tag:ancientlyre.com,2005:/blogs/blogs1-f324d18b-4152-49e5-aa3c-6539ac974916?p=1Blog2022-05-24T00:24:57-12:00Michael Levy - Composer for Lyrefalsetag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417832022-05-24T00:24:57-12:002023-11-10T21:42:59-12:00Sheet Music For Lyre!<p><br>One of the main goals I have in both creating this website and in creating my albums for solo lyre, is the in doing so, I may one day hope to create a future legacy, where once again, the lyre will become an essential ingredient of all modern music - <i>this was the vision which inspired my ultra experimental LP, </i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ascension-of-the-lyre" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/ascension-of-the-lyre"><i>"Ascension of the Lyre"</i></a><br><br>Therefore, to further my cause, in collaboration with <a class="no-pjax" href="https://lyreacademy.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Luthieros Lyre Academy">Luthieros Lyre Academy</a>, <strong>I have published a 28-page book of sheet music for lyre...</strong><br> </p><p><i><strong>LET THE LYRE LEARNING REVOLUTION BEGIN!</strong></i><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/dd59de5070c8fd714a1b003332857a8fc0b5339a/original/greek-vase.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDM3NSJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="600" /><br><br><br><i><strong>The book can be ordered, directly from Lutherios:</strong></i><br><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music/"><i><strong>https://luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music/</strong></i></a><br><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://luthieros.com/product/best-of-michael-levy-lyre-sheet-music/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents=""><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/f78710e00da1100400aeb4b750b9c659e45efb0a/original/281828407-10158899423076172-8223960598326836126-n.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" alt="" /></a><br><br> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br><br><br><br> </p><p> </p><p>Throughout the book, I have notated the tunes for 2 regular treble clef staves - the top stave <i>is the melodic line to be plucked with a plectrum in the right hand</i>, whilst the lower stave <i>is for the finger plucked strings to provide the accompaniment to the melody.</i><br><br>Although limited to the constraints of modern musical notation, although most of the tunes <i>appear</i> to be written in C major as there are no sharps or flats, <i>all the tunes are actually in </i><a class="no-pjax" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/composing_new_music_in_the_original_ancient_greek_modes/" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/composing_new_music_in_the_original_ancient_greek_modes/"><i>the original ancient Greek Modes</i></a><i>, finding their temperament root ( i.e. the starting note of the mode) on different degrees of the equivalent intervals a C major scale</i> - as all the lyres I play are of different sizes with different string lengths, <i>I treat them all as transposing instruments in C - all that matters, is that the equivalent intervals are used.</i><br><br>For example, in my arrangement of <i>"Contemplationis (Contemplation)"</i> from my album<i> "The Ancient Roman Lyre"</i>, the <i>temperament root</i> is E, giving the equivalent intervals as the ancient Greek Dorian Mode (E F G A B C D E).<br><br>In all but one of the arrangements, the lyre strings are tuned to <i>the equivalent intervals</i> as middle C D E F G A B C D E.<br><br>When tuning to a specific ancient Greek mode - <i>each mode is defined by the starting and ending notes of any scale played in relation to where the scale starts on any of the strings in this particular tuning</i>. For example, the ancient Greek Dorian Mode starts on the 3rd string, giving a scale of the equivalent intervals as E (the temperament root) F G A B C D E, whereas the ancient Greek Phrygian Mode starts on the 2nd string, giving a scale with the equivalent intervals as D (the temperament root) E F G A B C D. <br><br>The only other lyre tuning I have used, is the equivalent intervals as C D E F G A Bb C D E, in order to achieve the equivalent intervals which form the mournful ancient Greek Hypodorian mode starting on D (D F G A Bb C D) for my arrangement of <i>"Tristitia (Sorrow)"</i>, from my album, <i>"The Ancient Roman Lyre".</i><br><br>In all of these arrangements, <i>I have also written the exact string number to be played next to each and every note</i>, so hopefully the result will be rather like guitar tablature - for lyre!<br><br>Although all of these tunes were arranged for 10 string lyres, almost all of them will also work on a 9 or 11 string lyre as well. <i>A lyre with less than 9 strings is only really suitable for providing basic harmonic accompaniment to a vocal line due to the limited number of strings and is therefore unsuitable for a solo instrument.</i><br><br>Please note - <i>these arrangements are merely simplified versions of my original recordings and are not intended to be literally played "note for note"!</i> To these basic <i>outlines</i> of the melodies and their <a class="no-pjax" href="/the-urban-myth-of-the-monotony-of-monophony-in-the-ancient-world" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-imported="1" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_urban_myth_of_the_monotony_of_monophony_in_the_ancient_world/">basic harmonic accompaniment</a>, a whole diverse palette of variations are possible, for example, playing tremolo for longer notes and alternating more between finger plucked notes in the left hand and plectrum plucked notes in the right hand. <br><br>In most of the arrangements, sometimes a string used in both the melody and accompaniment line<i> is simultaneously finger plucked by the left hand accompaniment, whilst the note is at the same time plectrum plucked by the right hand which plays the actual melody</i> - the result sounds a bit like a guitar and harp playing in unison.</p><p align="left">In order to play the lyre with both hands<i>, I advise the use of a simple strap, or it becomes almost impossible to balance the lyre whilst playing it</i>. Indeed, almost all ancient illustrations of lyre players show the use of a strap for two handed performance, as can be seen in this illustration of of a young female lyre player from an Etruscan tomb wall fresco (475 BCE):</p><p> </p><p align="left"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5d5ece1af23f48010ddff852fd872ec16fd28e8d/original/strap.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTk2eDQyNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="424" width="196" /></p><p> </p><p align="left"><br>In antiquity, lyre straps (known in ancient Greek times as the <i>'telamon'</i>) were made either of soft leather or some form of natural fibre – however, I find that simply twisting a pair of old nylon stockings creates an amazingly cheap, flexible and functional lyre strap! For a more authentic telamon, these are available to order from Luthieros:<br><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/hand-strap-telamon-authentically-handmade-telamon-for-ancient-replica-instruments-top-quality-handcrafted-artefacts" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/hand-strap-telamon-authentically-handmade-telamon-for-ancient-replica-instruments-top-quality-handcrafted-artefacts"><i>Order an authentic lyre strap (telamon) from Luthieros!</i></a></p><p> </p><p align="left"><strong><u><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c6479c9041f2e10e1953c7300d93a82fd1c2d958/original/telamon.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTEweDMzOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="339" width="510" /></u></strong><br><br><br><strong><u>LYRE PLAYING TECHNIQUES</u></strong></p><p> </p><p align="left">1. With skill, the use of a strap (telamon) will facilitate the seamless transition between finger plucked and plectrum plucked tones, as well as the unique lyre playing of ‘string blocking’ – where notes not required to be strummed are dampened with fingers of the left hand, whilst leaving open only those strings which are required to be played. In this manner, it becomes possible to simple strum rhythmic chords or intervals, just like a guitar. This is a technique still practiced by the Krar lyre players of Eritrea today:</p><p> </p><p align="left"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/59c50fbba33df61ba66fe0fbc184e36591c2e4e2/original/krar.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIweDQ1NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="457" width="320" /></p><p> </p><p align="left">2. There is an ancient description of this actual lyre playing technique which I had previously inferred from illustrations of ancient lyre players and which is featured in all of my albums - <i>alternating between finger plucked and plectrum plucked tones</i>. I recently found a description of this very same technique in a passage of really interesting ancient text by the Roman poet, Virgil (1<sup>st</sup> century BCE):<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/6557e2e3cb00025fbfbf711bdae75b65941fef63/original/virgil.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDI3OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="278" width="200" /></p><p align="left"><br>This fascinating passage, which actually describes this ancient lyre playing technique, is from Virgil’s epic poem, <i>"The Aeneid"</i> (Book VI, line 645) :<br> </p><p align="left"> </p><p align="left"> <i>"...There Orpheus too, the long-robed priest of Thrace, accompanies their voices with the seven-note scale, playing now with fingers, now with the ivory quill" [nec non Threicius longa cum ueste sacerdos obloquitur numeris septem discrimina uocum,iamque eadem digitis, iam pectine pulsat eburno]</i></p><p align="left"><br>Also note in this passage, the specific mention of the use of a seven note heptatonic scale – presumably one of the ancient Greek modes?</p><p align="left"> </p><p> </p><p align="left">3. Playing pure finger-plucked intervals with the left hand to accompany a plectrum-plucked melody in the right hand.</p><p> </p><p align="left">4. Playing plectrum-plucked bass notes to accompany a finger-plucked melody.</p><p> </p><p align="left">5. Playing a plectrum-plucked tremolo in the bass to accompany a finger-plucked melody.</p><p> </p><p align="left">6. Using tremolo in the actual melody line. This technique is still practiced today by the Simsimiyya lyre players of Egypt:</p><p> </p><p align="left"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/4a0ca6d65dce69291572cae2e47e2cff109b9b9f/original/sim.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzUweDIyMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="220" width="350" /></p><p> </p><p align="left">7. Hitting the strings percussively with a wooden baton like a hammered dulcimer - a technique I inferred from illustrations of lyre players seen in both the Bas Reliefs from the Palace of Nineveh (circa 700 BCE):</p><p> </p><p align="left"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/cae093e469c5683358859617ff1907fc31f4ecd9/original/lach.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI4MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="280" width="400" /></p><p> </p><p align="left">About 1000 years later, this same percussive lyre playing technique can be found in illustrations of lyre players depicted in the Pahos Mosiacs (2<sup>nd</sup> – 4<sup>th</sup> centuries CE) in Cyprus, which all seem to be using a small wooden baton to hit the strings of their lyres, rather than the usual plectrum to pluck the strings:</p><p> </p><p align="left"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/220d27e22ef358e6ae6d09fbd19cfb767a9df564/original/paphos.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="266" width="400" /></p><p> </p><p align="left">8. The use of harmonics by plucking the strings whilst lightly finger-stopping the strings at their centre with the left hand.</p><p> </p><p align="left">9. The use of accidentals, portamento and <i>microtones by using the left hand thumb nail as a moveable fret on the string</i>. This works even better, by also placing the middle finger against the string, so that it is pinched between this finger and the thumb nail.</p><p> </p><p align="left">10. The use of parallel motion - using finger-plucked and plectrum-plucked tones generally an interval of 3rd apart in sections of a melody.</p><p> </p><p align="left">With this almost infinite palette of tonal variations, coloured by the unique individual characteristics of each of the many ancient musical modes, almost an infinite number of wonderful melodies can be conjured out of the air with virtually no effort! <i>The lyre truly was, the "magic wand" of the ancients...</i></p><p><br><strong><u>TUNING THE LYRE TO THE JUST INTONATION OF ANTIQUITY</u></strong><br><br>Finally, for a truly authentic playing experience, here is a video I put together on how to tune the Marini Made "Davidic Harp" (featured in most of my albums since 2011), to the wonderfully pure <a class="no-pjax" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/">just intonation of antiquity</a>:<br> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hhgL2bz1Usg" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><p><br><i><strong>MP3s of the tuning tones heard in in the video can be freely downloaded </strong></i><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eoorcapzj78zce1/AABtQPlGPbfLJJcaGn_QmeuNa?dl=0" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="Download MP3's of Just Intonation Tuning Tones!"><i><strong>here</strong></i></a><i><strong>.</strong></i><br><br><br>To tune any other type of lyre into just intonation, the incredibly affordable and versatile <a class="no-pjax" href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/cleartune/id286799607" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="'Cleartune App' from Apple Apps Store"><i><strong>'Cleartune App' from Apple App Store</strong></i></a>, (for use on any iPod or iPhone) has a setting called <i>"Pythagorean Just Intonation"</i>, for which the 'temperament root' (i.e. the starting note) of any mode can be specifically selected.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ac05caec5d5969d9b5f979628b8ea763e858f38c/original/cleartune-app.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAweDE2OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="168" width="300" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><hr><p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417722020-01-02T09:20:22-12:002021-12-24T09:53:40-12:00Lyre Lesson Videos<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>LEARN HOW TO PLAY ANCIENT LYRES!</strong></span><br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/f16a82c5717a70c836f00f85ea0f6319190cf78f/original/may-28-final.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzM2eDI3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="279" width="336" /></p>
