A Timeless Nine-Beat Rhythm: Memory of a Suspended Moment
A few days ago, I was chatting with a Swiss student who has been living between Switzerland and Greece for many years.
During our conversation, a memory came back to me — one that left a deep impression: a musical and human encounter with the Greek harpist Elisa Vellia.
Years ago, I had the chance to attend several workshops with her — first in Dinan, during the International Celtic Harp Meetings, and later in Paris, at the Mission Bretonne. I keep wonderful memories of those moments, and especially of her teaching approach, full of emotion and generosity. Many of the pedagogical keys she gave us still shape my own teaching today.
And then, there is this video.
A rare and precious one, filmed in Athens in 2009:
🎥 Transmission d’un neuf temps qui n’a pas d’âge
it opens with a quiet conversation in a car, early in the morning — or perhaps at dusk. A man named Andreas tells a mysterious story about a unique priestess and the relocation of a statue that once stood on sacred ground.
Then, the camera follows an old stone footpath, climbing gently uphill. Below, you see Athens and the Acropolis in the distance. The place feels ancient and secret — far from the usual tourist trails.
Elisa sets up her harp. She tunes it slowly. Silence settles.
And then, the transmission begins.
An ancient art form is passed on — from a man to a woman. A rhythm, a melody, a dance.
You watch the birth of a piece of music, shaped by shared gestures and listening.
The unusual nine-beat rhythm begins to resonate under Elisa’s fingers, while Andreas dances — his body responding to the beat. This musical moment will later become a composed piece titled To tragoudi tou Andreas ("Andreas’ Song").
What moves me so deeply about this video is not just the music
but the power of transmission.
The way memory travels from one body to another, not through sheet music, but through presence, movement, and attention. It’s about encounter, too: human, artistic, and timeless.
I also love how the sound of Elisa’s harp — one of Marin Lhopiteau’s instruments — fits perfectly with this Mediterranean atmosphere. Its earthy, silky tone proves that this harp is not just for Celtic traditions, but beautifully suited for other ancestral music as well.
And a little wink for attentive eyes and ears: if Elisa’s sound and posture feel familiar to you, it’s no coincidence — she was, many years ago, one of Cécile Corbel’s first teachers.
The video ends as quietly as it began.
The camera slowly walks back down the ancient path. A final thank you appears — to Andreas Tsekouras, and to the musicians who joined the 2010 Lyon concert that followed the recording of the piece.
The footage is by Laurent Rousseau.
This is one of those rare videos that stays with you — because it touches on something essential:
The beauty of a shared gesture, the memory of a rhythm, the magic of a moment suspended in time.
And sometimes, these are the very memories that feed our own way of playing… and teaching.
👩🎨 Short Biography – Elisa Vellia
Elisa Vellia is a Greek harpist, singer, and composer, born on the island of Corfu. She began studying piano in Athens, then turned to singing, guitar, blues, and folk music. At the age of 21, she left Greece and discovered the Celtic harp in London — an instrument that would come to define her musical identity.
After training with Irish and Scottish harpists, she settled in Brittany in 1992, where she began blending her Greek roots with the Celtic world. She co-founded ( with Cristine Mérienne ) the duo Sedrenn, which performed widely in France and abroad.
In 2005, she released her first solo album Le Voleur de Secrets (“The Thief of Secrets”), a powerful blend of harp and Greek vocals that became a world music success with Harmonia Mundi. She followed with Ahnaria (2008), and La Femme qui Marche (2011), weaving influences from the Mediterranean, the Aegean, and the Celtic shores into her unique poetic sound.
For over twenty years, Elisa has led harp and voice workshops in France and around the world (Scotland, Greece, the Czech Republic, Paraguay, etc.). Her teaching is rooted in body awareness, movement, and a sensitive, oral approach to traditional music.
En savoir plus : http://www.elisa-vellia.com
Merci d'avoir lu l'article et/ou visionné la vidéo !