Michael Levy | The Meditations of King David (Improvisation for Canaanite Lyre) @MichaelLevyMusic | Uploaded June 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
"Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” – 1 Samuel 16:23
The “Lyre of Har Megiddo” is an instrument etched onto an ivory plaque that was discovered by archaeologist Gordon Loud in the excavations of a royal palace in the ancient city of Megiddo (aka Armageddon) in Israel, dating to the 2nd Millennium BCE, circa 1200 BCE (currently on display in the Rockerfeller Museum in Jerusalem):
scribd.com/document/662619151/the-lyre-of-megiddo-echoes-of-ancient-canaan
This instrument is probably the closest in both time and location to the type of lyre once played by King David himself!
King David has been depicted by artists as playing an extraordinary variety of instruments including a number of harps of decidedly medieval European design, as well as Greco-Roman lyres (lyres of the Greek god Apollo) that can be seen on the coins of first century Roman-occupied Judea.
The image of a Canaanite lyre performer appears on one of the famous “Megiddo ivories” that were excavated by archaeologist Gordon Loud, at what are believed to be the remains of a Late Bronze Age royal palace. The illustration is etched onto a sliver of a hippopotamus tooth, and probably adorned the lid of a box or some other decorative item. Since the hippo is found in the waters of the Upper Nile River, in Egypt, this piece shows the enormous range and influence of Egyptian culture throughout the Middle East in that period.
The Canaanite style lyre I am playing, is actually based on the proportions of an actual surviving Canaanite lyre, strikingly similar to the one depicted on the Megiddo Ivory, found in grave goods excavated about 1830 near Thebes, ancient Egypt and now preserved in Leiden. My lyre was recreated by Luthieros:
luthieros.com
The Late Bronze Age covers a period from roughly 1600 to 1200 B.C. which puts this piece very close to the time of the biblical King David, who is believed to have lived sometime around 1000 B.C. As most people know, according to the Old Testament, David was a musician, singer, and purportedly writer of many of the Psalms. He was said to have played a 10-string lyre (“kinnor” in Hebrew) which is exactly the type of instrument we see in the Megiddo ivory. The figure playing the lyre is dressed in the manner of a Canaanite, not an Egyptian, and is playing an instrument with 10 strings.
To hear more of this fascinating lyre, please check out my 2020 album, "Echoes of Ancient Mesopotamia & Canaan", out on all the usual digital music platforms, including Spotify:
open.spotify.com/album/183Znh8Rb2AFtyfwAlxA6a
Many thanks for watching!
Support:
patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Subscribe:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1
Official Artist Links:
Official Website:
ancientlyre.com
Facebook Page:
facebook.com/beautifullyre
Twitter:
twitter.com/AncientLyre
iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v
Amazon:
amzn.to/2zmJph3
Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com
CD Baby:
cdbaby.com/Artist/MichaelLevy
"Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” – 1 Samuel 16:23
The “Lyre of Har Megiddo” is an instrument etched onto an ivory plaque that was discovered by archaeologist Gordon Loud in the excavations of a royal palace in the ancient city of Megiddo (aka Armageddon) in Israel, dating to the 2nd Millennium BCE, circa 1200 BCE (currently on display in the Rockerfeller Museum in Jerusalem):
scribd.com/document/662619151/the-lyre-of-megiddo-echoes-of-ancient-canaan
This instrument is probably the closest in both time and location to the type of lyre once played by King David himself!
King David has been depicted by artists as playing an extraordinary variety of instruments including a number of harps of decidedly medieval European design, as well as Greco-Roman lyres (lyres of the Greek god Apollo) that can be seen on the coins of first century Roman-occupied Judea.
The image of a Canaanite lyre performer appears on one of the famous “Megiddo ivories” that were excavated by archaeologist Gordon Loud, at what are believed to be the remains of a Late Bronze Age royal palace. The illustration is etched onto a sliver of a hippopotamus tooth, and probably adorned the lid of a box or some other decorative item. Since the hippo is found in the waters of the Upper Nile River, in Egypt, this piece shows the enormous range and influence of Egyptian culture throughout the Middle East in that period.
The Canaanite style lyre I am playing, is actually based on the proportions of an actual surviving Canaanite lyre, strikingly similar to the one depicted on the Megiddo Ivory, found in grave goods excavated about 1830 near Thebes, ancient Egypt and now preserved in Leiden. My lyre was recreated by Luthieros:
luthieros.com
The Late Bronze Age covers a period from roughly 1600 to 1200 B.C. which puts this piece very close to the time of the biblical King David, who is believed to have lived sometime around 1000 B.C. As most people know, according to the Old Testament, David was a musician, singer, and purportedly writer of many of the Psalms. He was said to have played a 10-string lyre (“kinnor” in Hebrew) which is exactly the type of instrument we see in the Megiddo ivory. The figure playing the lyre is dressed in the manner of a Canaanite, not an Egyptian, and is playing an instrument with 10 strings.
To hear more of this fascinating lyre, please check out my 2020 album, "Echoes of Ancient Mesopotamia & Canaan", out on all the usual digital music platforms, including Spotify:
open.spotify.com/album/183Znh8Rb2AFtyfwAlxA6a
Many thanks for watching!
Support:
patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Subscribe:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1
Official Artist Links:
Official Website:
ancientlyre.com
Facebook Page:
facebook.com/beautifullyre
Twitter:
twitter.com/AncientLyre
iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v
Amazon:
amzn.to/2zmJph3
Bandcamp:
michaellevy.bandcamp.com
CD Baby:
cdbaby.com/Artist/MichaelLevy