<p><br>Several years ago, due to the lack of any publication, anywhere, on how to play the lyre, I posted a few series of somewhat unique "online lyre lesson" videos on my YouTube Channel! Please view these playlists below:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLMukF3RspKy94bOYvqspMfgYku_qxIBg_" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The next series of videos relates specifically with my attempts to recreate an evocation of the music of the ancient Hebrews, during the creation of my first 2 albums,<em> "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</em> & <em>"Lyre of the Levites"</em>: <br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLMukF3RspKy__a58PqaBxx1ty4TBn5HMM" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>My next series of videos attempts to explain how to play some of the actual surviving fragments of music from ancient Greece:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLMukF3RspKy_lDeefW7ztl8L4GnPXOdg7" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This next instructional video I uploaded, demonstrates how to improvise on an ancient Egyptian scale, as deciphered by the late Professor Hans Hickmann. I used this scale in my improvisation <em>"The Music of Moses"</em> (track 1 of my album, <em>"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</em>):<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TZO16Drrquo?list=PLMukF3RspKy8KE2M9VUvpBLU-bLP2eyHT" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>I have also recently compiled a new series of lessons on how to play the chelys (tortoise shell form) lyre of ancient Greece:<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLMukF3RspKy9IFN8I0OrCT75LbjT8IZZm" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>A NEW INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR ANYONE WISHING TO PLAY THE 10-STRING LYRE! </strong></span><br><br>For anyone out there wishing to learn the basics on how to play the wonderful 10-string <em>"Davidic Harp"</em> which I now primarily play (lovingly hand-made by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/about.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/about.htm">Marini Made Harps</a> in the USA), I was very pleased to learn that Marini's have a new publication out with some invaluable tuition for beginners:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/f300adec48639c3797985a450449f3ac722d305f/original/dav.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc1eDQ4NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="485" width="375" /><br>This invaluable tuition book for lyre can be purchased from <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic-books.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic-books.htm">here</a></em><br><br>My own freely available PDF booklet of sheet music for 10 string lyre can be downloaded from my blog, <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/sheet_music_for_10_string_lyre/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/sheet_music_for_10_string_lyre/"><em>"Sheet Music For 10 String Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417672019-12-23T07:14:17-12:002020-06-03T22:37:14-12:00How To Acquire a Lyre<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HOW TO ACQUIRE A LYRE!</strong></span><br><br>In this extensive blog, <em>I list all the makers of replica lyres I know of, from around the world!</em> </p>
<p><br>These include makers of modern evocations of the Biblical lyres, makers of replica Classical lyres of ancient Greece, as well as makers of replica Northern European lyres.<br> </p>
<p>I also list makers of African lyres and harps, still played today, such as the Egyptian Simmsimiyya & archaic African harps, almost identical to the ancient Egyptian arched harp, such as the Ugandan Adungu...<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MAKERS OF THE CLASSICAL LYRES OF ANCIENT GREECE </span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong>LUTHIEROS ANCIENT AND MODERN MUSIC INSTRUMENTS</strong><br><br>Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, Luthieros is formed of members of the Koumartzis family, <em>who specialize in recreating beautiful replicas of all of the known ancient Greek lyres and harps</em>, ranging from <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelys" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelys">chelys (tortoise shell form) lyres</a>, bass lyres (the <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbiton" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbiton">barbitos</a>), ancient Greek harps (the <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambuca_(instrument)" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambuca_(instrument)">sambuca</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigonion" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigonion">epigonion</a>), to advanced articulated lyres with their wonderfully created 2500 year old vibrato mechanism (the <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorminx" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorminx">phorminx</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cithara" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cithara">kithara</a>).<br><br>These simply stunningly authentic instruments are hand-made by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.productpilot.com/en/exhibitor/anastastios-instruments/" target="_blank" title="http://www.productpilot.com/en/exhibitor/anastastios-instruments/">Anastasios Koumartzis</a> - an amateur musician, a best-selling author of do-it-yourself music instrument guides in Greek and a Luthier of more than 40 years. Anastasios, uses his rich experience in constructing Greco-Turkish stringed instruments (Bouzouki, Baglamas, Tzouras), for the ultimate goal of his new mission; <em>to bring to life the enchanting, ancient timbre of the musical instruments of his ancient Greek ancestors.</em><br><br>Since mid 2014, I had the unique privilege of entering into an exciting new collaboration with Luthieros, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/the_lyre_20_project/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/the_lyre_20_project/">"The Lyre 2.0 Project"</a> - dedicated to reintroducing the beautiful lyre of antiquity back into our much less beautiful, bland modern world.<br><br>This inspirational project, which aims to make available to every musician, hand-made quality replica lyres from ancient Greece at an affordable price, <em>now has it's own entry in <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancient.eu/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancient.eu/">the Ancient History Encyclopedia</a>.</em> Here is a link to the article about our unique collaboration:<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://etc.ancient.eu/2016/01/11/luthieros-lyre-2-0-project/" title="The Lyre 2.0 Project">http://etc.ancient.eu/2016/01/11/luthieros-lyre-2-0-project/</a><br><br><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/15af20526e64db69986b0d4b940edcc69c01e014/original/the-golden-lyre-of-erato.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDc2MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="760" width="570" /><br><br><br>To view and order from the stunning range of these beautifully hand-crafted lyres, please visit eiither the<a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Luthieros" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Luthieros"> Luthieros Etsy Store</a> or their highly informative website:<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/">http://en.luthieros.com/</a><br><br><em>For a special discount of 25 Euros, please quote the voucher code "MICHAELLEVY01" when ordering any beautifully hand-crafted lyre from Luthieros!</em><br><br><br><strong>CARLOS</strong><strong><strong> PANIAGUA</strong></strong><br><br>Carlos Paniagua created the wonderful replica ancient Greek lyres used in the fabulous album, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Musique-Grece-Antique-Ancient-Greek/dp/B00004TVG7" target="_blank" title="Buy This CD on Amazon!">"Musique de la Grece Antique" (1979)</a> and is still producing the most amazing quality, stunning replicas of the lyres of ancient Greece to this very day:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/79bacccbfe0542f15a6b7f212cd83e8968a6c842/original/bass.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAzeDUzNyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="537" width="403" /><br><br>For full details, please visit <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/paniagua.luthier" target="_blank" title="https://www.facebook.com/paniagua.luthier">Carlos's Luthier Facebook Page</a><br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong>NIKOLAOS BRASS</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Nikolaos Brass specializes in making amazing hand-crafted replicas of the Lyres of Ancient Greece, including the Kithara & tortoise shell form lyre:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/06c322050124e38c86ea38a55cbb7bcfd94ac5da/original/281b35c576a94707e5b9fde04aecbc60.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>All his lyres feature authentic gut strings. Please visit the link to his website <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.nikolaosbrass.com/ANCIENT/ANCIENT%20GREEK%20STRINGED.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.nikolaosbrass.com/ANCIENT/ANCIENT%20GREEK%20STRINGED.htm">here</a></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MAKERS OF BIBLICAL LYRES</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Below are some links to the sites of specialist musical instrument makers who manufacture quality evocations of the Biblical Kinnor and Nevel. <br> </p>
<p>For the beginner, I personally recommend the incredibly affordable models by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mid-east.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=HKNA&eq=&Tp=" target="_blank" title="http://www.mid-east.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=HKNA&eq=&Tp=">Mid East Ethnic Instruments</a>. For the more accomplished player, nothing beats the outstanding quality of the hand-made <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm">Marini Made Davidic Harp</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MID EAST ETHNIC INSTRUMENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Both the best value & the most affordable manufacturer, from which I purchased my own replica Kinnor. The retail price of their replica Biblical Kinnor, direct from the manufacturer is presently just $269!<br> </p>
<p>These lyres are ideal for beginners, thanks to sheer affordability and although not a wonderful purely acoustic instrument, when recorded and mixed properly, they sound <em>magnificent</em>:<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hMwqcALa2Is" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>For the absolute beginner, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mid-east.com/Strings/Kinnor-Harp/Mid-East-Mini-Kinnor-Harp-Light" target="_blank" title="http://www.mid-east.com/Strings/Kinnor-Harp/Mid-East-Mini-Kinnor-Harp-Light">they make a mini version of their full size Kinnor for a mere $72.90!!!</a></p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mid-east.com/Strings/Kinnor-Harp/Mid-East-Kinnor-Harp-Light" target="_blank" title="Buy This Kinnor From Mid East Ethnic Instruments!">Buy This Kinnor From Mid East Ethnic Instruments!</a><br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a66cee2a311d2bf1c1da5a018b54a71b803268dc/original/hknm-resized-cropped.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="HKNM_resized_cropped" /></p>
<p><br>Mid East Ethnic Instruments manufacture a replica Biblical Kinnor based on the illustrations of the Kinnor based upon contemporary illustrations of the lyre found on 2nd century Jewish coins from the time of the Simon Bar Kockba Revolt against the Roman occupation of Judea in 134 CE:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/70d6c2ac5d1ebbab3550044f25f1dac0625d6d5f/original/bar2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><br>Their modern evocation of the Biblical Kinnor, based on these illustrations on the Bar Kokhba coins, is now available in both Mahogany or Rosewood/ Light Ash, with DuPont nylon harp strings - these have almost the tone of authentic gut strings (although slightly brighter & more resonant than actual gut). The advantage of nylon strings is the extra stability of tuning, string durability, & a lot less expense when it comes to replacing the strings...the cost of gut harp strings is horrendous, they go out of tune whenever there is any humidity, and only last a few months before the fragile gut snaps. I have had my original set of strings on the lyre since I first bought it in 2006, and it they still sound as good as new!<br> </p>
<p>The colour-coding of the strings (just as on a regular harp) enables the player to very quickly locate where the 4ths & 5ths are in whatever scale/mode the strings are tuned to.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/75f591e0ccbee7319fade0e100942d0c6fde7092/original/41exr30ehfl-sx425.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>There are problems with recreating the actual sound of the original Biblical Kinnor on this instrument, as best described in the <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-ancient/id295165096" target="_blank" title="Read This Review on iTunes (USA)">recent review on iTunes (USA), made by John Wheeler</a>:<br> </p>
<p><em>"I have had the privilege - and I count it exactly that - of helping Michael Levy in his efforts to apply himself to the ten-stringed lyre (kinnor). Being more specialized on the academic side, I know just how hazardous it is to say that Michael's efforts tell us what King David's lyre really sounded like. The miracle is that Michael is able to get as close to ancient practice (as documented by archaeology, Hebrew Scripture and various treatises) as he does, given the limitations of the instrument he uses. It mics extremely well, but it is a very poor acoustic instrument (I know, I used to own one of them), it uses modern nylon strings, and it has a higher string tension than most ancient instruments. All this changes the tone (as do other things such as modern glues and woodworking techniques). Michael's lyre is an ancient instrument in a modern form and should be approached as such"</em><br> </p>
<p>However, the compromises I had to make with this particular instrument for me, far outweigh the disadvantages. The nylon strings, although brighter in tone than original gut strings, have the advantage of stability of pitch - essential for studio work! <br> </p>
<p>My only very slight criticism, is that the soundboard of their Kinnor is just a little too thick, which tends to stifle the tone & volume slightly.However, in the recording studio, or when used with any regular guitar amp with an acoustic guitar pickup attached, their Kinnor sounds perfect!<br> </p>
