Watch this woman perform the ‘oldest song in the world’ on her harp

By Leo Black via SWNS

Watch as this harpist performs a version of the oldest song in the world - created more than 2,000 years ago - all in ancient Greek.

The song, called the "Seikhilos Epitaph" is the oldest surviving complete piece of music in the world.

Footage filmed in Guilford, Connecticut shows Melegie, 28, a graphic designer and musician from Boston, Massachusetts, perform the piece on an outcrop of rocks by the sea.

The song was found inscribed on a tombstone in 1883, near Aydin, a present day town in Turkey and has been dated to the first century BCE.

It is believed to be dedicated by a man named Seikhilos, to his wife Euterpe.

This makes the song a dedication to lovers who lived almost 2,200 years ago.

The tombstone was inscribed with the musical notes, and the lyrics of the song:

"While you live, shine
have no grief at all
life exists only for a short while
and Time demands his due."

Melegie explained the learning process: "The hard part was learning the ancient Greek lyrics!

"In ancient times, the song's first verse would have been played on the harp, and the second verse played on the flute with harp strumming chords as accompaniment while a vocalist would sing the Greek lyrics.

"I did my best to do all three and keep it as historically accurate as possible!"

The main attraction of the song is its simplicity and melancholy

The lyrics are a lament to the fleetingness of life, and urge the listener to live to the fullest.

She added: "The meaning behind the oldest song in existence is basically YOLO (you only live once).

"My guilty pleasure is exploring anthropology through music — this is like the ultimate folk song. It’s one we all can feel a connection to."

"It’s a fairly simple melody, so many musicians try to make it more interesting to the modern ear by jazzing it up with additional notes and flourishes.

"Despite my pink hair, I wanted to make it as historically accurate as possible. I wanted to play the very bare-bones version, the exact melody that was inscribed into the stone."