short while,
τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
to telos ho chronos apaitei.
and time demands its toll." (Skolion)
These are the original words of the song, translated first to the Greek pronunciation alphabet, then to modern English (Skolion).