<p>For my earlier Youtube videos, I used a regular Leem acoustic guitar pickup attached behind the bridge towards the treble end of the strings, a little preamp, leading to my VOX Valvetronix guitar amplifier...using with just a hint of reverb, for that essential "ethereal" sound!<br> </p>
<p>Their interpretation of the Biblical Nevel, was that of a lyre with a skin membrane:<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qdJTnfYK-aA" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mid-east.com/Strings/Nevel-Harp/Mid-East-Nevel-Harp-with-Case" target="_blank" title="Buy This Nevel From Mid east Ethnic Instruments!">Buy This Nevel From Mid East Ethnic Instruments!</a></p>
<p><br><em>[Whether you get the full size or mini version the cost won't set you back very much. Unlike the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.manta.com/c/mr59xs6/titlemax-of-missouri-inc" target="_blank" title="https://www.manta.com/c/mr59xs6/titlemax-of-missouri-inc">investment</a> required for a custom lyre, which you may need a <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1511967/000110465913024898/a12-29657_110k.htm" target="_blank" title="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1511967/000110465913024898/a12-29657_110k.htm">Titlemax Missouri</a> loan to pay for, the Kinnor is inexpensive and a great option for novice lyre players.]</em><br><br>The Biblical Nevel is an elusive instrument, but the following illustration seen on some of the 2nd century Simon Bar Kokhba coins, seems to show a lyre which may be the Biblical Nevel, and seems to show the reverse of a lyre, which has a resonator over which a circular skin-soundboard of taut leather is stretched:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/b93898bcc6551b7d3e6a3cb7848f758d89135d86/original/fig-3-1944-100-63061-rev-width350.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><br>There are a just a few design faults with their interpretation of the Biblical Nevel. Firstly, according to the writing of the 1st Century Jewish Historian, Flavius Josephus in his "Antiquities", he description of the Nevel, he states that it had 12 strings (presumably to represent the Twelve Tribe of Israel?) - the Mid East Ethnic Instrument interpretation of the Nevel has 15 strings.<br> </p>
<p>Also, <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-biblical-nevel" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_biblical_nevel/">as described in the relevant section of the "Historical Research" pages of this website</a>, from the ancient Rabbinical writings of the <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishnah" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishnah">Mishna</a>, it is likely that the Biblical Nevel had a resonator made of Lotus ribbing...the Mid East Ethnic Instrument interpretation of this Biblical Lyre is open-back with no resonator behind the skin soundboard (which leads to a significant loss of volume).<br> </p>
<p>The final little problem with their Nevel, is the lack of colour-coding on the strings - <em>15 strings with no visual indication of where the crucial 4ths & 5ths are located, makes it very difficult to quickly locate the desired note</em>. However, by simply using a red & blue CD Marker pen to literally "colour in" the 4ths & 5ths, this problem can easily be overcome! I did this little trick, when I recorded my album, "The Ancient Biblical Lyre", which features the Mid East Ethnic Instrument interpretation of the Biblical Nevel.<br> </p>
<p>In my opinion, both the appearance, affordability & use of near "gut sounding" buy stable nylon harp strings on these instruments makes Mid East Ethnic Instruments replica Biblical lyres the best buy, by far!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MARINI MADE HARPS</strong></span></p>
<p><br>I discovered these amazing-sounding hand-made evocations of the 10-string Biblical Kinnor in 2011, which possess a unique, beautiful harp-like timbre. They seem to be of far superior quality to the Kinnor made by Mid East Ethnic Instruments (which despite their drawbacks, are still the most suitable lyre for the beginner) - due to a thinner, much more responsive soundboard on the Marini Kinnor, these lyres produce a more harp-like, less "stifled" purely acoustic tone. I bought my Marini Davidic Harp in December 2011 - <em>here is a video of my first ever "heavenly pluck":</em><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBc3zCwGiOw" width="640"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They currently retail for $385...<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/e3427ad5429d6644dc599a1a71b200c870928746/original/davidic-lg-front.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm" target="_blank" title="Buy This Kinnor From Marini Made Harps!">Buy This Kinnor From Marini Made Harps!</a></p>
<p> <br>My main attraction to the Marini Davidic Harp, is that due to the superior construction and lighter soundboard, these lyres are suitable for the use of authentic, low tension gut strings - and being hand-made, the Marini family have even experimented with the use of gut strings for optimum tone:</p>
<p><em> <br>"This past weekend we attended a harp event in North Carolina where I discovered where to buy gut strings for our Davidic harp. Some time ago, I tried some gut strings on our Davidic harp (samples that I had received from Bow Brand Company in England). We could tell a difference in the quality of the sound when we used gut strings on the lowest four notes (C, D, E, & F)... the high notes didn't sound much better. It was not very cost effective for us to buy a lot of gut strings in large quantities direct from England, but I thought that I'd make you aware that the Atlanta Harp Center does sell Bow Brand gut strings in individual packages. I had my personal Davidic Harp along at this event, so I brought it over to their booth and compared the strings to what they had there, and this is what I'm recommending for those who want to take this harp "a step up" in sound quality.... (gut strings are mellow sounding whereas nylon sound bright)</em></p>
<p><br><em> Order these strings...</em></p>
<p><br><em>Burgundy No. 24 (4th Octave) C .... $13.00 </em><br><em>Burgundy No. 23 (4th Octave) D .... $13.00 </em><br><em>Burgundy No. 22 (4th Octave) E ..... $13.00</em><br><em>Burgundy No. 21 (3rd Octave) F ...... $ 8.50</em></p>
<p><br><em>These strings are made for pedal harps, but are the right thickness for the lower strings on this Davidic harp. It gives the low strings a much more mellow low tone than the nylon strings... but we feel the upper strings sounded better and brighter with the nylon strings. Yes, they are expensive... but mine have lasted a couple years now without breaking. If you want to check it out, go to their website at:</em></p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.atlantaharpcenter.com" target="_blank" title="www.atlantaharpcenter.com">www.atlantaharpcenter.com</a></em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><em>On their "home page" go to the left side and under "strings" click onto "Burgundy Gut" Then scroll to the bottom and click onto page 2+3 to go to the 3rd+4th octave" </em></p>
<p><br>Please note when ordering - Marini Made Harps are are small family-based company, so to order a harp or lyre from them, it is necessary to send a bankers draught or cheque,<em> as they do not deal with online transactions.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>GLENN J HILL</strong></span></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/glenn.j.hill.7" target="_blank" title="https://www.facebook.com/glenn.j.hill.7">Glenn J Hill</a> is a highly skilled lyre luthier, who makes a beautifully ornate evocation of the 10 string Biblical Kinnor, featuring the <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shema_Yisrael" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shema_Yisrael">"Schema Yisael"</a> prayer, intricately carved into the arms of this wonderful instrument:<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T5GG8T7v72Y" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color:#000000"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5d833202441f49593633c7bb6a798960fc0e2fda/original/12388-10200582192111069-1908686727-n.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzA5eDYwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="600" width="309" /> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For full details on these wonderfully crafted Biblical lyres, please visit Glenn's website:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mountainglenharps.com" target="_blank" title="http://www.mountainglenharps.com/">http://www.mountainglenharps.com </a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">HARRARI HARPS</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Harrari Harps are based in Israel, and manufacture luthier quality lyres with authentic gut strings - with the ultimate goal of their lyres being played in the Third Temple of Jerusalem!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>My <em>main</em> criticism of these "replica" lyres, is that despite all the effort and craftsmanship, they bear <em>no</em> resemblance to the lyres seen in the archeological records - for a start, neither model has a bridge over which the strings pass (the definition of what a lyre is, compared to a harp, whereby the strings enter the body of the instrument)...these "lyres" therefore, are in fact, very attractive, but organologically incorrect, portable <em>harps</em>! </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Harrari Harps also manufacture high quality standard sized harps, (their own interpretation of the Biblical Nevel) which have 22 strings - corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet! Although the Nevel was far more likely to have been a <em>lyre</em> rather than a harp, (as discussed earlier in the "Lyres of the Levites" section), this does in <em>no</em> way distract from the frankly <em>amazing</em> craftsmanship of Harrari's beautiful modern evocations of the Biblical instruments:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.harrariharps.com/files/home.php" target="_blank" title="Harrari Harps">Harrari Harps</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">JUBILEE HARPS</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>A company in the USA which specializes in manufacturing replica Biblical lyres based on illustrations on the Bar Kochba coins of type A. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>As mentioned above, the type A lyre on the Simon Bar Kochba coins may more likely be a representation of the Biblical Nevel, rather than the Kinnor. However, the lyres are very well crafted.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>My <em>only</em> criticism, is that Jubilee Harps use <em>steel</em> strings - a material that was not even invented in the Bronze Age, when the Biblical lyres were first being made! However, the steel strings do give a very pleasant reverb, and a unique sound.<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">These lyres would also be ideal for playing traditional Egyptian music, as the Simsimyya lyre still played in Port Said in Egypt, traditionally uses metal strings.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>For further details, please see the link to their website below:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.jubileeharps.com/history.html" target="_blank" title="Jubilee Harps">Jubilee Harps</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<hr style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MAKERS OF REPLICA NORTHERN EUROPEAN LYRES</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color:#00000/span/st/span/strongillustration of the lyre of the ancient hebrwes on an ancient jewish coin, cillustration of the lyre of the ancient hebrwes on an ancient jewish coin, c.135ce href="><strong>Michael J. King</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Michael J King specializes in making amazing quality replicas of the Sutton Hoo & Germanic Trossingen Lyres of the Dark Ages: <br> </p>
<p style="text-decoration: underline; text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container">
<iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Weuz-RtmBfk" width="560"></iframe><br><br>For full details, please visit Michael's fascinating website:<br> </div></div></div></div>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.michaeljking.com/Lyres.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.michaeljking.com/Lyres.htm">http://www.michaeljking.com/Lyres.htm</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Corwen Broch & Kate Fletcher</strong> </p>
<p><br>Lyre luthier Corwen Broch & Kate Fletcher specialize in recreating fantastic replica lyres of the Dark Ages:</p>
<p><em>"We make a variety of musical instruments, specializing in instruments current in Northern Europe before around 1050 AD. As well as reproductions, we make contemporary versions of these instruments, improved and adapted for the musicians of today.</em><br><br><br><em>We are fascinated with the musical culture of ancient Northern Europe before roughly 1050 AD, and some of its instruments, including the Blowing Horn (cow horn trumpet), Bone Flute, Bowed Lyre (Jouhikko, Talharpa, Gue), the Kantele, the Willow Flute, Reedpipes, Viking Style Panpipes and of course the six stringed Lyre." </em></p>
<p>These beautiful lyres feature authentic gut or horse hair strings...</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Below is a fascinating video, in which Corwen demsonstrates some of the lyre playing techniques possible on one of his hand made replicas of the Germanic Trossingen Lyre of the Dark Ages:<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R1f29rtaRYk" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>For full details, please visit:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientmusic.co.uk/instruments.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk ">http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk </a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong>Thomas Handwerker</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Thomas Handwerker is a luthier, specializing in making beautifully ornate replica Trossingen Lyres - the Germanic Lyre of the Dark Ages...<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AL0B4YnNU_4" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://sites.google.com/site/volkhardresume/home/arts-and-sciences" target="_blank" title="https://sites.google.com/site/volkhardresume/home/arts-and-sciences ">https://sites.google.com/site/volkhardresume/home/arts-and-sciences </a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong>Benjamin Simao</strong></p>
