My Lyre Theme - in Rufus Wainwrights HADRIAN (Act II Scene IV) Michael Levy 2024-10-22 | My Lyre Theme - in Rufus Wainwrights HADRIAN (Act II Scene IV)
Meditation Music for Lyre in Ancient Woodland Michael Levy 2023-07-22 | A live performance of my piece, "The Golden Age of Pericles" in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades.This piece formed track 1 from my 2015 album, "The Ancient Greek Tortoise Shell Lyre" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio & a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes is also available for every of my albums purchased on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-greek-tortoise-shell-lyreIn this live arrangement, rather than use the tortoise shell lyre with which the original was recorded with, I feature the lovely, harp-like purity of my 10-string lyre, in the pristine focus of just intonation (this particular lyre is about the only one which is portable enough for my recent series of live woodland recordings!)The lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Musical Adventures in Time Travel Michael Levy 2023-07-20 | To celebrate over 1000,000 streams on Spotify of my compilation album, "Musical Adventures in Time Travel", here is of a live performance of track 12, "Nero's Lyre", filmed in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades. Featuring my evocations of the music of ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Israel, ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome, here is the link to the album on Spotify:open.spotify.com/album/54P7XYVh2FN9zkioHoMWW1?si=PPIztYqnTn6DIwICpFZTUQAs well as Spotify, the album is vailable from all the other usual digital music platforms, including Amazon, Apple Music & iTunes. CD quality audio & a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes is also available for every of my albums purchased on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musical-adventures-in-time-travelThe piece is my imaginative evocation of the lament Nero was famously said to have sang accompanied by his lyre as he witnessed the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE.The lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Meditation Music for Lyre, Live in an Ancient Forest... Michael Levy 2023-07-19 | A live performance of my piece, "Ode to Aphrodite" in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades.This piece formed track 10 from my 2010 album, "The Ancient Greek Lyre" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio & a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes is also available for every of my albums purchased on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-greek-lyreThe lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
The Ancient Greek Harp Michael Levy 2023-07-16 | A spontaneous improvisation on a recreated ancient Greek harp (Epigonion), near the site of an ancient Greek burial site in the Northern Greek countryside...living the dream!The replica harp featured, was handmade in modern Greece, by Luthieros:luthieros.com/product/the-premium-ancient-greek-harp-of-oblivion-epigonion-psalteryNot entirely sure if I was holding this harp the right way around here, but at least I wasn't struck down by the Muses for my effort!Back in 2015, I had the honour of being invited to Greece by Luthieros, where I had the pleasure of demonstrating several of their wonderful modern recreations of the ancient Greek lyre, as part of their inspirational "Lyre 2.0" Project - dedicated to reintroducing the recreated ancient Greek lyre back into the hands of modern musicians...and part of my own musical mission, in 'continuing where the ancients left off', to create new music for these recreated ancient lyres.
Microtonal Ancient Lyre Jam! Michael Levy 2023-07-10 | A spontaneous microtonal rhythmic improvisation on a recreated ancient Greek lyre, live in modern Greece - illustrating how the lyre might well have quite literally, brought some 'Heavy Metal' into the Iron Age!The lovely swan-necked lyre featured, was "The Lyre of Thamyris", handmade in modern Greece, by Luthieros:luthieros.comThe microtonal scale upon which this improvisation was based on, is the "Archytas Enharmonic Genus', which features the use of quartertones:http://www.ex-tempore.org/ARCHYTAS/ARCHYTAS.htmlThe skin-soundboard of this lyre makes a perfect, ready-made drum skin, when bashed with the carved wooden plectrum!Back in 2017 when this film was made, I had the honour of being invited to Greece by Luthieros, where I had the pleasure of demonstrating several of their wonderful modern recreations of the ancient Greek lyre, as part of their inspirational "Lyre 2.0" Project - dedicated to reintroducing the recreated ancient Greek lyre back into the hands of modern musicians...and part of my own musical mission, in 'continuing where the ancients left off', to create new music for these recreated ancient lyres.
The Lyre of King David Michael Levy 2023-07-10 | A demonstration on a fascinating recreation of the 'Megiddo Lyre' - based on an ancient illustration of a Canaanite-style lyre (circa 1,300 BCE) carved into a hippopotamus ivory found at in the ruins of the Canaanite city of Megiddo, dating to only a few centuries before the traditional Biblical time of King David.The lyre was made by Luthieros:luthieros.comBack in 2015 & 2017 (when this video was filmed), I had the honour of being invited to Greece by Luthieros, where I had the pleasure of demonstrating several of their wonderful modern recreations of the ancient Greek lyre, as part of their inspirational "Lyre 2.0" Project - dedicated to reintroducing the recreated ancient lyre back into the hands of modern musicians...and part of my own musical mission, in 'continuing where the ancients left off', to create new music for these recreated ancient lyres.
The Percussive Possibilities of the Ancient Lyre? Michael Levy 2023-07-09 | A spontaneous improvisation on a recreated ancient Greek lyre, near the site of an ancient Greek burial site in the Northern Greek countryside...living the dream!The lyre featured, was "The Lyre of Apollo III", handmade in modern Greece, by Luthieros:luthieros.comBack in 2015, I had the honour of being invited to Greece by Luthieros, where I had the pleasure of demonstrating several of their wonderful modern recreations of the ancient Greek lyre, as part of their inspirational "Lyre 2.0" Project - dedicated to reintroducing the recreated ancient Greek lyre back into the hands of modern musicians...and part of my own musical mission, in 'continuing where the ancients left off', to create new music for these recreated ancient lyres.
