Michael Levy | Maenads (Nymphs of Dionysus) @MichaelLevyMusic | Uploaded September 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
A live performance of track 10, "Maenads (Nymphs of Dionysus)", from my forthcoming re-recorded, extended length re-release of my original 2015 album, "The Lyre of Hermes".
I am re-releasing the an extended length version of the album across all the usual digital music platforms on 1st January 2024, with re-recorded, extended & remastered versions of the original tracks, plus 4 new pieces - including this one! CD quality audio plus a PDF boolet of the details album notes is available now, only on Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-lyre-of-hermes
Maenads were the wild, orgiastic nymphs of the consort of the god Dionysus. They were also known as Thyiads, Bacchae and Bacchantes.
In ancient Greek mythology, Dionysus was the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy!
In this improvisation, I attempt to evoke such wild orgiastic frenzy, by demonstrating the fascinating percussive possibilities of the recreated chelys form lyre, by using my heavy carved wood plectrum as a baton on the goat skin soundboard & the edge of the lyre, to literally create a built-in drum kit!
The intoxicated, drunken feel I also attempt to convey in this spontaneous improvisation, is hopefully conjured up here, by the use of the Archytas Enharmonic Genus, which features its distinctively fuzzy and unsettling quartertones.
In creating my tunes, 90% of the time, I actually come up with the tune first, usually conjured up fairly spontaneously in a 'Muse inspired improvisational fantasia' - then spend weeks later trying to find a title for the track, which best emphasises the feel of the music! This certainly applied to this piece - first, I called it "Lampades (Nymphs of Hades)", to replace an improvisation of the same title from the original 2015 EP, but later, I was able to recreate the essential essence of this other improvisation & after some research, the Maenads associtation with the drunken debauchery of Dionysus perfectly came across in both the driving rhythm of this new improvisation & the fuzzy, unsettling quartertones of the Enharmonic Genus really did evoke in my mind, a feeling of copious alchohol induced intoxication!
The title I eventually give to my tunes, therefore, usually are to emphasise the feeling & mood of the tunes, after I have had time to evaluate precisely how they make me feel when I hear them again.
The original 2015 EP album was recorded in collaboration with the latter day ancient Greek lyre makers "Luthieros", who are based in Thessaloniki, Greece
luthieros.com
The original EP length album features a recreated 'chelys' - the tortoise shell form of lyre played in ancient Greece, which had a resonator either made from an actual tortoise shell, or from wood carved in the form of a tortoise shell.
The lyre I am playing, is the Lutherios "Lyre of Apollo III" model - massive in size, with a soundboard of goat skin & a tortoise shell style resonator made in much more resonant wood, the instrument is certainly worthy of the mythological deity which inspired its creation!
My book, featuring sheet music of 13 of my original melodies for recreated ancient lyre is also published by Luthieros:
luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music
For countless more 'musical adventures in time travel', please also see all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!
Subscribe:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1
Official Artist Links:
Official Website:
ancientlyre.com
Digital Music Artist Profiles:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v
iTunes & Apple Music:
itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920
Amazon:
amzn.to/2zmJph3
Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com
Facebook Page:
facebook.com/beautifullyre
Twitter:
twitter.com/AncientLyre
Instagram:
instagram.com/mlevy1400bce
Patreon:
patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
A live performance of track 10, "Maenads (Nymphs of Dionysus)", from my forthcoming re-recorded, extended length re-release of my original 2015 album, "The Lyre of Hermes".
I am re-releasing the an extended length version of the album across all the usual digital music platforms on 1st January 2024, with re-recorded, extended & remastered versions of the original tracks, plus 4 new pieces - including this one! CD quality audio plus a PDF boolet of the details album notes is available now, only on Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-lyre-of-hermes
Maenads were the wild, orgiastic nymphs of the consort of the god Dionysus. They were also known as Thyiads, Bacchae and Bacchantes.
In ancient Greek mythology, Dionysus was the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy!
In this improvisation, I attempt to evoke such wild orgiastic frenzy, by demonstrating the fascinating percussive possibilities of the recreated chelys form lyre, by using my heavy carved wood plectrum as a baton on the goat skin soundboard & the edge of the lyre, to literally create a built-in drum kit!
The intoxicated, drunken feel I also attempt to convey in this spontaneous improvisation, is hopefully conjured up here, by the use of the Archytas Enharmonic Genus, which features its distinctively fuzzy and unsettling quartertones.
In creating my tunes, 90% of the time, I actually come up with the tune first, usually conjured up fairly spontaneously in a 'Muse inspired improvisational fantasia' - then spend weeks later trying to find a title for the track, which best emphasises the feel of the music! This certainly applied to this piece - first, I called it "Lampades (Nymphs of Hades)", to replace an improvisation of the same title from the original 2015 EP, but later, I was able to recreate the essential essence of this other improvisation & after some research, the Maenads associtation with the drunken debauchery of Dionysus perfectly came across in both the driving rhythm of this new improvisation & the fuzzy, unsettling quartertones of the Enharmonic Genus really did evoke in my mind, a feeling of copious alchohol induced intoxication!
The title I eventually give to my tunes, therefore, usually are to emphasise the feeling & mood of the tunes, after I have had time to evaluate precisely how they make me feel when I hear them again.
The original 2015 EP album was recorded in collaboration with the latter day ancient Greek lyre makers "Luthieros", who are based in Thessaloniki, Greece
luthieros.com
The original EP length album features a recreated 'chelys' - the tortoise shell form of lyre played in ancient Greece, which had a resonator either made from an actual tortoise shell, or from wood carved in the form of a tortoise shell.
The lyre I am playing, is the Lutherios "Lyre of Apollo III" model - massive in size, with a soundboard of goat skin & a tortoise shell style resonator made in much more resonant wood, the instrument is certainly worthy of the mythological deity which inspired its creation!
My book, featuring sheet music of 13 of my original melodies for recreated ancient lyre is also published by Luthieros:
luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music
For countless more 'musical adventures in time travel', please also see all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!
Subscribe:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1
Official Artist Links:
Official Website:
ancientlyre.com
Digital Music Artist Profiles:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v
iTunes & Apple Music:
itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920
Amazon:
amzn.to/2zmJph3
Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com
Facebook Page:
facebook.com/beautifullyre
Twitter:
twitter.com/AncientLyre
Instagram:
instagram.com/mlevy1400bce
Patreon:
patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