<p><br>Benjamin Simao is a French-based craftsman, specializing in making early music strings & wind instruments. He has also constructed some finely crafted replica Trossingen & Sutton Hoo lyres.<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/fd0bf04251d0bbe0a632545ec768d437b61bfc5a/original/philigrane.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Here is another one of Benjamin's splendid hand-crafted models - this Lyre is inspired by a Byzantine floor mosaic from Tarsus (Antakya Museum) circa. 270 - 300 AD called <em>"Orpheus Enchanting Animals": <br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/8e16a3585e59dd5e0b667ea655dcba4f1f37b444/original/akg594194.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/72af9bb3934f1e1c1e4d9fb064912f16db4078ab/original/img-4321-copie.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Benjamin recently explained his detailed construction techniques to me:</p>
<p><br>"For the trigonal shape of pegs, i worked with archeological research in greece & the roman empire (text of Callisthène, Pompeian frescos, archeological pegs found in tombs, Roman sculptures of Vatican museum and paintings of Herculanum, etc..)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>For the Holes on the soundboard, I decided to create them after a long hesitation. Rarely shown because forgotten or deliberately neglected, holes in the soundboard seem to have existed. We found sound-holes on a Gallo-Roman relief in Melun (France), on the cithara of Apollo painted on the wall of a house in Pompeii on the column of "Mayence" erected in the time of Nero, etc..<br><br>How was antique bridges? we only know that, thanks to Lucian and Philostratus this piece existed. I am inspired by the wood fragment that was found in 1962 in the Gulf of Fos, <em>decorated with ocelli.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><em>For the tailpiece, Nicomachean mentions it in his writings. He compared it with a "pull-stick". that's why I created mine in real Bronze, glue at the bottom of the Lyre. A model similar to "Nicomachean" could be seen at Hercalanum for example.</em></p>
<p><em> </em><br><em>Finally, regard to the arms of the lyre, it is unlikely that we have made frequent use of real animal horns for arms as was often written. The use of animal horns was probably symbolic. the remains of the lyre Elgin sycamore are so far the only archaeological evidence.</em><br><br><em>Of course everything is hand made with tools gallic types a smith make especially for me, and i use animal glue (especially bone glue)." </em></p>
<p><br><em>Benjamin explained to me in more details below, the unique archaeological approach to his work:</em></p>
<p><br><em>"Evoking instrumental practice since humans protohistory is not easy.</em><br><em>This allows among other things to discover missing sounds but also to understand the close relationship between society and music. Thanks to the joint work of specialists and enthusiasts in recent years have shed light on these old instrumental practices, which had been in the 19th century largely distorted vision.</em><br><br><em>Craftsman carpenter training, multi-instrumentalist musician passionate Archaeology and Ethnomusicology, it is natural that I turned to the invoice of ancient instruments and sound exploration through the ages.</em><br><br><em>Aware of the cultural heritage of great civilizations, however, I chose to limit my geographic area to western Europe and mainly deal with the most relevant aspects. Discipline link, it implies the exchange of information, which is why this work is only possible in conjunction with professionals from complementary fields.</em><br><br><em>The first and most important step is to gather all available and accessible sources, such as iconographic, numismatics, philology (the study of texts), epigraphic (study enrollment), archaeological discoveries, etc..</em><br><br><em>We can do nothing without essential informations, necessary work of rebuilding archaeological sound.</em><br><br><em>After carefully classified and prioritized these data, compared them, it is essential to compare them with the texts.</em><br><br><em>Indeed, valuable information was gathered by witnesses from different eras (Cicero, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny the Elder, Alchindius, al-Urmawi, Henri de Zwolle, Jerome of Moravia etc..), </em><br><br><em>However, although it is necessary to deepen the written sources, it is also important to take the necessary height for reflection, a critical blind would be ineffective. This research can be done so that a depth that are consistent organological realities, social and geographical.</em><br><br><em>Furthermore, in order to avoid interpreting an instrument that is not a cause, or to misunderstand when in actual use, it is important to categorize and offer terminology precise (Cordophones, Aerophones, etc.)..</em><br><br><em>We don't have all the keys, it is sometimes useful to use the Ethno-Organology (Understanding the musical instrument in its manufacturing technology, gaming, its history, use of music, etc.) that allows clarify many mysteries by analogy or deduction.</em><br><br><em>To carry out this business and restore the accuracy and skill of the artisans of the past, it seems effective to develop an implementation plan next logical plots and harmonious proportions, already used since ancient times.</em><br><br><em>Finally, I chose to include my work the propositin of instruments in line with a time and responding to musical codes, temporal and organological, experiment and submit a free personal interpretation without falling into error feeding a fanciful imagination.</em><br><br><em>Because not find any trace of an instrument, does not prove it did not exist</em><br><em>Only experimentation can judge the credibility of a hypothesis.</em><br><br><em>Indeed perishable materials such as horn, bone, elder, have been used but have not received a proper storage medium, have disappeared.</em><br><br><em>To conclude, I would say that this Instrumentarium is a purely "speculative" work because it intends to propose ways of thinking, where archeological finds is questionable. The resulting work is therefore also" </em></p>
<p><br>Here is a link to Benjamin's website:<br> </p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.trinoxsamoni-lutherie.fr/" target="_blank" title="Visit Benjamin's fascinating website!">http://www.trinoxsamoni-lutherie.fr/</a></em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong>Jrv Luthier </strong></p>
<p><br>Jrv Luthier is a Spanish based craftsman, specializing in the construction of beautiful quality lyres, harps, lutes, psalteries and other string instruments:</p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://arpaslirasysalterios.blogspot.com.es/" target="_blank" title="http://arpaslirasysalterios.blogspot.com.es/">http://arpaslirasysalterios.blogspot.com.es/ </a></p>
<p><br>Jrv Luthier has reconstructed "one of the oldest stringed instruments of the Iberian Peninsula: the lyre of funerary stele found in 1975 in Luna (Zaragoza), whose dates speculate between X-VIII centuries before Christ:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/9c6cd5e8f17132e95e5dcad40159cbc2b93d9795/original/ta1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><br>The features depicted in the wake recorded are identical to the funeral monuments within the scope tartésico. This circumstance has been much controversy among experts as the tombstone was discovered in a place from the early seventh century to the s. IV BC was occupied by Celts and Celts.The stele belongs, therefore, to a human community that lived around the current Zaragoza at least a century before the influx of Central European peoples. Who were the members of that community and where does this trail, old and decorative style tartésica attributable to culture, but found in a settlement protocelta ...? It is for this very reason why the lira from plume Moon is unique within the ancient musical iconography"<br><br>(<a data-imported="1" href="http://terraeantiqvae.com/profiles/blogs/reconstrucci-n-de-la-lira-de-la-estela-de-luna-zaragoza#.UT2oHpan6Sp" target="_blank" title="http://terraeantiqvae.com/profiles/blogs/reconstrucci-n-de-la-lira-de-la-estela-de-luna-zaragoza#.UT2oHpan6Sp">http://terraeantiqvae.com/profiles/blogs/reconstrucci-n-de-la-lira-de-la-estela-de-luna-zaragoza#.UT2oHpan6Sp</a>):<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ck-6MUknjFY" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MUSIC MAKERS LYRE KITS </strong></span><br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ff29037af297fcb7d34fe49e8fdccddadc095fec/original/lyres-on-map.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDM5MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="393" width="600" /> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The affordable lyre kits illustrated above are available to order from this company. Here is the link to their website:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.harpkit.com/category/lyres.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.harpkit.com/category/lyres.html">http://www.harpkit.com/category/lyres.html </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Below is a video featuring one of the lyres made from these kits:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pCA2jNdSe2g" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> <br> </p>
<hr style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ARCHAIC AFRICAN ARCHED HARPS</strong></span></p>
<p><br>My album <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FJQAT6/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1347266734&sr=8-1">"The Ancient Egyptian Harp"</a> features an archaic African Harp, the "Adungu" of Uganda - an incredible instrument almost identical to the ancient Egyptian arched harp! Here is the Adungu with which I recorded this album:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3cd0fab8b29bfff5664896eb2bc01e7cb38ddfab/original/b-wyjyzxnpemu6mjaweduxnijd.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong>EXAMPLE OF A PRESERVED ANCIENT EGYPTIAN 18th DYNASTY ARCHED HARP</strong><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c57d91cba794a05b2f1eae23b2a073d620f51782/original/dp302724.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>An instructional book by Martin Klabunde on how to play the traditional Ugandan Adungu can be ordered from Amazon:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Play-Adungu-Northern-Uganda/dp/1463558589" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Play-Adungu-Northern-Uganda/dp/1463558589">"Learn to Play the Adungu!: Bow Harp from Northern Uganda" </a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<hr style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"> <strong>PALAEOPHONES - ANCIENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>"Palaeophones" are Luthiers specializing amazing quality replica musical instruments from throughout the ancient world, such as this magnificent replica 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian Box Lyre (c.1550 - 1292 BCE):<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/1e56312466fd16a6f67aec96921d4de4414c4ec8/original/egyptian-box-lyre-2-280x318.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Below is the original surviving lyre, as preserved in <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.aegyptisches-museum-berlin-verein.de/c32.php#o_leier_10247_01.jpg" target="_blank" title="http://www.aegyptisches-museum-berlin-verein.de/c32.php#o_leier_10247_01.jpg">the Berlin Museum</a>:<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c2f2d2b37761d095e97dc6b048a128c9a9ac23a6/original/g-o-leier-10247-01.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>These incredible quality, replica ancient instruments are only hand-made made on demand, so the price or purchasing such a unique instrument reflects this.</p>
<p>For further details, please visit their website:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.palaeophones.com" target="_blank" title="http://www.palaeophones.com ">http://www.palaeophones.com </a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<hr><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417942019-06-29T12:00:00-12:002020-11-27T23:25:48-12:00Seven Ancient Inventions Associated with Music You Should Know
<p><br>Music is a unique form of art with a Greek origin that denotes <em>“art of the Muses”</em>. Since the dawn of human civilisation music has been performed through numerous means. It is not known what led to its creation, but the role of nature may have played a role. While the oldest written song was composed approximately 4000 years ago, the existence of ancient musical instruments can be traced back to more ancient times. Some of the greatest inventors in history are those maestros who created the path breaking musical instruments!<br><br>Listed below are 7 ancient era inventions that left a profound impact on the global music scene:</p>
<p><br><strong style="font-size: medium;">1. The Prehistoric Flute<br><br></strong></p>
<p><strong> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/09d9cfa622ed0888df0f6d51b22bf078ffd44f85/original/prehistoric-flute.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDMzMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="330" width="600" /></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Image Credit: <a style="font-size: medium;" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2009/06/25/science/25flute1.600.ready.jpg" data-imported="1">nyt</a></p>
<p><br>The most ancient human made musical instrument is a set of prehistoric flute discovered in southern Germany. Found in a cave the flutes were made using bird bone and mammoth ivory. These are reportedly 40000 years old. The flutes are open ended and feature finger holes. This is something that can make even famous music composers sit up and roll up their eyes in amazement. It is amazing that so long back when the primal need of humans was to hunt and survive; someone found the time to design a musical instrument!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> 1.</strong> <strong style="font-size: medium;">The Octave Scale and Notation</strong></p>
<p><br>It is true that several ancient civilizations developed musical scales of their own. However, Pythagoras the legendary Greek thinker was the pioneer in developing mathematically-based, near-perfect scale that included tones and “hemitones”- precursors of the octave scale. It is among those notable <a style="font-size: medium;" href="https://www.historyly.com/greek-history/top-15-ancient-greek-inventions/" data-imported="1"><strong>Greek inventions</strong></a> that leave everyone, including historians baffled and awestruck. While Pythagoras may not have invented all of it, the historians believe his contribution is the largest in this regard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> 2.</strong> <strong style="font-size: medium;">Bells</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5ea16af787eba9773ded03ef770fdc4ccf233901/original/athens-agia-triada-monastery.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Image Credit: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Agia_Triada_Monastery%2C_Crete_07.jpg/800px-Agia_Triada_Monastery%2C_Crete_07.jpg" data-imported="1">Wikimedia</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Typically, bells are associated with schools and churches. However, they have also been used since ancient times as percussion instruments. The bells at <a href="https://www.revolvy.com/page/Agia-Triada-Monastery" data-imported="1"><strong>Athens Agia Triada Monastery</strong></a> can be cited as an example of how certain musical instruments have been used as a part of religious rituals.</p>