Ancient Roman-Themed Lyre Music - Inspired by Themes from Stoic Philosophy! Michael Levy 2023-06-29 | A live performance of track 2, "Pluviam Frigus (Cold Rain)", from my forthcoming new album, "Musica Lyre" - out on all the major digital music platforms on 1st August 2023, CD quality audio plus a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes can be ordered now, from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musica-lyraThe sequel to my 2013 album, "The Ancient Roman Lyre", this historically inspired project of original compositions for recreated ancient lyre, ("Musica Lyra" translates from Latin as "Lyre Music") features sketches of specific emotions and feelings, expressed through the mostly forgotten, distinctive expressive qualities of the ancient musical modes, enhanced in the pristine focus of just intonation.Both my earlier release, "The Ancient Roman Lyre" and this one, feature the same glassy purity of tone, conjured up by my 10-string lyre, hand-made in the USA by Marini Made Harps.By pure serendipity, this amazing sounding instrument looks almost identical to a Roman lyre depicted in a 3rd century mosaic found in from Tarsus, Antioch, of Orpheus taming the beasts with his lyre (as featured on the album cover).The theme of the album, is a musical exploration of Stoic meditation - the pieces in "Musica Lyra" expresses emotions of yearning desires, sorrow, grief, inner turmoil and regret, which through philosophical stoic meditation, we ultimately can learn to live with, once we accept and live with the stoic ideal of "Amor Fati" - the love of fate, and to feel inner harmony, no matter what any pantheon of ancient gods might have in store for us, through the enigma of our conscious existence through the journey of life.Stoicism, although having its origins in ancient Greece, was also embraced by the philosophers of Classical Rome. Indeed, the emperor Marcus Aurelius, was himself a renowned stoic philosopher and writer on the subject:“Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”- Marcus AureliusIn setting the sombre stoic theme of this album, in this piece, I attempt to create an atmospheric musical evocation of tears and grief in this mournful piece, by use of the ancient Greek Hypodorian mode (the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano, but, heard here in the intense focus bestowed by the use of just intonation)Using harmonics, I attempt to create the sharp feeling of cold rain and all its connotations of sadness.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Ancient Roman-Themed Lyre Music - Inspired by Themes from Stoic Philosophy! Michael Levy 2023-06-26 | A live performance of track 1, "Desideria (Desires)", from my forthcoming new album, "Musica Lyre" - out on all the major digital music platforms on 1st August 2023, CD quality audio plus a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes can be ordered now, from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musica-lyraThe sequel to my 2013 album, "The Ancient Roman Lyre", this historically inspired project of original compositions for recreated ancient lyre, ("Musica Lyra" translates from Latin as "Lyre Music") features sketches of specific emotions and feelings, expressed through the mostly forgotten, distinctive expressive qualities of the ancient musical modes, enhanced in the pristine focus of just intonation.Both my earlier release, "The Ancient Roman Lyre" and this one, feature the same glassy purity of tone, conjured up by my 10-string lyre, hand-made in the USA by Marini Made Harps.By pure serendipity, this amazing sounding instrument looks almost identical to a Roman lyre depicted in a 3rd century mosaic found in from Tarsus, Antioch, of Orpheus taming the beasts with his lyre (as featured on the album cover).The theme of the album, is a musical exploration of Stoic meditation - the pieces in "Musica Lyra" expresses emotions of yearning desires, sorrow, grief, inner turmoil and regret, which through philosophical stoic meditation, we ultimately can learn to live with, once we accept and live with the stoic ideal of "Amor Fati" - the love of fate, and to feel inner harmony, no matter what any pantheon of ancient gods might have in store for us, through the enigma of our conscious existence through the journey of life.Stoicism, although having its origins in ancient Greece, was also embraced by the philosophers of Classical Rome. Indeed, the emperor Marcus Aurelius, was himself a renowned stoic philosopher and writer on the subject:“Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”- Marcus AureliusIn setting the sombre stoic theme of this album, in this piece, I attempt to create an atmospheric musical evocation of tears and grief in this mournful piece, by use of the ancient Greek Hypodorian mode (the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano, but, heard here in the intense focus bestowed by the use of just intonation)Using harmonics, I attempt to create the sharp feeling of cold rain and all its connotations of sadness.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
New Music for Lyre - Inspired by Themes from Ancient Greek Philosophy Michael Levy 2023-06-25 | A live performance of track 10, from my 2023 album, inspired by themes from ancient Greek philosophy, "Ataraxia (Inner Harmony)". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ataraxia-inner-harmonyThis album attempts to evoke through meditative music for recreated ancient lyre, the philosophical quest to achieve the ancient Greek ideal of Ataraxia – a feeling of total inner harmony & freedom from anxiety, which is one of the core criteria required to bring a sense of meaning to our own lives.In a frenetic, ever changing modern world of uncertainty, shallow, materialistic goals & a lack of anything of aesthetic value or spirituality, this age-old philosophical quest for each of us to strive to seek some long-forgotten inner peace & harmony, has even more relevance today than it did back in the heyday of classical Greece!Other ancient Greek philosophical ideas I explore throughout the album, which are also part of the spiritual & intellectual voyage to achieve this inner harmony, include musical evocations of the Stoic ideal of Apatheia (freedom from negative emotions), the Aristotelian ideal of Eudiamonia (the ideal of seeking a flourishing life, by seeking a life of virtue & reason – the highest functions of human consciousness) and learning to live with the difficult truth advocated by sceptical ancient Greek philosophers such as Pyrrho, that the only thing certain, is uncertainty.Putting these threads together, the album aims to musically express this progression to the ancient Greek ideal of "Ataraxia" (the inner harmony we strive to attain, once we achieve freedom from distress) - an inner peace which can only come, when we learn to live with the difficult truth that the only thing certain in the enigma of our conscious experience, is uncertainty. Only once we can swallow this truth, can we finally appreciate the mystery!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Meditative Ancient Lyre Music, Live in an Ancient Forest... Michael Levy 2023-06-17 | A live performance of my piece, "A Well Tuned Lyre" in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades.This piece formed track 3 from my 2012 album, "A Well Tuned Lyre - The Just Intonation of Antiquity" available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio & a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes is also available for every of my albums purchased on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/a-well-tuned-lyre-the-just-intonation-of-antiquityThe lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Meditative Ancient Lyre Music, Live in an Ancient Forest... Michael Levy 2023-06-14 | A live performance of my piece, "Hymn to Zeus" in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades.This piece formed track 3 from my 2010 album, "Apollo's Lyre" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio & a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes is also available for every of my albums purchased on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/apollos-lyreIn 2017, I was amazed to be asked by Rufus Wainwright for permission for him to adapt this tune for 2 scenes of his 2nd opera, "Hadrian", which premiered in Toronto in October 2018:youtube.com/watch?v=V-UmewNsClgThe lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Hymn to Persephone (Ancient Greek Goddess of the Spring) Michael Levy 2023-06-13 | A live performance of my piece, "Hymn to Persephone (Ancient Greek Goddess of the Spring)", in one of my favourite ancient woodland glades.This piece formed track 1 from my 2022 album, "Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio & a PDF booklets of the detailed album notes is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/orpheus-tamed-the-animals-mythological-music-for-ancient-greek-lyreThe lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Ancient Lyre Music in an Ancient Forest Glade Michael Levy 2023-06-08 | What better way to celebrate the start of brief British Summer than to find a secluded ancient woodland glade & be inspired to spontaneously perform meditative music on the harp-like timbre of a recreated ancient lyre!The piece I am performing is a nature-inspired improvisation around my tune "Orpheus's Lyre" from my 2013 album, "Musical Adventures in Time Travel":open.spotify.com/album/54P7XYVh2FN9zkioHoMWW1?si=rHaZkLmPTP--GXjn7u4fagThe lovely location is Lancaut Nature Reserve, in a secluded glade next to steep limestone cliffs, framing the River Wye - one of my favourite local spots to escape the mostly maddness of the rest of the modern world.Lancaut was once a tiny village, long-abandoned during the Middle Ages, probably due to the plague - all that remains, is the ruins of a 12th century church, nestled in the remnants of the ancient wild wood bordering the banks of the Wye & surrounding sheer limestone cliffs - today I discovered it makes a spendid outdoor recording studio!
