Symphony of Memory and Melody : The Life Story of the Artist from Azech, Mr. Eliya Eliya

 Symphony of Memory and Melody : The Life Story of the Artist from Azech, Mr. Eliya Eliya

Testimony of his son : Professor Gabriel Eliya

Prepared by : Milad Albera Korkis 

Project Owner : Memora 360 - English  

Before beginning the fragrant life story of the artist, it must be noted that music was never a child of chance, nor a product of modern times. From the dawn of humanity, it has been an inner necessity, akin to breathing, a spiritual refuge preceding written language. In the ancient East, where the first civilizations emerged, the first melody was born with the invention of the Sumerian lyre in Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE, expressing humanity’s attempt to understand itself and the world around it. In that land, familiar with both war and prayer, sound emerged as a living memory. Passed down from generation to generation, it traveled not just as a note, but as an impression, as identity, and as an invisible bridge connecting past and present. From this specific East and its civilizational continuum, music seeped into the details of daily life, becoming a second language for souls that words could not contain.

Within this wide context, the life story of the artist from Azech, Mr. Eliya Eliya, can be read as a natural continuation of a memory older than the individual. He was not an isolated phenomenon, nor a sudden talent, but the child of a spiritual and cultural environment in which music was part of faith, work, joy, sorrow, and long waiting. The roots of his family reach the Syrian town of Azech, known for its spiritual depth and church traditions. Among its men, Bishop Hanna Eliya stood out, whose origins were in Azech. He sang with a tender voice in the church of the village Hassana in the Taurus Mountains as part of a missionary journey. His singing was not mere ritual chanting but an emotional experience that left its mark on listeners, linking music from the earliest times with faith, serenity, and dignity.

In this environment, Eliya Eliya grew up carrying within him a silent seed that did not announce itself early but grew quietly. In his youth, he was sent to the Syrian city of Mardin to learn a craft. There, among the old markets, monasteries, and stone houses, his awareness opened to a wider world. Mardin was not just a place of work; it was a cultural and spiritual space. There he learned to play the kemche and experienced for the first time the meaning of sound becoming a daily companion. At that stage, he met Korkis Ante, who mastered the darbuka, and a quiet musical friendship arose between them, based on shared rhythm more than words, around 1930.

Amid the political and social changes that swept the region, the family moved around 1940 to the Syrian Jazira, settling in the city of Derek (al-Malikiyah). There, Eliya Eliya found himself in a new environment, different in appearance but equally rich in humanity. He volunteered in the French army during this period, and during his service, he saw the violin for the first time. The encounter was quiet, without external announcement or astonishment, more like an inner recognition. The violin was not merely an instrument but a reflection of a sound that had lived within him for a long time without finding an outlet. From that moment, a deep relationship began between the man and the string, built on long contemplation and patience, not showmanship.

After completing his military service, the family began a new chapter in Derek. Eliya Eliya acquired the violin with calm conviction and played during the long city evenings, not to be heard by all but to listen to himself. Gradually, playing became part of his daily routine, his personal ritual, and his way of understanding the world. In 1956, he founded a music ensemble with Korkis Ante on rhythm and Moussa Eliya on the jambesh. The group performed at the old cultural center near the house of Pfarrer Afram Jallo and at weddings and social events, without pretense or artificiality. Music here was not a profession but a social service, a bridge between people, and a means to lighten the burdens of life.

Moussa Eliya emerged as the first jambesh player in Derek and was a talented artist who played an important role in reviving Mardin’s heritage, particularly the song Sabeeha. He was also the first to perform the well-known Syriac song Shamoumeh in 1968 with the great Syriac artist Habib Moussa. For him, music was not an option but an identity.

At the beginning of the 1960s, the musical circle in the city expanded. Yousef Sanonu joined on the daf, followed by Danho (Abo Souhel) and Labib Korkis on the darbuka, while Moussa Eliya switched to the accordion after its introduction to the city by engineer Hagob Sakatel. At the same time, Adib Maajoun mastered the jambesh, and Abdulahad Eliya continued playing the piano in the Evangelical Church from around 1945, demonstrating the interplay of church music with daily life.

Other names and faces followed. Jamil Eliya studied in Azech, Mardin, Aleppo, and Beirut, then traveled to the United States to become a violinist trained in authentic Western technique. Salem Eliya played with the Ramelan Workers’ Band in 1972. Hanna Eliya (Abo Maikel) loved and mastered the violin. Farid Eliya, a theater director and oud and violin player, participated with Dr. Obrohom’s band in Germany. Josef Eliya played the jambesh and guitar from seventh grade, performed Spring for Farid Alatrash, and later collaborated with well-known artists in the Arab world and Europe. Andraws Eliya played the oud, and Eptsam Eliya was distinguished for her calm and sweet voice.

During these years, Derek witnessed notable musical visits, including Moushe Eliyaho in 1966, Mohamed Aref Aljezrawi in 1968, Aram Dekran in 1969, violinist Elias from Qamishli in 1971. In 1972, a cassette was recorded of the Kurdish bouzouki player Herr Nawaf from Tal Zearat village, and these recordings remain with Gabriel Eliya as living documents of the city’s memory.

Gabriel Eliya carried this legacy quietly and responsibly. In 1976, he studied accordion at the Music Institute and founded the first brass band in Derek in 1986, which continued until 2000 when its instruments were handed over to the Syriac Orthodox Church. Musical training remained part of his daily life until 2011, the time of emigration, without noise or pretense. The goal was not to produce professionals but to preserve the continuity of sound and the presence of music as part of collective memory.

To Gabriel Eliya: This testimony you have entrusted us with is not merely a family account, but a duty toward memory. Memora 360 received a rare opportunity to document an artistic and human biography as it truly is, without distortion or exaggeration. We believe that true memory is preserved when told honestly, and when details are left to speak in their natural language. Thank you for your trust, patience, and your belief that what lived quietly deserves to be written quietly.

Thus, the life story of Eliya Eliya remains that of a man who sought no spotlight but left an indelible mark. He remains present in melody, in the string, and in the silence after playing. His musical life was not a career but an existential journey from Azech through Mardin to Derek, becoming part of the memory of place and people. This biography is not a conclusion but the beginning of a deeper understanding of music’s role in preserving identity and giving memory its truest human form.

#Memora360 #EliyaEliya #GabrielEliya #Azech #Derek #AlMalikiyah #SyrianJazira #MusicalHeritage #HumanMemory #PersonalitiesThatShapedMemory