<p><strong> <br>3. </strong><strong style="font-size: medium;">Double Bass</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/05836e1cca8c83d20318e51b597114a6bfa99b0f/original/double-bass.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDM5OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="399" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Image Credit: <a href="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/05/29/16/30/bass-1423289_960_720.jpg" data-imported="1">pixabay</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The double bass is actually known by many other names like contrabass, bass violin. The earliest instance of double-bass instrument was made in 1516. The inventor was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Dragonetti" data-imported="1"><strong>Domenico Dragonetti</strong></a> and it was used in the orchestra. It is the biggest as well as the lowest-pitched bowed string musical instrument used in a symphony orchestra. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> <strong>4</strong><strong style="font-size: medium;">. </strong><strong style="font-size: medium;">Harpsichord</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/265dcade886e026548ac32be4df6c545fdd81bd5/original/harpsichord.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Image Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matsuyuki/2531257700" data-imported="1">flickr</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>A precursor to the piano, harpsichord was quite popular in the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Western Europe. The harpsichord had a keyboard with attached levers. These levers were pressed to produce sounds. With the rise in the popularity of the piano, it faded out of favor.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> 6.</strong> <strong style="font-size: medium;">Trombone<br><br></strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/67730487f13dcdbf29109aef9be9871055ec4799/original/trombone.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p><br>Image Credit: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/Contra_tbn.JPG" data-imported="1">Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><br>It may not be a very well-known musical instrument, but the trombone belongs to the Brass family. Trombones rely on a telescoping slide mechanism for altering the pitch. The name has origin in <strong>Italian <em>tromba</em></strong><em>, denoting trumpet. It is also called </em><strong>sackbut</strong>. The instrument was invented back in the 15<sup>th</sup> century.<br><br><strong style="font-size: medium;"><br>7. </strong><strong style="font-size: medium;">Trumpet</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/86b2f26f569b1d1eaf8e898dacdd3a636a1eaee4/original/ancient-trumpets.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDM2OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="368" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Image Credit: <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Golden_Trumpet_-_Museo_del_Oro_-_Bogot%C3%A1.jpg" data-imported="1">Wikipedia</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Trumpet is among popular musical instruments that have been used since the ancient ages. It has managed to survive the test of time very well. The ancient tribes have used what can be called predecessors of modern era trumpet for thousands of years. However, the ancient trumpets were used more in warfare and hunting activities than for musical performances. The earliest examples can be traced to 1500 BC or so. Initially, materials like conch shells and animal horns were used and later metals were used to make trumpets. From the 15<sup>th</sup> century, its use in musical events shot up.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Some More Noteworthy Inventions Related to Music</strong></p>
<p><br>There are some other musical innovations that deserve a mention here. These are:</p>
<p><strong><br>Roman Inventions:</strong> When it comes to ancient musical inventions, mention must be made of some marvelous Roman inventions<strong>.</strong> The Roman tuba is one such example. It was extensively used in the Roman military. It was used a lot in the parades and funerals, but the leaders used it to convey instructions to the soldiers.<br><br></p>
<p><strong>French Inventions:</strong> The French also had their contributions to the music scene. In the 17th century, French musicians <strong>Michel Danican Philidor</strong> and <strong>Jean Hotteterre</strong> invented the Oboe. It was a dual reeded instrument made of wood. The oboe was used as a main melody instrument, but later it was succeeded by the clarinet, which is still popular. The Oboe was developed on a double-reed instrument called the shawm, which has eastern Mediterranean roots.</p>
<p><strong><br>Italian Inventions:</strong> Ocarina, a ceramic made musical wind instrument- modeled on ancient era wind instruments. It was in 1853 that <strong>Giuseppe Donati</strong>, an Italian inventor came up with it. There are some variations of the instrument, but the majority is made with 10 holes. Clay and ceramic are used in most cases, but you can also find other materials like plastic, wood, glass or bone. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Guest Author Bio:<br><br></strong></p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/db051b73f6e17f70fbb9c234d9372d0a04643e72/original/vandana.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjA2eDIwNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="206" width="206" /></p>
<p><br>Vandana is the Co-founder and Editor of <a title="https://www.historyly.com/" href="https://www.historyly.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Historyly</a>, a teacher by profession. She has a passion for reading and writing about different historical periods. <a title="https://www.historyly.com/" href="https://www.historyly.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Historyly </a>was started with the view to make ancient history meaningful and interesting to the everyday reader.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417682018-12-09T12:00:00-12:002023-07-16T00:06:48-12:00Lyre Playing Techniques<p><br><strong><u>ANCIENT LYRE PLAYING TECHNIQUES</u></strong><br> </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/bcb24bde8b599b0f7fc9f34e3ed96a2ea399424c/original/boscoreale-fresco-woman-kithara.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>From all of my extensive research and practical experimentation, I have discovered that the range of possible playing techniques for the lyre is only limited by one's musical imagination! To begin this analysis of some of these techniques, here is a video demonstrating and listing virtually <i>all</i> of them:<br> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BDT0KPPn97o" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p><br>The diverse range of lyre-playing techniques I have used in the creation of my albums, are all authentically based upon ancient lyre playing techniques which have amazingly survived to the present day, and which can still be heard in parts Egypt and East Africa. These techniques include alternating between guitar-like, plectrum-plucked tones in the right hand and harp-like, finger-plucked tones in the left hand; which also sometimes includes providing basic harmony below the melodic line - this technique is actually mentioned in Virgil's epic poem, <a class="no-pjax" href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1305901h.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1305901h.html">"The Aeneid - Book VI, line 645</a>:</p><p><i>"...There Orpheus too, the long-robed priest of Thrace, accompanies their voices with the seven-note scale, playing now with fingers, now with the ivory quill"</i><br><i>[nec non Threicius longa cum ueste sacerdos obloquitur numeris septem discrimina uocum,iamque eadem digitis, iam pectine pulsat eburno]</i><br> </p><p>I have also experimented with the ancient lyre-playing technique of “finger blocking” in “Odessa Bulgar” and also in the final section of “The Music of Moses”; this is where rhythm can be strummed on the lyre with a plectrum in the right hand, just as on a guitar - notes not required in the chords are blocked by fingers of the left hand.<br> </p><p>This particular ancient lyre-playing technique can actually still be heard today, in the traditional "Krar" lyre players of Eritrea, in East Africa:<br> </p><div class="video-container size_l justify_inline" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="uo5-ci89_zI" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uo5-ci89_zI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><br> The "block and strum" method of lyre playing also works beautifully on replicas of <a class="no-pjax" href="/the-northern-european-lyres" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-imported="1" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/the_northern_european_lyres/">the unique Northern European lyres of the Dark Ages</a> - this wonderful video clearly demonstrates a particularly advanced style of "block and strum":<br> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JTxA-p6XoTQ" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><p>In my own performances, I also ornament the melodic lines with plentiful tremolo accompaniments; a style which has also survived to the present day, as can be heard in the lyre-playing techniques of the traditional "<strong>simsimyya</strong>" lyre players of Port Said, in Egypt.<br> </p><p>The Egyptian <i>simsimiyya</i> (Arabic: سمسمية) is an amazing wire-strung lyre, still played in Egypt today..which <i>may</i> have had its origins, 4000 years ago, in the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt.<br> </p><p>Here is a video featuring one of these amazing traditional Egyptian folk songs from Port Said, as arranged on my evocation of the 3000 year old Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews:<br> </p><p> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container">
<iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z27RWRLz7Ng" width="480"></iframe><br><br>Below are my new series of videos on Youtube, dedicated to explaining more of how I derived the ancient lyre playing techniques heard in my albums of ancient lyre music:<br> </div></div></div></div><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/95uqw_ixZPc" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p><br> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5yqp6PxGMx8" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NTOKH30VaQw" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><p>Finally, here is a demonstration of the hypothetical ancient Greek lyre playing technique (proposed by the musicologist, Curt Sachs) of "string-stopping" - using a knuckle of the left hand as a fret on the string in order to play the accidentals, which are clearly noted in many examples of surviving ancient Greek music. The piece I am playing to demonstrate this hypothetical technique, is "Hymn To The Muse" (c.130 CE), composed by Mesomedes of Crete:<br> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAvbUiKdXiA" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><p><strong><u>ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HARP PLAYING TECHNIQUES VERIFY CURT SACH'S HYPOTHESIS OF THE ANCIENT GREEK LYRE PLAYING TECHNIQUE OF "STRING STOPPING"</u></strong><u> </u></p><p> <br><br>The technique known as "string stopping" (producing accidentals on a diatonically strung lyre or harp by shortening the vibrating length of a specific string by using a nail or knuckle of the hand as a fret on the string), was first hypothesised by the musicologist <a class="no-pjax" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Sachs" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Sachs">Curt Sachs</a> in 1924, in an attempt to explain how it was possible to play some of the complex, surviving examples we have of ancient Greek music, on a lyre which usually had just 7 strings. <br><br>For me, <i>the</i> most compelling evidence for Curt Sach's hypothesis on the use of string-stopping on the ancient Greek lyre to produce chromaticism, is the visually compelling evidence of the same technique in use, <i>at least one and a half thousand years earlier</i> than the age of Classical Greece, as practiced by the harpists of ancient Egypt... <br> <br>There is a <a class="no-pjax" href="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-inside-look.pdf" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-inside-look.pdf">fascinating PDF article abut the ancient Egyptian harp</a> from a book excerpt <a class="no-pjax" href="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-pg.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-pg.html">"Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments"</a> by Moustafa Gadalla, which I recently discovered, featuring an illustration of a relief from tomb 11 in the Ta-Apet (Thebes) area (New Kingdom 1520 BCE) which actually seems to illustrate this unique ancient harp-playing technique :<i> a harper shortens the string with one hand,and plucks with the other</i> - this is surely the first unambiguous pictorial evidence of the technique of string-stopping from the ancient world! <i><strong>The bent string is clearly shown:</strong></i><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/339deb7e87d16fd9a08e3de7093f871d0be7464b/original/bent-harp-string.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p><br>Also, the book excerpt mentions that <i>"in Idut’s Tomb [c. 2320 BCE], two of the five depicted harpers pluck with only the right hand, while the left one holds down the string"</i></p><p><br>In my EP album, "The Ancient Egyptian Harp", I experiment with the ancient Egyptian harp-playing technique described in this article - of using the left hand to shorten the vibrating length of the string, to create microtones or semitones, in the tracks <a class="no-pjax" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-harps-kemet-improvisation/id454315787?i=454315789" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-harps-kemet-improvisation/id454315787?i=454315789">"Ancient Harps of Kemet"</a> & <a class="no-pjax" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-osiris-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315812" target="_blank" data-imported="1" title="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-osiris-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315812">"Hymn to Osiris"</a> <br> </p><p>If string-stopping was an established ancient Egyptian harp-playing technique for playing chromatics, in use from at <i>least</i> as early as 2320 BCE, then surely there can be no problem with Curt Sach's hypothesis that it was also being used 1500 years later, by the lyra & kithara players of Classical Greece? <br> </p><p><i> </i>For me, this illustration from ancient Egypt, is the "smoking gun" to prove the existence of Curt Sach's hypothesis of the finger-stopping technique to play accidentals on a diatonically strung lyre or harp - & even more significantly, <i>the existence of this finger-stopping technique is evidence of an understanding of chromaticism by the musicians & composers of antiquity, <strong>dating back over 4000 years! </strong></i> <br> </p><p>The music of the ancients was far more intricate, complex, chromatic & harmonic, than any of the exponents of the <a class="no-pjax" href="/the-urban-myth-of-the-monotony-of-monophony-in-the-ancient-world" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-imported="1" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/the_urban_myth_of_the_monotony_of_monophony_in_the_ancient_world">"Urban Myth of the Monotony of Monophony in the Ancient World"</a> would ever have us falsely believe! <br> </p><p>I am increasingly<i> fascinated</i> in continuing to discover, just how many types of lyres are still played in the world today! The lyre is such an amazingly versatile instrument, and it is such a tragic loss in the Western world, that it can now only be heard in just a few countries dotted around East Africa - it truly was, the "guitar" of the ancient world...<br> </p><p> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped" frameborder="0" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aODEJl1Solc" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div><p> </p><p> </p><hr>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417692018-12-08T12:00:00-12:002022-10-14T03:36:53-12:00Ancient Tuning Methods<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></span></p>