Ancient Roman-Themed Lyre Music - Inspired by Themes from Stoic Philosophy! Michael Levy 2023-06-05 | A live performance of track 2, "Pluviam Frigus (Cold Rain)", from my forthcoming new album, "Musica Lyre" - out on all the major digital music platforms on 1st August 2023, CD quality audio plus a PDF booklet of the detailed album notes can be ordered now, from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musica-lyraThe sequel to my 2013 album, "The Ancient Roman Lyre", this historically inspired project of original compositions for recreated ancient lyre, ("Musica Lyra" translates from Latin as "Lyre Music") features sketches of specific emotions and feelings, expressed through the mostly forgotten, distinctive expressive qualities of the ancient musical modes, enhanced in the pristine focus of just intonation.Both my earlier release, "The Ancient Roman Lyre" and this one, feature the same glassy purity of tone, conjured up by my 10-string lyre, hand-made in the USA by Marini Made Harps.By pure serendipity, this amazing sounding instrument looks almost identical to a Roman lyre depicted in a 3rd century mosaic found in from Tarsus, Antioch, of Orpheus taming the beasts with his lyre (as featured on the album cover).The theme of the album, is a musical exploration of Stoic meditation - the pieces in "Musica Lyra" expresses emotions of sorrow, grief, inner turmoil and regret, which through philosophical stoic meditation, we ultimately can learn to live with, once we accept and live with the stoic ideal of "Amor Fati" - the love of fate, and to feel inner harmony, no matter what any pantheon of ancient gods might have in store for us, through the enigma of our conscious existence through the journey of life.Stoicism, although having its origins in ancient Greece, was also embraced by the philosophers of Classical Rome. Indeed, the emperor Marcus Aurelius, was himself a renowned stoic philosopher and writer on the subject:“Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”- Marcus AureliusIn setting the sombre stoic theme of this album, in this piece, I attempt to create an atmospheric musical evocation of tears and grief in this mournful piece, by use of the ancient Greek Hypodorian mode (the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano, but, heard here in the intense focus bestowed by the use of just intonation)Using harmonics, I attempt to create the sharp feeling of cold rain and all its connotations of sadness.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Ancient Roman-Themed Lyre Music - Inspired by Stoic Philosophy! Michael Levy 2023-06-01 | I am delighted to announce the forthcoming release of my new ancient Roman-themed album for solo lyre, "Musica Lyra"! Out on all the usual digital music platforms on 1st August, CD quality audio and a PDF of the detailed album notes can be ordered now, from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musica-lyraThe sequel to my 2013 album, "The Ancient Roman Lyre", this historically inspired project of original compositions for recreated ancient lyre features sketches of specific emotions and feelings, expressed through the mostly forgotten, distinctive expressive qualities of the ancient musical modes, enhanced in the pristine focus of just intonation.Both my earlier release "The Ancient Roman Lyre" and this one, feature the same glassy purity of tone, conjured up by my 10-string lyre, hand-made in the USA by Marini Made Harps.By pure serendipity, this amazing sounding instrument looks almost identical to a Roman lyre depicted in a 3rd century mosaic found in from Tarsus, Antioch, of Orpheus taming the beasts with his lyre (as featured on the album cover).The theme of the album, is a musical exploration of Stoic meditation - the pieces in "Musica Lyra" expresses emotions of sorrow, grief, inner turmoil and regret, which through philosophical stoic meditation, we ultimately can learn to live with, once we accept and live with the stoic ideal of "Amor Fati" - the love of fate, and to feel inner harmony, no matter what any pantheon of ancient gods might have in store for us, through the enigma of our conscious existence through the journey of life.Stoicism, although having its origins in ancient Greece, was also embraced by the philosophers of Classical Rome. Indeed, the emperor Marcus Aurelius, was himself a renowned stoic philosopher and writer on the subject:“Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”- Marcus AureliusIn setting the stoic theme of this album, in this first track "Desideria (Desires)", with particular emphasis on dissonance in the melodic lines, I attempt to convey the negative desires & passions associated with the original Latin meaning of this term, in particular, the often all-consuming desires of longing, missing, regret, unrequited love and unfulfilled wishing – all the so often all-consuming negative passions in life which the practice of stoicism can aid us in overcoming.This piece features the dark-sounding ancient Greek Hypodorian Mode - -the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano (but heard here in the pristine focus of just intonation), this mode is sometimes referred to as the 'natural minor' and is indeed, the basis of our modern minor keys.The stoic theme of the album is similar to my 2023 ancient Greek release, "Ataraxia (Inner Harmony)", which was inspired by ancient Greek sceptical philosophy. This album sought to express through music, the difficult ancient Greek ideal of achieving 'Ataraxia' - striving to feel complete contentment & freedom from distress, only to be found when we realize the brute philosophical fact, that the only thing we can ever know for certain, is uncertainty.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Bible & Archaeology Festival 2023 - The Sound and Music of the Biblical Lyre Michael Levy 2023-05-02 | I am delighted to present my entire live Zoom concert, commisioned as part of the 2023 Bible & Archaeology Festival, hosted by the Biblical Archaeology Society:biblicalarchaeology.org/scholar/michael-levyAn evocation of the music of the ancient biblical Temple lyres of the Levites and the lyre of King David, performed on modern recreations of the 10-string biblical Kinnor and an actual replica of a Canaanite-style lyre discovered in Egypt.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Adfectatio (Striving) | Improvisation for Solo Lyre Michael Levy 2023-04-27 | "Adfectatio (Striving)" - another original composition for the recreated ancient lyre in the intense focus of just intonation.For a multitude of other 'musical adventures in time travel', please also check out all my official artist links below. Many thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Desiderium (Regrets) | Improvisation for Solo Lyre Michael Levy 2023-04-26 | In my ongoing musical quest to 'continue where the ancients left off' in creating new music for the recreated lyres of antiquity, here is another spontaneous improvisation for solo lyre, "Desiderim (Regrets)". Featuring the intense focus of just intonation, this piece demonstrates the expressive power of the recreated ancient lyre.For countless hours more 'musical adventures in time travel', please see all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Traditional Jewish Music - for Recreated Biblical Lyre Michael Levy 2023-04-14 | Another live performance from my 2008 album, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel". Available from all the usual major digital music platforms, studio quality audio can also be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-of-ancient-israelIn an attempt to evoke the sound of the 10-string lyre of the Levites, throughout the album, I arranged a wide selection of both traditional Jewish sacred melodies, folk melodies & instrumental Klezmer music for my recreated 10-string lyre. The piece performed here, is my arrangement for my recreated 10-string Biblical lyre (the Biblical Kinnor) of a traditional Klezmer melody, "Odessa Bulgar", which formed track 10 on the album. There were 22 tracks in total - representing the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In arranging so many traditional Jewish melodes for my recreated Biblical lyre and in doing so discovering just how perfectly these melodies fitted its 10-strings, I have a developed a growing hunch, that just possibly, the ancient musical modes heard in these tunes might have in turn had their ultimate origins, on the 10-strings of the original Biblical Kinnor itself? A fascinating possibility!Indeed, in arranging this particular piece, I realized that if I tune my lyre to the traditional Klezmer "Ahava Raba" mode on the 2nd string (equivalent intervals as EFG#ABDE), the other traditional Klezmer "Mi Sheberach" mode (equivalent intervals as DEFG#ABCD) automatically materialises on the 1st string! To emphasize this remarkable fact, at the end of the piece heard here, I improvise a passage in both the modes, with no retuning required.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
