Michael Levy | The Kithara of Ancient Greece - "Odysseus and the Sirens" @MichaelLevyMusic | Uploaded July 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
A 'live' performance of "Odysseus and the Sirens" - track 1, from my 2016 album, "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity". Regarding the story of Odysseus and the Sirens in Homer’s “Odyssey”, quoting from Wikipedia:
“In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island…
Odysseus was curious as to what the Sirens sang to him, and so, on the advice of Circe, he had all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast. He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg.
When he heard their beautiful song, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they bound him tighter. When they had passed out of earshot, Odysseus demonstrated with his frowns to be released”
This piece is an evocation of the sort of melody which may once have accompanied a recitation of this tale. I use the distinctively poignant and luring ancient Greek Phrygian mode (misnamed the ‘Dorian’ mode in the Middle Ages).
This 'live' performance, like the original studio produced track on my album, also features an atmospheric background of ocean sounds, with the sound of the kithara enhanced by natural reverb sampled from an actual cave, which I mixed, mastered then synchronized back with the raw video.
Available from all the usual digital music platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music & Amazon, lossless studio quality audio of my album "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity" is also available from Bandcamp.
michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-greek-kithara-of-classical-antiquity
The kithara was the highly advanced, large wooden lyre favoured by only the true professional musicians of ancient Greece, which reached its pinnacle of perfection during the “Golden Age” of Classical Antiquity, circa 5th century BCE:
ancientlyre.com/the-kithara-of-ancient-greece-rome
My album "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity" features the wonderfully recreated Kithara of the Golden Age of Classical Greece - hand-made in modern Greece by Luthieros:
https://www..luthieros.com
Since late 2014, I have been collaborating with Luthieros in their inspirational "Lyre 2.0 Project" - dedicated to reintroducing the wonderful lyres of antiquity back into the modern world, to make these beautiful instruments accessible to each and every modern musician.
This new series of recordings hopefully demonstrate why the kithara was so venerated in antiquity, as the instrument of the professional musician - perfect for both accompanying the human voice and for as an incredibly versatile solo instrument.
For countless hours more 'musical adventures in time travel' please also check out all my official artist links below:
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 "Odysseus and the Sirens" - track 1, from my 2016 album, "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity". Regarding the story of Odysseus and the Sirens in Homer’s “Odyssey”, quoting from Wikipedia:
“In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island…
Odysseus was curious as to what the Sirens sang to him, and so, on the advice of Circe, he had all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast. He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg.
When he heard their beautiful song, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they bound him tighter. When they had passed out of earshot, Odysseus demonstrated with his frowns to be released”
This piece is an evocation of the sort of melody which may once have accompanied a recitation of this tale. I use the distinctively poignant and luring ancient Greek Phrygian mode (misnamed the ‘Dorian’ mode in the Middle Ages).
This 'live' performance, like the original studio produced track on my album, also features an atmospheric background of ocean sounds, with the sound of the kithara enhanced by natural reverb sampled from an actual cave, which I mixed, mastered then synchronized back with the raw video.
Available from all the usual digital music platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music & Amazon, lossless studio quality audio of my album "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity" is also available from Bandcamp.
michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-greek-kithara-of-classical-antiquity
The kithara was the highly advanced, large wooden lyre favoured by only the true professional musicians of ancient Greece, which reached its pinnacle of perfection during the “Golden Age” of Classical Antiquity, circa 5th century BCE:
ancientlyre.com/the-kithara-of-ancient-greece-rome
My album "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity" features the wonderfully recreated Kithara of the Golden Age of Classical Greece - hand-made in modern Greece by Luthieros:
https://www..luthieros.com
Since late 2014, I have been collaborating with Luthieros in their inspirational "Lyre 2.0 Project" - dedicated to reintroducing the wonderful lyres of antiquity back into the modern world, to make these beautiful instruments accessible to each and every modern musician.
This new series of recordings hopefully demonstrate why the kithara was so venerated in antiquity, as the instrument of the professional musician - perfect for both accompanying the human voice and for as an incredibly versatile solo instrument.
For countless hours more 'musical adventures in time travel' please also check out all my official artist links below:
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