<p><br>In attempting to demonstrate a variety of ancient tunings for my 10 string lyre to the layman with an interest in ancient music, I have decided to compromise and use modern equal temperament terminology ie. a 12 note chromatic scale, with alphabetic representation of specific pitch (eg. A,B,C,D,G,F,G) & modern musical terms such as sharps & flats to indicate the respective placement of whole-tone & half-tone steps. <br> </p>
<p>However, in antiquity, lyres were tuned either cyclically, in perfect 5ths, the 3rds & 6ths then being fine-tuned by ear (Pythagorean tuning) or divisively (using exact mathematical ratios to precisely divide a musical string into specific pitch ratios) to achieve what is called <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_intonation" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_intonation">"Just Intonation"</a>. <br><br>The <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism">Pythagoreans</a> approached tuning from an almost mathematically religious orthodoxy, disregarding the musicality altogether. The Pythagoreans admitted only 3 intervallic concords because they adhered to the numbers in the<a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetractys" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetractys"><em> ‘Tetraktys’</em></a>:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/164c8b7d9d3a7ec7e721b69f06528eeb7fb84a98/original/tetractys.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzU0eDMwOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="308" width="354" /><br><br>The Tetractys is a triangular figure consisting of ten points arranged in four rows: one, two, three, and four points in each row, which is the geometrical representation of <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_number" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_number">the fourth triangular number</a>. As a mystical symbol, it was very important to the secret worship of Pythagoreanism. There were four seasons, and the number was also associated with planetary motions and music.<br><br>It is said that the Pythagorean musical system was based on the Tetractys as the rows can be read as the ratios of 4:3 (perfect fourth), 3:2 (perfect fifth), 2:1 (octave), forming the basic intervals of the Pythagorean scales. That is, Pythagorean scales are generated from combining pure fourths (in a 4:3 relation), pure fifths (in a 3:2 relation), and the simple ratios of the unison 1:1 and the octave 2:1<br><br>The <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochord" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochord">monochord</a> provided the basis of the ratios of these concords as their tuning was the same as the divisions of the monochord: 2:1, 4:3, 3:2<br><br>In contrast, <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy">Ptolemy</a>, was concerned with both musical sounds being truly consonant and that there be a scientific basis for their presence. He was probably influenced by <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archytas" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archytas">Archytas of Tarentum</a>, who replaced the virtually un-singable Pythagorean major 3rd (81:64) with a mathematically pure 3rd (5:4), who observed how musicians did this whilst tuning by ear and then sought a mathematical rationale for this aural phenomenon.<br><br><strong><em style="font-size: medium;">Almost all of my recordings since 2012, feature just intonation tunings based around <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy%27s_intense_diatonic_scale" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy%27s_intense_diatonic_scale">Ptolemy's 'Intense Diatonic' scale</a>.</em></strong></p>
<p><br>The modern tuning system of equal temperament was devised to enable music to be performed in any of the 12 keys of the chromatic scale whilst keeping exactly the same equal ratio of pitch between each of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale - which sadly has sacrificed the essential purity of tone, which can only be heard in the various forms of just intonation outlined, once used in antiquity.<br><br>My album, <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"A Well Tuned Lyre; The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a>, features just intonation (Ptolemy's Intense Diatonic) throughout - in comparison, the out-of-phase, 'jangly' sound of music in equal temperament, in comparison,<em> is rather like a rose without it's scent...</em> <br><br>Indeed, I have found the effects on the listener, of hearing music in authentic ancient just intonation,<em> is an increase in the intensity of emotion conveyed through the music, a more serene effect, yet at the same time, more inspiring!</em><br><br>Here is a video featuring track 5 from this album - my arrangement of a fragment of ancient Greek music for solo lyre, in just intonation:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgPSc9eU-Jg" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>Below is a video featuring my performance of the<em> "First Delphic Hymn To Apollo (c.128 BCE)"</em> on my replica lyre, in the pure-sounding, authentic just intonation of antiquity :<br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ws7xUHt_W4o" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">ANCIENT JUST INTONATION VERSUS MODERN EQUAL TEMPERAMENT?</span> </strong></p>
<p><br>Joseph Ennis kindly sent me the following interesting article he wrote on all the technical aspects of "Just Intonation" in comparison to modern "Equal Temperament:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/On_Cent_and_Scales.doc" target="_blank" title="Article on Cent & Scales">On Cent & Scales</a></p>
<p>Another detailed article by Joseph Ennis can also be viewed in the link below, which describes the history of tuning from ancient Sumeria to the present system of equal temperament:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/HarpScales1.doc" target="_blank" title="The History of Tuning">The History of Tuning </a></p>
<p>Below is a quote from Wikipedia, further explaining the basic difference between just intonation & equal temperament...<br><br><em>"In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval; in other words, the two notes are members of the same harmonic series.</em><br><br><em>Justly tuned intervals are usually written either as ratios, with a colon (for example, 3:2), or as fractions, with a solidus (3 ⁄ 2). Colons indicate that division is not done, so it is the preferred usage in music: In practice, two tones, one at 300 Hertz (cycles per second), and the other at 200 hertz is a perfect fifth (3:2).</em><br><br><em>Just intonation can be contrasted and compared with equal temperament, which dominates western orchestras and default MIDI tuning. Equal temperament starts by arranging all notes at multiples of the same basic interval, but the intervals themselves are altered slightly, relative to just intonation. Each interval possesses its own degree of alteration. The process results in a tuning system where all intervals will have exactly the same character in any key."</em></p>
<p> <br>Just intonation was achieved in antiquity, by either <em> Cyclical</em> or <em>Divisive</em> tuning methods...</p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>CYCLICAL TUNING</strong></span></p>
<p> <br>This is the most natural way to tune either a solo archaic harp or lyre - although first famously advocated in the writings of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras">Pythagoras</a>, cyclical tuning methods are well documented in ancient Babylonian Cuneiform texts several thousand years before this.<br> </p>
<p>This tuning system entails tuning the strings of the lyre in a cyclical series of perfect 5ths. The 3rds & 6ths were then finely tuned by ear to the required sweetness of tone, to achieve just temperament. <br> </p>
<p>Consequently, when a lyre is tuned correctly using a system of cyclic tuning, there should be no wavey, out of phase <em>"wooowooowooow"</em>- sounding beat waves heard in the pure intervals tuned using cyclic tuning (ie the 5ths, 4ths & octaves) - unlike a string instrument tuned using equal temperament - these <em>"wooowooowooow"</em> sounding beat waves <em>are generated by the slight lack of symmetry in the sound wave ratios, due to the compromise in exact tuning</em> - which is the unfortunate consequence of the equal temperament tuning system. <br> </p>
<p>The 3rds & 6ths resulting from cyclical tuning, though, do sound similar to 3rds & 6ths tuned using equal temperament, as it is harder to precisely tune 3rds & 6ths by ear than it is to tune the purer-sounding 5ths, 4th & octaves - the 3rds & 6ths are fine tuned by ear, by a subjective process of <em>"sweetening"</em> their sound; a process which requires much experience, and relies solely on the ear of the musician. <br> </p>
<p>Therefore, cyclic tuning results in what can best be described as a close <em>approximation</em> to the mathematically precise pitch ratios of pure just intonation - however, it is the ancient tuning system which requires the most skill on behalf of of the lyre or harp player, as the entire tuning process relies entirely on the experienced ear of the musician being able to tune their instrument "in tune with itself"...<br> </p>
<p>Below is a recent experimental video I recorded, with my lyre in tuned by ear using the ancient Pythagorean cyclical tuning system - the video features my arrangement of "Hatikvah" (The Hope), the new Israeli National Anthem, played on my evocation of the ancient 10-string Biblical Kinnor (hand-<a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm">Marini Made Harps</a> in 70 CE, was Israel's National Instrument:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oxfhvrul6fw" width="640"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>In most of my earlier albums, recorded prior to 2012, due to the constrictions of studio time (and the even tighter constrictions of my bank account to pay for it!), I reluctantly decided to eventually compromise, and use a digital tuner to tune my lyre into equal temperament. However, for my albums <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Ancient-Egyptian-Harp/dp/B005FJQAT6/ref=sr_shvl_album_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1326973430&sr=301-5" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From Amazon!">"The Ancient Egyptian Harp"</a> & <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-davids-harp/id489559964" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"King David's Harp"</a> (which features my newly acquired, incredible quality, hand-crafted <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm">"Marini Made Davidic Harp"</a>) I decided to leave the the 21st century behind for good, and to take the time to tune my archaic arched harp & lyre cyclically, by ear...just as the ancients did!<br> </p>
<p>I decided on attempting cyclic tuning, rather than divisive tuning in my first major project dedicated to experimenting with truly authentic ancient tuning systems, because as mentioned above, cyclical tuning requires the most skill to properly execute!</p>
<p><br>Professor Richard Dumbrill gives a fascinating talk in the video below, about how the Silver Lyre of Ur (dating back to c.2600 BCE) , according to the miraculously surviving Cuneiform musical texts, was also tuned cyclically - some 4600 years ago:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MSbLi4O0gM4" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>DIVISIVE TUNING</strong></span><br><br><br>Cyclical tuning, as described above, since it relies on nothing but the ear of the trained musican, only result in an approximation of just intonation - pure just intonation can most precisely achieved using the sytem of Divisive Tuning. Divisive tuning entails precisely dividing the length of a monchord into specific mathematical ratios, resulting in the respective desired musical pitches being achieved.<br> </p>