King Davids Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel Michael Levy 2023-04-11 | A live performance from my 2008 album, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel". Available from all the usual major digital music platforms, studio quality audio can also be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-of-ancient-israelIn an attempt to evoke the sound of the 10-string lyre of the Levites, throughout the album, I arranged a wide selection of both traditional Jewish sacred melodies, folk melodies & instrumental Klezmer music for my recreated 10-string lyre. The piece performed here, is my arrangement for my recreated 10-string Biblical lyre (the Biblical Kinnor) of a traditional Klezmer melody, "Bukovina Freylekhs", which formed track 15 on the album. There were 22 tracks in total - representing the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In arranging so many traditional Jewish melodes for my recreated Biblical lyre and in doing so discovering just how perfectly these melodies fitted its 10-strings, I have a developed a growing hunch, that just possibly, the ancient musical modes heard in these tunes might have in turn had their ultimate origins, on the 10-strings of the original Biblical Kinnor itself? A fascinating possibility!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
New Music for Lyre - Inspired by Themes from Ancient Greek Philosophy Michael Levy 2023-04-04 | A live performance of track 7, "The Only Thing is Uncertainty" from my 2023 album, inspired by themes from ancient Greek philosophy, "Ataraxia (Inner Harmony)". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ataraxia-inner-harmonyThis album attempts to evoke through meditative music for recreated ancient lyre, the philosophical quest to achieve the ancient Greek ideal of Ataraxia – a feeling of total inner harmony & freedom from anxiety, which is one of the core criteria required to bring a sense of meaning to our own lives.In a frenetic, ever changing modern world of uncertainty, shallow, materialistic goals & a lack of anything of aesthetic value or spirituality, this age-old philosophical quest for each of us to strive to seek some long-forgotten inner peace & harmony, has even more relevance today than it did back in the heyday of classical Greece!Other ancient Greek philosophical ideas I explore throughout the album, which are also part of the spiritual & intellectual voyage to achieve this inner harmony, include musical evocations of the Stoic ideal of Apatheia (freedom from negative emotions), the Aristotelian ideal of Eudiamonia (the ideal of seeking a flourishing life, by seeking a life of virtue & reason – the highest functions of human consciousness) and learning to live with the difficult truth advocated by sceptical ancient Greek philosophers such as Pyrrho, that the only thing certain, is uncertainty.Putting these threads together, the album aims to musically express this progression to the ancient Greek ideal of "Ataraxia" (the inner harmony we strive to attain, once we achieve freedom from distress) - an inner peace which can only come, when we learn to live with the difficult truth that the only thing certain in the enigma of our conscious experience, is uncertainty. Only once we can swallow this truth, can we finally appreciate the mystery!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Echoes of Ancient Greece Michael Levy 2023-03-26 | "The Lyre of Thamyris" - a live performance of an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my mythologically inspired 2021 album, "Echoes of Ancient Greece". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-ancient-greeceIn Classical Greek mythology, Thamyris (Greek: Θάμυρις, Thámuris), son of Philammon and the nymph Argiope, was a Thracian singer who was so proud of his skill that he boasted he could out sing the Muses.He competed against them and lost - as punishment for his presumption they blinded him and took away his ability to make poetry and to play the lyre! This outline of the story is told in the Iliad…For many more 'musical adventures in time travel', please check out all my official artist links below - thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre Michael Levy 2023-03-23 | "The Grief of Penthos" - a live performance of track 6, from my 2022 album, "Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio can also be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/orpheus-tamed-the-animals-mythological-music-for-ancient-greek-lyrePenthos was the ancient Greek personified spirit (daimon) of grief and lamentation. He may have been numbered amongst the Algea (the personification of Sorrows).This piece for recreated ancient lyre, features the mournful, poignant qualities of the ancient Greek Phrygian Mode. Misnamed the 'Dorian' mode by scholars in the Middle Ages, this is haunting musical mode formed of 2 conjoined tetrachords which form the equivalent intervals as D-D on the white notes of the piano, but heard here, in the pristine focus of ancient just intonation, which further enhances the distinctive expressive qualities of all the ancient musical modes.Originally written for 11 string chelys (tortoise shell form) lyre, in this live performance I extend the range of the more harp-like timbre of my 10 string lyre to 11 strings, simply by using an ocatve harmonic on the 4th string from the bottom.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Pluviam Frigus (Cold Rain) | Improvisation for Solo Lyre Michael Levy 2023-03-15 | "Pluviam Frigus (Cold Rain)" - a spontaneous improvisation for solo lyre, inspired by the present miserable British weather, of April showers in March!In attempting to evoke the feeling of being in cold rain, I use the sharp, cold and pentrating timbre of harmonics. the drizzly feel of soft finger-plucked chords (created by blocking and strumming specific strings in the left hand whilst strumming the desired open strings with my right hand) and the feeling of the movement of raindrops by the use of a later rapidly repeated motif in 5ths in the left hand.For countless more 'musical adventures in time travel', please also see all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Apatheia (Freedom from Passion) Michael Levy 2023-03-06 | A live performance for solo lyre, of "Apatheia (Freedom from Passion)" - track 8 from my 2023 album inspired by ancient Greek Philosophy, "Ataraxa (Inner Harmony)". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ataraxia-inner-harmonyThis album attempts to evoke through meditative music for recreated ancient lyre, the philosophical quest to achieve the ancient Greek ideal of Ataraxia – a feeling of total inner harmony & freedom from anxiety, which is one of the core criteria required to bring a sense of meaning to our own lives.In ancient Greek stoicism, "Apatheia” refers to a state of mind in which one is not disturbed by the negative passions. Apotheia in turn yields Ataraxia - a sense of tranquillity that comes from having developed an attitude of equanimity toward whatever the world bestows on us during our finite lives.One of the greatest sources of our negative passions are regrets. We must overcome the regrets and mistakes we might have made along the journey of life - the more regrets we carry forward, the less happiness we can experience. Regrets will actually deprive us of meaning from our lives!The track features once more, the distinctively poignant quality of the ancient Greek Phrygian mode, in geometrically pure just intonation to musically evoke a feeling of regret.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Meditatum (Meditative Improvisation for Solo Lyre) Michael Levy 2023-02-25 | In my ongoing musical mission to 'continue where the ancients left off', here is a brand new spontaneous improvisation for receeated ancient lyre in the introspective focus of just intonation, in the intensely introspective ancient Greek Dorian Mode - the equivalent intervals of E-E on the white notes of the piano (misnamed the "Phrygian" mode in the Middle Ages), this was the only musical mode which Plato ascribed moral value to, as described one of the discourses in "The Republic".For many hours more 'musical adventures in time travel', please also check out all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-21 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my arrangement of a traditional Egyptian folk song, "My Heart was Burnt by Love", performed here in a replica of an actual surviving lyre from ancient Egypt, dating to circa 1,500 BC! A similar arrangement of this melody can be heard on track 4 of my 2009 album, "An Ancient Lyre" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio of this and all my albums, can also be downloaded from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comNow preserved in Leiden, the replica lyre featured in this performance was custom made for me by Luthieros:luthieros.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-20 | Excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "The Holy Nile", an original composition for recreated ancient Egyptian lyre, from my historically inspired 2020 album, "The Ancient Egyptian Lyre" - featuring a replica of the ancient Egyptian lyre preserved in Leiden, dating to circa 1,500 BCE.The lyre was made to the original dimensions as the surviving ancient Egyptian lyre, by Luthieros:luthieros.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-14 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Apatheia (Freedom from Passion)", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my ancient Greek philsosophy inspired 2023 album, "Ataraxa (Inner Harmony)" - available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio of both this and all my other albums, can also be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-12 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Hymn to Persephone (Ancient Greek Goddess of the Spring)" - track 1 from my 2022 album, "Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available for both this and all of my albums, on Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comIn this piece, I attempt to evoke the distinctive, dreamy, femine characteristics of Persephone, by the use of the dreamy, feminine & sensual sounding ancient Greek (equivalent intervals as F-F on the white notes of the piano & misnamed the 'Lydian' mode in the early Middle Ages).Whenever I play anything in this gorgeously sensual mode, it conjures up imagery in my mind, of sweetly scented flowers - amazingly, I recently discovered that exactly the same mode was also used in ancient Persia where it was known as "Golestan" - which amazingly, translates as "Flower Garden"! These unique characteristics of this specific ancient muscial mode is particulary apt for evoking the mythology surrounding poor Persephone, who according to classical legend, was abducted by Hades as she picked sweetly scented narcissus flowers....Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-10 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Apollo's Lyre", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my historically inspired 2010 album of the same title. Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio of this album and all of my albums are also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-08 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Ode to Ancient Rome", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my historically inspired 2012 album of the same title. Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ode-to-ancient-romeSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-07 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Tears of the Hyades", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my historically inspired 2020 album, "Echoes of Ancient Greece". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio is also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-ancient-greeceThe Hyades were the nymphs that brought rain in Greek mythology. They were daughters of the Titan Atlas and either Pleione or the Oceanid Aethra, and had one brother, Hyas. They also were sisters of the Pleiades and the Hesperides.According to the myth, their brother Hyas was killed while hunting, so they started crying from grief, which is how they brought rain on the earth.The Hyades were later transformed into a constellation of stars bearing the same name. The constellation of the Haydes star cluster is set in the head of Taurus.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-02-06 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Ode to Aphrodite", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my 2010 album, "The Ancient Greek Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio of this and all my albums, are also available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comThe lyre featured in this performance, is my custom built replica ancient Greek tortoise shell lyre, featuring an actual foraged Greek tortoise shell, unpolished gut strings and arms of goat horn - about the closest thing to the Lyre of Hermes! My lyre was handmade in modern Greece, by Luthieros:luthieros.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre Michael Levy 2023-02-03 | A live performance of my piece, "Hymn to Astraeus (Ancient Greek God of the Dusk)," from my 2022 album, "Orpheus Tamed the Animals: Mythological Music for Ancient Greek Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio can also be downloaded from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/orpheus-tamed-the-animals-mythological-music-for-ancient-greek-lyreIn ancient Greek mythology, Astraeus is a second-generation Titan, descended from Crius and Eurybia. Appropriately, as god of the dusk, Astraeus married Eos, goddess of the dawn. Together as nightfall and daybreak, they produced many children who are associated with what occurs in the sky during twilight.They had many sons, including the four Anemoi ("winds"): Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus and the five Astra Planeta ("Wandering Stars", i.e. planets): Phainon (Saturn), Phaethon (Jupiter), Pyroeis (Mars), Eosphoros/Hesperos (Venus) and Stilbon (Mercury).He is also sometimes associated with Aeolus, the Keeper of the Winds, since winds often swell up around dusk [source - Wikipedia]In attempting to convey the feeling of dusk, I use the distinctively dark & introspective qualities of the ancient Greek Hypodorian Mode - misnamed the 'Aeolian' mode by scholars during the Middle Ages, this mode consists of 2 conjoined tetrachords, forming the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano (but heard here, in the pristine, pure focus of just intonation). I feature a repetitive motif in the left hand later in the piece to evoke the chirping rhythm of cicadas at dusk. I also feature the use of harmonics, to musically evoke the shimmering rays of the setting sun.