Michael Levy | The Theft of Hermes (Improvisation for Ancient Greek Tortoise Shell Lyre) @MichaelLevyMusic | Uploaded May 2022 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
New music - for the recreated ancient Greek tortoise shell lyre of Hermes!
Noted for his impish character and constant search for amusement, Hermes was one of the more colourful gods in Greek mythology. Besides being credited with the actual invention of the lyre made from a tortoise shell, whilst still a baby, he stole his half-brother Apollo's herd of 50 sacred cattle from Pieria, cleverly reversing their hoofmarks by adding bark shoes to make it difficult to follow their tracks.
Hermes, therefore, became associated with thieves and he managed to keep the stolen herd of cattle until the satyrs finally discovered it in a cave in Arcadia. After a hearing before Zeus and the Olympian gods, Hermes was permitted to hold on to the herd (now down to 48 as he had already sacrificed two of them) if he gave Apollo his lyre.
In this piece, I attempt to evoke the stealth, trickery & thieving of baby Hermes, by the use of intricate cross-rhythms between the steady finger-plucked tones in the left hand and the crisper, syncopated plectrum-plucked tones produced by the right hand.
My lyre was custom made in modern Greece, by Luthieros:
luthieros.com
This lyre features a resonater fashioned from an actual foraged Greek land tortoise shell - almost identical in construction to the 2,400 year old ancient Elgin Lyre (an actual surviving tortoise shell lyre, reconstructed & preserved in the British Museum).
For many more 'musical adventures in time travels', please also check out 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
New music - for the recreated ancient Greek tortoise shell lyre of Hermes!
Noted for his impish character and constant search for amusement, Hermes was one of the more colourful gods in Greek mythology. Besides being credited with the actual invention of the lyre made from a tortoise shell, whilst still a baby, he stole his half-brother Apollo's herd of 50 sacred cattle from Pieria, cleverly reversing their hoofmarks by adding bark shoes to make it difficult to follow their tracks.
Hermes, therefore, became associated with thieves and he managed to keep the stolen herd of cattle until the satyrs finally discovered it in a cave in Arcadia. After a hearing before Zeus and the Olympian gods, Hermes was permitted to hold on to the herd (now down to 48 as he had already sacrificed two of them) if he gave Apollo his lyre.
In this piece, I attempt to evoke the stealth, trickery & thieving of baby Hermes, by the use of intricate cross-rhythms between the steady finger-plucked tones in the left hand and the crisper, syncopated plectrum-plucked tones produced by the right hand.
My lyre was custom made in modern Greece, by Luthieros:
luthieros.com
This lyre features a resonater fashioned from an actual foraged Greek land tortoise shell - almost identical in construction to the 2,400 year old ancient Elgin Lyre (an actual surviving tortoise shell lyre, reconstructed & preserved in the British Museum).
For many more 'musical adventures in time travels', please also check out 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