<p>Divisive tuning was the most natural way to tune the ancient lutes, or any fretted instrument. which uses frets to divide the vibrating portion of each string into the required precise ratio of pitches. Although described in the writings of Pythagoras in his experiments at dividing the scale via a <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochord" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochord">musical monochord</a>, the divisive tuning system predates Pythagoras by thousands of years and may have evolved along with the origin of the long-necked lute in ancient Babylonia some 5000 years ago, according to <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm">John Wheeler</a>:<br><br><br><em>"The long-necked lute (according to Curt Sachs) was invented in Babylonia, and indeed thanks to that fact divisive tuning was invented there also. Cyclical tuning was also known there (and that got documented long after his death by the famous theory and hymn tablets from Babylon and Ugarit), but there is this curious fact: the Babylonians used divisive tuning as the basis for their symbolic correlation of the pillar degrees of the octave (e.g., C-F-G-C') with the four seasons, while the Chinese used cyclical tuning as the basis for the symbolic correlation of the same. This (wrote Sachs) is consistent as Babylon was the "home" of the lute and China the "home" of the harp (even though Babylon knew of harps and lyres too and China, if memory serves, also knew the lute from very early times). Divisive tuning is the "natural" tuning of the lute, as cyclical tuning is the "natural" tuning of the harp and lyre, according to Sachs. By that he meant that it's easiest and most natural to tune, and then to play, folk instruments of those genres that way - as I can vouch as a working musician"</em><br> </p>
<p>Indeed, there is surviving contemporary account of the calculation of where to place frets on lutes from Nippur, in ancient Sumer, from the 3rd Millenium BCE:<br> </p>
<p><em>"When I fix the frets on the lute, which enraptures my heart, I never damage its neck; I have devised rules for raising and lowering its intervals." </em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.piney.com/BabShulgiB.html" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="http://www.piney.com/BabShulgiB.html">Culgi, king of Urim</a> </p>
<p><br>John Wheeler also recently explained to me (in answer to some questions I posed, also cited below in bold text) that divisive tuning was also used to tune the lyres & harps of antiquity, particularly when played in ensemble with other instruments (eg wind instruments & fretted string instruments) which were tuned divisively. John described the details of the program he used to derive MIDI files of divisively tuned chromatic scales:<br> </p>
<p><em>"I use the 2011 edition of <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.finalemusic.com/finale/default.aspx" target="_blank" title="http://www.finalemusic.com/finale/default.aspx">Finale</a> (designed for writing musical scores that can then be played back or else converted to various file formats) to create the pitches in equal temperament, and then the <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/" target="_blank" title="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/">free Scala program</a> (which requires its own operating interface to be installed on Windows) to retune them. I import the resulting tuned MIDIs back into Finale, convert them into MP3s there, and the job is done. In your case I just sent you the Scala-tuned MIDIs, which are more than adequate for anyone's tuning needs. (Plus you can put them on servers that don't accept MP3s, as the one hosting my Web sites doesn't.) For my <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/earthlight/index.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/earthlight/index.htm">Earthlight Orchestra Web site</a> I convert from MP3s to WMAs using Windows Movie Maker. I just corrected some long-standing flaws in the arrangement of my favorite original song, "Hey, Christopher Alan" (<a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/greendoor/pages/chrisalan.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/greendoor/pages/chrisalan.htm">the strange-but-true story behind the character mentioned is here</a>) - be sure to play the file at the bottom, if you have time, to hear a modern, original song based on pure divisive tuning and created by Finale and Scala! Like you, after hearing such music I don't want to hear equal temperament anymore...</em><br><br><br><em>I list the Scala program on several of my Web pages, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm">including this one</a> (scroll to the bottom of the page). If you're daring enough to take on Scala (be warned, it is a VERY sophisticated program, especially for someone who is only a beginner at music theory, and I've barely scratched the surface of its technical abilities), then I'll send you a file which doesn't seem to be present in their vast but overspecialized archives, the base file for creating the full divisive chromatic scale starting from any desired tonic.</em><br><br><br><em>> A point which is dawning on me, after finally becoming acquainted with the tuning methods of antiquity, is an inference of the consequence of cyclic tuning and the possible accompaniments that were possible on the lyre as a result - is due to the problems with fine tuning the 3rds & 6ths, simple pure intervals were presumably used for any form of basic harmony in authentic lyre playing techniques? </em><br><br><em>EXACTLY. There is no other way it could be done, using cyclical tuning. When we do see examples in archaeology (such as in the famous mural of Elamites receiving Asshur-bani-pal with harps, hammered harps, singing, chironomy, etc.) of harmony with pentatonicism, it's based on perfect fifths. I'd need to recheck my page on Egyptian chironomy and its pentatonic scale basis to see what the harmony used in the mastabas implies about the underlying tuning. It might have been tweaked to divisive tuning, not a surprise if diatonic flues and lutes were also used with the harps. But that depends on whether any intervals were used in the portrayals besides octaves and fifths.</em><br><br><br><em>Ah. I see that <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/chironomy.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/chironomy.htm">on this page I give examples </a>of what appears to be harmony that could only be done properly were the pentatonic scale tweaked from cyclical to divisive tuning. (I also spotted an error I'll have to correct: B-F is a tritone, not a perfect fourth, and likely the interval was either B-G or B-G#, either way demanding divisive tuning as these intervals are functionally minor or major in harmony as opposed to melody, but that doesn't work out properly in cyclical tuning, only in divisive tuning.) </em><br><br><br><em>But Michael... who keeps telling you, yourself or someone else, that cyclical tuning is the only possible basis for "authentic lyre playing techniques"? Whoever's telling you that, he's wrong. Biblical chant demands divisive tuning, yet it was accompanied by lyres of two different kinds as well as by trumpets in the same tuning perforce. Cyclical tuning is the basis of authentic Greek style as Curt Sachs documented it (and as no doubt others have too) - it's not as easy to stop the strings in divisive tuning, because in cyclical tuning you can use the same proportionate distance string by string but you can't in divisive tuning. But there are ways of getting around that difficulty in divisive tuning and a lyre documented from 700 BC in Celtic France may demonstrate how the Israelites and others did it. You put a sort of fretbar on the yoke below the crossbar. </em></p>
<p><br><em>...And again, the best explanation of one of the Mesopotamian tablets is that it's a guide for adjusting cyclical tuning to divisive tuning by "sweetening the thirds and sixths" by ear.</em><br><br><em>Sachs (and others, often quoting Plato) points out that harmony was surely used by the Greeks (heterophony, actually: parallel melodies) but this would involve a fine ear (and maybe a tolerance of dissonance for effect, as some believe!) to use simultaneous notes using cyclical tuning if one went beyond fifths and fourths.</em><br><br><br><em>Although I presume the ancients understood a lot more about polyphony & harmony than the "urban myth" of the monotony of monophony in the music of the ancient world, the cylclic tuning method for tuning lyres & harps would have imposed limitations on exactly what harmonies could actually best be used?</em><br><br><br><em>Yes, HARMONOGRAPH points out that cyclical tuning is best adapted for monophony (as in plainchant) and accompaniment by drones (we know the Greeks and many others, including Middle Easterners, used such techniques at one time or another), while divisive tuning is best adapted for polyphony and chordal harmony. Heterophony is possible with either but how one handles it differs according to the strengths and weaknesses of each tuning; frankly divisive tuning is by far the superior for heterophony.</em><br><br><em>Are there any records of divisive tuning actually being used to tune lyres & harps in antiquity, or was this primarily used just for fretted lutes?</em><br><br><br><em>Yes, it appears that Egyptian chironomy, pentatonic though it was, implies divisive tuning. Again, one of the Mesopotamian tablets is best explained as a guide to retuning a lyre from cyclical to divisive tuning by ear. Anne Kilmer and Jane Smith did a paper on that, although Dr. Kilmer couldn't find a basis for inferring what temperament resulted. I pointed out to her in Jerusalem that the method makes sense (it passes a close shave with Occam's Razor) if one is seeking to sweeten the thirds and sixths as would be required in the only other documented tuning from Mesopotamia, divisive tuning. And once again, the biblical chant implies divisive tuning was used for the kinnor and nevel. Beyond that I'd have to see more than I've yet seen what's documented in artwork from the various countries and periods of history. My knowledge of such things is actually severely limited - more than you know. Don't rely overmuch on my knowledge of art history!</em><br><br><br><em>Unless ancient instruments had a higher string tension than often thought (and with a kinnor, nevel or kithara, that was very probably true - the kinnor and nevel played LOUD music, says your Bible), tremolo would be hard to do on them. All right: loud music implies high string tension coupled with light construction. However, in antiquity, lyres were tuned in line with top-line modern Celtic harps, the idea was to make the instrument perpetually just this side of self-destruction in order to give it maximum resonance). Ancient instrument builders and certainly what remains have been found in the Egyptian tombs (I mean actual instruments, now in the Louvre and elsewhere!) bears this out. The native Egyptian lyres were over-engineered and were soft-toned as a result. The imported Semitic kinnorot were of much lighter construction and (as Lise Manniche points out) befit the louder music that apparently became popular after their arrival." </em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>FREE DOWNLOADS OF DIVISIVELY TUNED CHROMATIC SCALES!</strong></span></p>
<p><br>As described above, John Wheeler kindly sent me these MIDI files of mathematically precise, divisively tuned chromatic scales, from which my reconstructed Biblical lyres can be tuned. </p>
<p>1. The Marini Made "Davidic Harp" is naturally tuned to D as the tonic note (on the second to the bottom of the 10 strings) - a divisively tuned chromatic scale starting on D can be used to tune this exquisite little lyre precisely, into any musical mode used in antiquity - the download link is <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_D_tonic.zip" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_D_tonic.zip">here</a></p>
<p><br>2. The Mid East Kinnor is naturally tuned with E as the tonic (on the second to the bottom of the 10 strings) - a divisively tuned chromatic scale starting with E as the tonic note can be download <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_E_tonic.zip" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_E_tonic.zip">here</a></p>
<p><br>3. For all instruments with a natural tuning as C as the tonic, a divisively tuned chromatic scale can be downloaded <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_C_tonic.zip" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/A_440Hz_C_tonic.zip">here</a></p>
<p><br>Below is a video featuring my performance of a piece of traditional Jewish Klezmer music on replica Biblical lyre, using the mathematically precise divisive tuning generated from the SCALA program which John Wheeler kindly provided me with:<br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T1byNrtHbxo" width="640"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>As can be heard in this video, the sound of the lyre tuned in pure just intonation achieved by the mathematically precise divisive scales generated by the SCALA program, is certainly superior to the approximation of just intonation achieved via the system of cyclically tuning by ear - besides my latest release <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"A Well Tuned Lyre; The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a> I have also used divisive tuning to finally achieve the "Holy Grail" of pure just intonation, for my albums, <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372" target="_blank" title="Ode To Ancient Rome">"Ode Ancient Rome" </a>& <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/neros-lyre-lament-for-solo/id545685650" target="_blank" title="Nero's Lyre">"Nero's Lyre"</a>.<br><br>Finally, here are two videos I put together of how I tune my own lyre into just intonation. The first video uses the just intonation tuning tones generated by SCALA for Ptolemy's intense diatonic scale:<br><br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hhgL2bz1Usg" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>Free MP3s of the tuning tones heard in this video can be downloaded from <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eoorcapzj78zce1/AABtQPlGPbfLJJcaGn_QmeuNa?dl=0" target="_blank" title="Download free MP3s of just intonation tuning tones!">here</a><br><br>The final video features just intonation tuning tones, this time generated by <a data-imported="1" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitcount.cleartune&hl=af" target="_blank" title="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitcount.cleartune&hl=af">the 'Cleartune' App, available from the Google Play Store</a>, for use on any Samsung Android device, iPod or iPad. The "Pythagorean Just Intonation" setting is so far the closest match I have so far been able to find for tuning a lyre with intervals jsut about as pure as the intervals generated by SCALA, but with the advantage that with Cleartune, it is also possible to precisely tune to any mode in any key, with the option of also adjusting the reference pitch to any frequency required, be it modern concert pitch with A at 440 Hz, or any reference pitch higher or lower than this. The video demonstrates how to tune a lyre with A at 432 Hz in the Cleartune App's <em>"Pythagorean Just Intonation"</em> setting:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VBLn_viUwjI" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417822018-11-17T12:00:00-12:002021-07-12T01:30:40-12:00Is 432 Hz New Age Schmertz?<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE "432 HERTZ THING"?</strong></span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/341b95e6f0c263fdfef13b45f6fcbd0fae5a4c2f/original/432.