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-30 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "The Golden Age of Pericles" - an original historically inspired composition for recreated ancient lyre, from my 2015 album, "The Ancient Greek Tortoise Shell Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio of this and all my historically inpsired music can be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Performing Orpheuss Lyre at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-29 | Another excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my mythologically inspired composition, "Orpheus's Lyre", for recreated ancient lyre, in which I attempt to express the poignant sorrow of Orpheus following the death of his beloved Eurydice, whose love and yearning was so great, that he made the passage to the Underworld, in an attempt to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music, which even managed to soften the heart of Hades himself.I modulate bewteen the poignant, yearning ancient Greek Phrygian Mode (equivalent intervals as D-D on the white notes of the piano & misnamed the 'Dorian' mode by medieval scholars) to express Orpheus's loss, and the dreamy, soft, feminine & sensual ancient Greek Hypolydian Mode (equivalent intervals as F-F on the white notes of the piano & misnamed the 'Lydian' mode during the Middle Ages) to express the characteristics of Eurydice, whom he mourns. I use just intonation throughout, to enchance the distinctive qualities of these enchanting ancient Greek musical modes.Serenidipidously, the lyre I perform this piece on & indeed, which has always been my favourite instrument since I acquired it in 2011 from Marini Made Harps, although was not based on any actual historical lyre, looks almost identical to a lyre played by Orpheus as he tamed the animals with his enchanting music, as depicted on a 3rd century Roman mosaic found in Antioch, as seen on the video tile:pinterest.co.uk/pin/a-3rd-century-mosaic-from-tarsus-turkey--689613761665638116This piece is available either as a single from all the usual digital music platforms, or as track 6 from my 2013 comilation album, "Musical Adventures in Time Travel":michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/musical-adventures-in-time-travelFor a many more hours of similar 'musical adventures in time travel', please also check out all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-27 | Excerpt from my live lyre performances at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!This performance, my first live performance of any kind since the dawn of the pandemic, formed part of a British Museum Member's Evening event on 23rd January 2023.The piece heard here, is my track "Nero's Lyre", an original composition for recreated ancient lyre, inspired by the lament Nero was said to have sang as he watched Rome burn during the Great Fire of 64 CE, accompanied by his lyre.For countless hours more "Musical Adventures in Time Travel", please see all my official artist links below!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Live Lyre Music at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-27 | An excerpt of a live performance of my track, "Tears of the Hyades" at the British Museum on 23rd January 2023, flanked by mighty marble sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-26 | An excerpt of a live performance of my track, "Orpheus's Lyre" at the British Museum on 23rd January 2023, flanked by mighty marble sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!
Live Lyre Performance at the British Museum! Michael Levy 2023-01-26 | An excerpt of a live performance of my track, "The Golden Age of Pericles" at the British Museum, flanked by mighty marble sculpture from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!
Asteriai (Nymphs of the Stars) Michael Levy 2023-01-20 | A live performance of "Asteriai (Nymphs of the Stars)" - track 5 from my 2915 album, "The Lyre of Hermes". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes & Amazon, CD quality audio of this and all of my albums are available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.comOn the album "The Lyre of Hermes", this track "Asteriai (Nymphs of the Stars)" is a spontaneous historically inspired improvisation for solo chelys (tortoise shell form) replica ancient Greek lyre, in the profound and timeless ancient Greek Phrygian mode, (equivalent intervals as D-D on the white notes of the piano and misnamed the 'Dorian' Mode in the Middle Ages) in the just intonation of antiquity.In this live performance, I transform the entire feel of the original recording of this melody, which featured the earthy, rich timbre of the chelys lyre to the pristine, harp-like purity of my 10-string lyre. As no two lyres are the same, I like to experiment at treating them rather like 'organ stops' - each of my lyres transforming the my melodies with their own distinctive voices!My chelys lyre was handmade in modern Greece, by Luthiers:luthieros.comMy 10-string lyre, was handmade in the USA by Marini Made Harps:marinimadeharps.comFor countless hours more historically inspired 'musical adventures in time travel', please also check out all my official artist links below - thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Philosophical Meditations | Track 1 - Ataraxia (Inner Harmony) Michael Levy 2023-01-15 | "Philosophical Meditations" - a live performance of track 1, from my 2023 album, "Ataraxia (Inner Harmony)". Available now, from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio can be purchased from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ataraxia-inner-harmonyThis album attempts to evoke through meditative music for recreated ancient lyre, the philosophical quest to achieve the ancient Greek ideal of Ataraxia – a feeling of total inner harmony & freedom from anxiety, which is one of the core criteria required to bring a sense of meaning to our own lives.In a frenetic, ever changing modern world of uncertainty, shallow, materialistic goals & a lack of anything of aesthetic value or spirituality, this age-old philosophical quest for each of us to strive to seek some long-forgotten inner peace & harmony, has even more relevance today than it did back in the heyday of classical Greece!Putting these threads together, the album aims to musically express this progression to the ancient Greek ideal of "Ataraxia" (the inner harmony we strive to attain, once we achieve freedom from distress) - an inner peace which can only come, when we learn to live with the difficult truth that the only thing certain in the enigma of our conscious experience, is uncertainty. Only once we can swallow this truth, can we finally appreciate the mystery!This perfect contentment, “inner harmony”, was first expressed in ancient Greece by the philosopher, Pyrrho, as 'Ataraxia'; a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety - tranquillity. The hallowed state of Ataraxia, according to Pyrrho, can only to be achieved by finally accepting the hard but timeless truth, that the only thing we can ever know for certain, is uncertainty!Translating this incredible philosophical insight to our modern times, we can only find our own state of Ataraxia; our personal inner harmony, by learning to appreciate the cosmic mystery of the very existence our conscious experience, as actual sentient beings, instead of becoming too obsessed in the futile quest to try to understand everything; which will only bring us struggles, unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Indeed, we can only ever have a finite understanding of this infinite universe!To sum up this cosmic enigma, so famously described by the late astronomer, Carl Sagan, we are literally forged of star dust - that briefly became conscious of the stars...Back in