BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
There is a reverberating song in the town that is released a year ago but still fresh and making many people very emotional. You would wonder why this music is such impactful.The song isn’t just beautiful but it also entailed a story of prominent muscian. A musician who has hand is in almost many of Ethiopian musics released for twenty decades or more. The only thing he hasn’t been maybe is a singer. He is guitarist, pianist, lyricist, makes melody and composes.
Elias talent developed from being a member of church choir leading him to join Yared Music School in Addis Ababa, and studying cello, piano and the traditional instrument kirar. Elias began playing with Medina band when he was a student at Yared School. He played along with his instructors from Music school like Aklilu Zewde, Ezra Abate and Yared Tefera. Then after, he worked with Zema, Lastasna and Sound bands. After he did first arrangement to legendry singer Mahmooud Ahmed, Elias hasn’t stopped making undying music.
From his first break Teddy Afro’s Abugida to Meselu Fantahun’s Atshishi Jember, Elias Melka has composed more than forty studio albums and many of which were very successful albums. He brought up and introduced many young artists who became influential singers of the time. Gossaye Tesfaye, Mikaya Behailu, Eyob Mekonnen, Zeritu Kebede, Tigist Bekele, Haile Roots, Gete Anley, and Berry are among others whose albums composed by Elias.
He was also a leader in taking social responsibility, having produced more than half a dozen singles that deal with HIV/AIDS and traffic accidents and others. These songs made by himself and collaborated with others greatly helped the effort to educate people about these societal dangers. From those, «Ashkerkir Rega Bileh” and “Mela Belu” are the priors.
In addition to his skills and knowledge in composition of music, what was typical of Elias was the power and depth of his lyrics. In his music, listeners usually get amazed by his understanding of situations, human life, history, philosophy and theology. He has effectively exploited music to tell his understanding of creation, beauty, love, the agony of humanbeing in this world. On one of song he wrote the lyrics and Zeritu Kebede performed, he told his confusion on God’s deeds but chose to be hopeful saying “even my eyes that got light from him have seen.” He challenged the deeds of God like prophet Habakkuk did in the bible. Habakkuk asked; “Why do you not help us against the wicked?” In his song Elias asked why God isn’t helping the poor. However, in his last lines, he says God knows morethan I did.
When one got too much,
having hard time choosing
The other got nothing,
still going ups and down
What if He share it to the sad
What if He balances
What if he says enough to the rich
….
Oh why I am making myself tired?
if I don’t have the answer
He doesn’t make mistake
He does everything for a reason
Even my eyes that got light from him have seen
Doesn’t the creator is mightier than the created?!
Elias sustained combining his theolgical knowledge and experience to come up with all time musics that reach to the heart of his fans easilly. He also used music to tell his circumstances though understood late. One of such music is the recent song that is sung by Meselu Fantahun “Wey lemta Wey meta.” Elias was suffering diabetes and kidney complications for a long time. So, when the suffering gets too much he was demanding rest; his death. In this music he asks healing or eternal peace. He was ready to accept anything and was remain faithful.
The country, the outdoor looks very far to me
Feeling nostaligic like a guest bird, an outsider
Like familyless stranger, like a silly wanderer
I felt homesick
Come to me or I shall come to you
If you are my destiny
for what faults my heart get punished
…
I would recieve him open hands
if he hadn’t been gone untraced
My hearts get stronger (2x)
My heart get bold
It will come when its day come
Just accept the truth
This song however released a year after Elias’s death and better get attention after the story behind is known when music judges cried while it is performered in singing contest. Now, many listen the music with interest and sadness at the same time.
On Elias funeral singer Zeritu Kebede has said, “Music passes through all its glory through Elias.” I and many fans of him share this description. Elias will continue to be inspiration or a mile stone future artists would target. And as Girum Zenebe described him “He has cancelled criticism of his generation” by producing songs that can compete with previous generation. It’s hard to imagine whether there has been and there will be such big music figure in Ethiopian music like Elias Melka.
Due to the deeply entrenched views of people to art or the country’s poor economic status, it is common to witness artists pass with out proper recognition and award. Elias, like many of notable artists before him, hasn’t enjoyed deserving recognition for his vast contribution in music. Neverthless, he has won four great awards noteworthy to mention. The first of which is WIPO’s International Award which was given to Ethiopian musicians, the second one which was an award given to him for composing different Kunama songs, the third one was given by the Fana Broadcasting Corporate, local broadcasting media, as a Life Time Awardand the last one was by Addis Music Award, for extra effort he put for Ethiopian music at all.
Regardless of the circumstances, Elias was very passionate about music and music production. He was hopeful that industry one day to change for the better. He hasn’t sat with this positivity. He was rather active in organizing artists to find a solution. To make their work have a return, they had to build a system. So, Elias mobilized artists to work together and ensure the national system that enables the artist to get share from their songs and it is known as Awtar Music Application. He will also remember by art community for this contribution.
The Ethiopian Herald July 16/2022
