Seikilos Epitaph

by Ka Safar

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about

The Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest surviving complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the World.

“I fell in love with the idea of this tune's distant, historic, yet extremely personal communication. There’s a reverence surrounding the very notion of the Seikilos stone and I’ve been carefully mindful of this resonance and legacy in sharing its sentiment. It is a privilege to be exposed to such a relevant landmark within the antiquity of music, along with its beautifully crafted melody and simple, timeless message of 'carpe diem'. There’s something comforting in knowing that these themes have run so deep and long through the human spirit. I do so hope that Seikilos approves.” Lee Allatson

Seikilos Epitaph history: Dating from the 1st or 2nd century AD, both the lyrics and a Greek form of musical notation are inscribed on a ‘stele’ - a marble tombstone in the shape of a pillar. The epigraph may have been written by Seikilos in honour of Euterpe (who might have been his wife, though Euterpe is also the name of the Greek muse of music).
It was found in 1883 at the site of the ancient Hellenistic town of Tralles near the modern city of Aydin in western Turkey, during construction of a railway. The stone marker is rumoured to have been kept for a time in the private collection of the construction firm’s owner, where the broken base was apparently sawn off so that it could stand upright and hold the owner’s wife’s flowerpots. In 1966, the pillar was acquired by the National Museum in Copenhagen, where it remains to this day.

Seikilos Epitaph - Tralles, 100/200AD
Stele found - Aydin, 1883
Survived the Greco-Turkish war and rediscovered - Smyrna, 1922
Ka Safar release - UK, August 19th, 2020

lyrics

Inscribed on the stones:
Εἰκὼν ἤ λίθος εἰμί. τίθησί με Σεικίλος ἔνθα μνήμης ἀθανάτου σῆμα πολυχρόνιον
I am a tombstone, an image. Seikilos placed me here as a long-lasting sign of deathless remembrance.

Seikilos Epitaph:
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστι τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ
While you live, shine
Carry no sorrow at all
Life is a gift for not long
'Til Time, he demands his fair due

*The tombstone inscription above includes a direct translation to English, though the Seikilos Epitaph lyrics have undergone some literary adjustments to accommodate language and meter.

credits

released August 31, 2020
Arranged, recorded and produced by Lee Boyd Allatson.

Performed by Ka Safar:
Lee Boyd Allatson (drum set)
Mellow Baku (vocals)
Kulvir Bhambra (percussion)
Miranda Booth (harp)
Tony Booth (Narrator)
Benjamin Dady (sax)
Satya-Sara Khachik (dance)
Tony Looby (flute)
Fino Lopes (bass)
Jonathan Read (flugel horn/trumpet)
Gary Reader (sax)
Alan Tang (violin)
Hari Trivedi (tabla)

Art direction: Humanji
Audio Mastering by Nene Baratto at Big Snuff Studio, Berlin.

license

about

Ka Safar England, UK

Ka Safar is a 17-piece world jazz band proudly based in Leicester, UK. With compositions and direction by Lee Boyd Allatson, the band espouses inclusivity, peace, love and humanity.
Ka is the ancient Egyptian God of 'The spark of the spirit' and Safar is Arabic for journey. ... more

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