classical antiquity, the Pythagoreans likened a just and well-ordered society to a well-tuned lyre - while each note retains its individuality, all are proportionally linked together in a larger whole to form a musical scale and all are interdependent in terms of their reliance on one another. This beautiful analogy between a well-ordered society and a well-tuned lyre is famously described by Plato in “The Republic”, 443 D–444Bringing this idea new life in my quest for a 'New Ancestral' musical revolution, the limitless creative musical possibilities of the 10 strings I have on the lyre with which I recorded this release with, are analogous to the general maximum of 10 decades with which our brief human lives span - even although the present human species has a general maximum of 10 decades of natural lifespan, there are almost limitless possibilities in each of them, for each and every one of us to shape our precious years as conscious, sentient beings in any way we can possibly imagine!To further mirror this analogy, in editing down to the final version of this release, there are also 10 tracks – each track marking a step nearer on the path to achieving the ideal of achieving in our brief, precious lives, the inner harmony of Ataraxia.Even if there is no God or gods, we alone still miraculously have the power within our inner self, to create our own meaning in life; even if all our religions prove eventually to be wrong and the universe itself, of which we are briefly a part, exists for no cause or reason.Each of us must create our own form of harmony and order out of the chaos of this world in which we briefly find ourselves in - therefore, we all need to ultimately strive to literally become the lyre players of our own lives... Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
The Wings of Isis | Track 3 - The Ancient Egyptian Lyre Michael Levy 2023-01-12 | A live performance of "The Wings of Isis" - track 3, from my 2020 album, "The Ancient Egyptian Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, CD quality audio can also be ordered from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-egyptian-lyreIsis was the firstborn daughter of Nut, goddess of the overarching sky, and Geg, the god of the Earth. In Egyptian mythology, Isis was married to Osiris, also a powerful god. The two had a son named Horus. One of Egypt’s most prominent folklore tales tells the story of how Osiris was betrayed by his enemy Seth. Seth tricked Osiris and drowned him in the Nile. Isis used her magical powers to resurrect her husband, but Seth was relentless and killed Osiris again, this time hacking his body into 14 pieces and spreading the remains across the lands.Grief-stricken, Isis set out across the desert in hopes of finding the remains of her husband and making him whole again. Isis searched the desert for years and was finally able to piece back together the remains of her husband, Osiris, and bring him to life. Isis protected Osiris until he regained his strength.On a magical level, Isis' wings are the means by which She fans renewed life into Osiris. They are the protection spread out over the deceased in the tomb. Their shadow is our shelter in this life and the next...Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Meditation Music for Ancient Lyre - Inspired by Ancient Greek Philosophy Michael Levy 2022-12-20 | A presentation & live performance from "Ataraxia (Inner Harmony)" - my new album, due for release on all the usual digital music platforms on 1st January 2023! This album attempts to evoke through meditative music for recreated ancient lyre, the philosophical quest to achieve the ancient Greek ideal of Ataraxia – a feeling of total inner harmony & freedom from anxiety, which is one of the core criteria required to bring a sense of meaning to our own lives.Other ancient Greek philosophical ideas I explore throughout the album, which are also part of the spiritual & intellectual voyage to achieve this inner harmony, include musical evocations of the Stoic ideal of Apatheia (freedom from negative emotions), the Aristotelian ideal of Eudiamonia (the ideal of seeking a flourishing life, by seeking a life of virtue & reason – the highest functions of human consciousness) and learning to live with the difficult truth advocated by sceptical ancient Greek philosophers such as Pyrrho, that the only thing certain, is uncertainty.Putting these threads together, the album aims to musically express this progression to the ancient Greek ideal of "Ataraxia" (the inner harmony we strive to attain, once we achieve freedom from distress) - an inner peace which can only come, when we learn to live with the difficult truth that the only thing certain in the enigma of our conscious experience, is uncertainty. Only once we can swallow this truth, can we finally appreciate the mystery!Translating this incredible philosophical insight to our modern times, we can only find our own state of Ataraxia; our personal inner harmony, by learning to appreciate the cosmic mystery of the very existence our conscious experience, as actual sentient beings, instead of becoming too obsessed in the futile quest to try to understand everything; which will only bring us struggles, unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Indeed, we can only ever have a finite understanding of this infinite universe! To sum up this cosmic enigma, so famously described by the late astronomer, Carl Sagan, we are literally forged of star dust - that briefly became conscious of the stars...Back in classical antiquity, the Pythagoreans likened a just and well-ordered society to a well-tuned lyre - while each note retains its individuality, all are proportionally linked together in a larger whole to form a musical scale and all are interdependent in terms of their reliance on one another. This beautiful analogy between a well-ordered society and a well-tuned lyre is famously described by Plato in “The Republic” (443 D–444).Bringing this idea new life in my quest for a 'New Ancestral' musical revolution, the limitless creative musical possibilities of the 10 strings I have on the lyre with which I recorded this release with, are analogous to the general maximum of 10 decades with which our brief human lives span - even although the present human species has a general maximum of 10 decades of natural lifespan, there are almost limitless possibilities in each of them, for each and every one of us to shape our precious years as conscious, sentient beings in any way we can possibly imagine!To further mirror this analogy, in editing down to the final version of this release, there are also 10 tracks – each track marking a step nearer on the path to achieving the ideal of achieving in our brief, precious lives, the inner harmony of Ataraxia.Even if there is no God or gods, we alone still miraculously have the power within our inner self, to create our own meaning in life; even if all our religions prove eventually to be wrong and the universe itself, of which we are briefly a part, exists for no cause or reason.Each of us must create our own form of harmony and order out of the chaos of this world in which we briefly find ourselves in - therefore, we all need to ultimately strive to literally become the lyre players of our own lives... Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
The Ancient Egyptian Lyre Michael Levy 2022-12-15 | A 'live' performance of "Invocation to Nephthys" - track 4 from my 2020 album, "The Ancient Egyptian Lyre". Available from all the usual digital music platforms, here is the link to the album on Spotify:open.spotify.com/album/71FmOdz8gMSGTAdkinGtkpCD quality, lossless audio formats are available from Bandcamp:michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/the-ancient-egyptian-lyreAccording to ancient Egyptian mythology, Nephthys was a goddess of the dead who, like her granddaughter Qebhet, provides assistance to the souls of the deceased. She was so helpful to those in the afterlife that one of her titles was "Friend of the Dead" and she was also thought to bring news of the deceased back to their relatives on earth and comfort them in their time of mourning.Her symbols are the hawk and the temple and the sycamore tree, one of the more popular trees depicted in inscriptions from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. She is the mother of the death god Anubis and was associated with the setting sun, twilight, and darkness. Prayers were offered to Nephthys at twilight for protection and also to aid her as she struggled with her husband Set to defend the Boat of Ra (the sun god) from the serprent Apophis as it made its journey through the realms of night.Once she became associated with the afterlife and the care of the dead the linen which was used to mummify the deceased was known as "tresses of Nephthys" and it was thought that she, along with Selket, helped to breathe life back into the soul and help them on their eternal journey. Nephthys came to represent the promise of a helper at one's side in the afterlife who would look after and protect the soul and who assured the living that death was nothing to be feared. The realm of the afterlife was only a new land one travelled to and old friends, like Nephthys, would be waiting to offer their protection and guidance in death as they had throughout life. The lyre featured in this album is a replica of an actual surviving ancient Egyptian lyre (circa 1,500 BCE) preserved in Leiden:http://manniche.daes.dk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2006LeidenLyre.pdfThe lyre was custom-made for me by Luthieros:https://www'luthieros.comFor countless more 'musical adventures in time travel', please also see all my official artist links below - many thanks for watching!The lyreSubscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Learn How to Strum a Lyre like a Guitar! (2 of 2) Michael Levy 2022-12-03 | The second of 2 lessons, on how chords on the receated ancient lyre can be strummed to accompany more or less any song, exactly like an acoustic guitar! The technique, known as 'string blocking' dates back to antiquity - by blocking specific strings with fingers of the left hand & strumming only the desired open strings with a plectrum in the right hand, basic harmonies can be spontaneously created. Learning the 'blocking shape' of the left hand, is almost exactly analagous to learning the chord shape of the left hand whilst playing the guitar. The lyre featured, is my 11-string "Lyre of Thamyris", made in modern Greece, by Luthieros:luthieros.com/product/the-thamyris-lyre-the-mortal-to-challenge-the-muses-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-9-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrumentThe string blocking left hand shapes described in this basic tutorial can be applied to any type of commercially available 10-string lyre tuned to the equivalent intervals as CDEFGABCDE (ie a regular major scale),Unlike the more commercially available modern lyres, in keeping with historical accuracy, Luthieros lyres are strung with the bass strings closest to the player - historically, the reason for this, was so that the performer could better feel the resonance of the lyre whilst playing it. In order to block and strum the same chords on these type of lyres, requires entirely different hand shapes than for other modern lyres, strung in a harp configuration, with the bass strings furthest away & the treble strings closest to the player - as I describe in lesson 1 of this mini series.For more advanced tuition for creating interesting solos, rather than strumming harmonies, please also check out my book of fully notated arrangements of a wide selction of some of my original compositions for recreated ancient lyres in the original ancient Greek modes, published by Luthieros:luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-musicMany thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Learn How to Strum a Lyre like a Guitar! (1 of 2) Michael Levy 2022-11-29 | A lesson on how chords on the receated ancient lyre can be strummed to accompany more or less any song, exactly like an acoustic guitar! The technique, known as 'string blocking' dates back to antiquity - by blocking specific strings with fingers of the left hand & strumming only the desired open strings with a plectrum in the right hand, basic harmonies can be spontaneously created. Learning the 'blocking shape' of the left hand, is almost exactly analagous to learning the chord shape of the left hand whilst playing the guitar. The lyre featured, is my 10-string lyre, made by Marini Made Harps:marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htmThe string blocking left hand shapes described in this basic tutorial can be applied to any type of commercially available 10-string lyre tuned to the equivalent intervals as CDEFGABCDE (ie a regular major scale), strung like a harp, with the bass string furthest away and the treble strings closest to the player (such as the very affordable Mid East Kinnor etc).More authentic lyres based on actual ancient Greek instruments, (such as those made by Luthieros: luthieros.com) are strung with the bass strings closest to the player - historically, the reason for this, was so that the performer could better feel the resonance of the lyre whilst playing it. In order to block and strum the same chords on these type of lyres, requires entirely different hand shapes.For more advanced tuition for creating interesting solos, rather than strumming harmonies, please also check out my book of fully notated arrangements of a wide selction of some of my original compositions for recreated ancient lyres in the original ancient Greek modes, published by Luthieros:luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-musicMany thanks for watching!Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
Lyre of the Levites Michael Levy 2022-11-15 | A 'live' peformance of track 1, "Lyre of the Levites", from my 2019 album, "Lyre of the Levites: Jewish Music for Biblical Kinnor". Out on all the major digital music platforms, here is the album on Spotify:open.spotify.com/album/6UMKHfYsR4eKfbQfDcpjm8"Lyre of the Levites" uniquely features arrangements of primarily traditional melodies from the Jewish Klezmer repertoire arranged for solo Levitical Lyre - the concept of the musical performances on this album, are meant to be evocations, not reconstructions, of the sounds & playing techniques that were possible on the ten-stringed Kinnor of the Bible; there are sadly too few unambiguously notated melodies from antiquity to make an album of "note for note" reconstructions of ancient instrumental solo lyre music a feasible reality.However, the traditional Jewish scales/modes in which these pieces are actually written may well have roots which stretch deeply back to these distant, mystically remote Biblical times, according to the fascinating research of the late Suzanne Haik Vantoura, in attempting to reconstruct the original 3000 year old music of the Hebrew Bible. Indeed, the traditional Jewish modes fit the 10-strings of the recreated Biblical lyre so perfectly, that just maybe, these ancient modes had their origin on the 10-strings of the original Biblical Kinnor? A fascinating possibility!For countless hours more 'musical adventures in time travel, please see all my official artist links below. Many thanks for watching.Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Klezfiddle1Official Artist Links:Official Website: http://www.ancientlyre.comDigital Music Artist Profiles:Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5viTunes & Apple Music: itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zmJph3Bandcamp: michaellevy.bandcamp.comFacebook Page: facebook.com/beautifullyreTwitter: twitter.com/AncientLyreInstagram:instagram.com/mlevy1400bcePatreon:patreon.com/Michael_Levy_Ancient_Lyre_Music