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDIyNSJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="225" width="400" /><br> <br>In the West, modern standard concert pitch for the note A <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pitch_standards_in_Western_music#History_of_pitch_standards_in_Western_music" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pitch_standards_in_Western_music#History_of_pitch_standards_in_Western_music">has constantly been changing over the centuries</a> and since 1955, it has currently been set by the International Organization for Standardization at 440 Hz - but if anyone dares to Google search <em>"A at 432 Hz</em>", one is drowned in a whole <em>tsunami</em> of gigabytes of 'information' about how 432 Hz <em>is the frequency of the cosmos, that this is a 'spiritual' frequency, that this was the reference pitch used by all ancient civilizations and that the 440 Hz we now use for A, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.roelhollander.eu/en/tuning-frequency/goebbels-and-440/" target="_blank" title="http://www.roelhollander.eu/en/tuning-frequency/goebbels-and-440/">was all a Nazi conspiracy to make mankind become more paranoid </a>!<br><br>There is even a surprisingly common New Age assertion that 432 Hz is a <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.432hertz.com/432hz_Healing.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.432hertz.com/432hz_Healing.html">"healing frequency" which magically matches the resonant frequency of human DNA</a> - </em>the <em>real</em> irony of the belief in the "healing frequency" stuff to do with 432 Hz, is that this has gotten confused amongst hard-core New Age believers with yet <em>another</em> New Age unproven assertion about primordial <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.somaenergetics.com/forgotten_in_time.php" target="_blank" title="http://www.somaenergetics.com/forgotten_in_time.php">"Solfeggio" healing frequencies which are apparently at 528 Hz!</a><br><br>The most <em>bizarre</em> New Age muddled <em>mayhem</em> I have so far come across in my research, is the following allegation<em> that even the pitch of our modern day dialling tone is an evil conspiracy to corrupt humanity with the "evil" sound of A at 440 Hz:</em><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tTz12MxsoJQ" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>How on <em>Earth</em> did all this ridiculous "virtual intellectual Voodoo" come about, and is there any actual body of truth to be gleaned among the <em>mountain</em> of mumbo jumbo? As the ever skeptical philosopher, in my epistemological efforts to get to grips with what is true and what is not, I still adhere to <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.informationphilosopher.com/knowledge/correspondence.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.informationphilosopher.com/knowledge/correspondence.html">the correspondence theory of truth</a>, which roughly states that nothing is true, <em>unless it corresponds either to facts, or in the absence of definitive facts, something is only <strong>likely</strong> to be true if there is an overwhelming body of arguments to support a specific assertion...or I might as well believe that the Oort Cloud is actually comprised of billions of flying tea cups hurtling around at the edge of the Solar System, just because lots of people on the Internet tell me this is so!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/63e60c033853dd351f1f6a354bb6d147cef080ca/original/tea.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDUwMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="503" width="600" /></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>If there are 2 or more hypothesis which could be used to account for the same set of facts, then according to the common sense philosophical tool of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor">Occam's Razor</a>, which as very neatly summed up in the following quote from Wikipedia, states that:<br><br><em>"the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. Other, more complicated solutions may ultimately prove correct, but—in the absence of certainty—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better"</em><br><br>Using this <em>"philosophical tool kit"</em> approach to my investigative efforts then, I just <em>really</em> needed now to attempt to actually answer the question, why, from this noble scientific approach to music in the early 18th century, <em>where</em> <em>on Earth did all the New Age nonsense about the vibrating frequency of DNA and the even more ridiculous notion that this was some form of primordial ancient, original tuning, and the Nazi conspiracy theory about Geobbels raising standard pitch to make all of humanity paranoid by infiltrating our telephone dialing tones etc, <strong>actually </strong></em><strong><em>begin?</em></strong><em> </em><br><br>In order to begin to address these issues with some vestige of <em>reason</em>, I therefore opened a discussion thread on Facebook, to get some more invaluable input on these issues, to try and work out <em>what was fact from fiction!</em> Here is a quote of some of this discussion thread, which contained the most interesting revelations about the <em>actual</em> origin of all these tangled webs of mostly paranoid New Age nonsense:<br><br><em>"The Solfeggio Miracle Hz is 528 Hz, and a completely different movement. In fact, the scumbag Len Horowitz is against 432 Hz and slanders it at every opportunity. The 528 Hz scale he speaks of isn't musical. What Horowitz does, is steal other people's works, claims it as his own then exploits people for their cash. When people started pointing out that his scale sounded rubbish and not at all musical, he simply 'adjusted' the bollocks he was selling to then be about 'using frequencies to heal', he just changes his story so that he's never wrong. Obviously I have a very low opinion of the guy. 528 Hz was started by him.<br><br>The original frequencies and solfeg' research was done by Joseph Puelio from whom Horowitz stole the work, changed it, then sold it as his own in a bastardized version. Horowitz also tries to sue anyone who he perceives as a threat to his work, details on the times his done this are available on the Internet. He's also associated with Drunvalo Melchizedek who is just as much a 'bad egg'. Don't listen to either of them would be my recommendation. I believe Horowitz probably pulled the DNA theory out of his ass.<br><br>As for Joseph Goebels, he was a chief propaganda guy who worked for the Nazis during the ww's. He also at one point recommended 440 Hz as a standard, though this was not the time it became standardized. A more valid complaint about the standardization of 440 Hz is that it was voted upon by American jazz musicians, and many classical music companies/whatever were left out of the process entirely. So people took the 'propaganda' aspect of Joseph, and the 440hz standardization, and concluded 'mind control conspiracy'. " (Tomusan Mitcheru)</em><br><br>A very comprehensive blog on the subject of what is fact and fiction in the whole "432 Hz Saga" can be also be found in an article posted by Roel Hollander, entitled<em> <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.roelhollander.eu/en/432-tuning/432hz-what-is-related-and-what-not/" target="_blank" title="http://www.roelhollander.eu/en/432-tuning/432hz-what-is-related-and-what-not/">"432 Hz - What is Related and What is Not?"</a>. </em>In this very detailed article, Hollander quite rightly states that <em>"The number 432 can be found in a large number of “things”, in music, sacred geometry, astronomy, philosophy, religion, et cetera. But, numbers without units are nothing more than symbols, and symbols don't sound. In order for something to “relate”, there have to be units and characteristics that match."</em><br><br>The<em> only</em> other objective, rational information I have so far found on this whole convoluted issue, is<a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch"> the following passage on Wikipedia on Scientific Tuning</a> - about the efforts in the 18th century to standardize the ever rising pitch. The whole 432 Hz thing was first suggested by Joseph Sauveur, in an effort to maintain rational ratios between the musical intervals:<br><br>"<em>Sauveur proposed that all musical pitches should be based on a son fixe (fixed sound), that is, one unspecified note set to 100 Hz, from which all others would be derived. In 1713, Sauveur changed his proposal to one based on C4 set to 256 Hz; this was later called "philosophical pitch" or "Sauveur pitch". Sauveur's push to standardize a concert pitch was strongly resisted by the musicians with whom he was working, and the proposed standard was not adopted. The notion was revived periodically, including by mathematician Sir John Herschel and composer John Pyke Hullah in the mid-19th century, but never established as a standard.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>In the 19th century, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi tried to stop the increase in pitch to which orchestras were tuned. In 1874 he wrote his Requiem using the official French standard diapason normal pitch of A4 tuned to 435 Hz. Later, he indicated that 432 Hz would be slightly better for orchestras"</em><br><br>If anyone out there would like to please enlighten me further on the <em style="font-size: medium;">actual</em> origins of the 432 Hz thing, <em style="font-size: medium;">please do leave your comments at the bottom of this blog!</em></p>
<p><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>OBJECTIVELY TESTING THE CLAIMS OF THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC AT 432 Hz</strong></span><br><br>In order to objectively test the 432 Hertz thing, in 2014, I recorded a CD album, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.amazon.com/Lyre-Apollo-Chelys-Ancient-Greece/dp/B01C7VWIRM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1472124898&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lyre+of+apollo" target="_blank" title="https://www.amazon.com/Lyre-Apollo-Chelys-Ancient-Greece/dp/B01C7VWIRM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1472124898&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lyre+of+apollo"><em>"The Lyre of Apollo: The Chelys Lyre of Ancient Greece"</em></a><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.amazon.com/Lyre-Apollo-Chelys-Ancient-Greece/dp/B01C7VWIRM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1472124898&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lyre+of+apollo" target="_blank" title="Buy The Physical CD of this Album on Amazon!"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/2f1783a7e8b216431675755b661f67e2bb4141ac/original/71kwwwojkvl-sy355.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzQ5eDM1NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="355" width="349" /></a><br><br> </p>
<p>My objective observations? Yes, the resulting music <em>does</em> sound calmer, but the skeptical philosopher in me still assumes that it is by far a <em>simpler</em> explanation (and therefore, by <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor">Occam's Razor</a>, a much more <em>likely</em> explanation!),<em> </em>that rather than this calming effect results from the 'fact' that 432 Hz is the frequency of the cosmos with which my lyre playing is somehow magically resonating with etc,<em> exactly the same calming effect would happen at 431 or 421 or whatever slightly lower Hz vibration, <strong>due to the decrease in excitement induced to the listener by the slightly lower pitch</strong></em> - it is the subtly lower pitch which has the calming effect, <em>not</em> some specific slightly lower pitch at 432 Hz - a completely arbitrary frequency, which simply happens to be at a very slightly lower pitch, in my opinion, given the lack of any other definitive evidence to the contrary. I have and always will be, a great advocate of Occam's Razor...I'm sure original Baroque music sounded even more <em>"at one with the Universe"</em>, due to the even lower reference pitch of 415 Hz!<br><br>Indeed, back in 1998, I was lucky enough to acquire from a second hand music store, a Baroque fiddle made by Remerus Liessem in 1753, still with it's original shallower angled fingerboard and thinner bass bar, both setup to the lower Baroque pitch. When I played this violin at the lower Baroque pitch, <em>it sounded far more calming to the ear than the same music played at modern concert pitch</em>. Increasing concert pitch increases the feeling of tension, brilliance and excitement in the listener - <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch">which was precisely the reason why there was a tendency to increase concert pitch over the centuries in the first place!</a><br><br>Another important issue: the whole notion of 432 Hz was certainly used to provide rational number ratios as it was originally intended to do in the early 18th century when this tuning reference system was first proposed - <em>but it does not follow from this, that ancient civiliza</em><em>tions used 432 Hz as a reference pitch!</em><br><br>Ancient civilizations <em>did not fully even understand the concept of what sound waves actually were</em>, let alone did they own an oscilloscope to measure the precise number of Hertz vibrations per second - <em>unless these were provided by extra-terrestrial beings, which I'm sure most of the "hard core" New Age 432 Hz obsessives also believe built the pyramids in Egypt...</em><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a62adda48434908b58ddb055346398aa8135114e/original/sauce.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjM3eDM4MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="381" width="637" /><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>WHAT WAS THE <em>REAL</em> MAGIC OF THE MUSIC OF ANTIQUITY?</strong></span><br><br>The main irony of anyone who adheres to the 432 Hz thing, is that even in my own lyre improvisation with A at 432 Hz, it was physically impossible even during the course of the length of my improvisation, even for my modern nylon lyre strings <em>to maintain the exact, precise pitch reference of 432 Hz due to the gradual slackening in tension of the strings, the slight imperfections in the uniformity of the stings gauges, the subtle changes in humidity affecting the wood of my lyre etc</em> - it would have been even <em>more</em> impossible for the lyres and harps of antiquity with temperamental & non-uniform gauge strings made of natural fibres such as unpolished wound gut, hessian or silk to maintain their precise pitch for a performance of more than a minute or so, as I have discovered in my own experiments at using wound silk strings on my lyre. This can clearly be heard in my extended length single, <a data-imported="1" href="/files/493253/ancient-lyre-strings.pdf" target="_blank" title="Download the Free PDF of Single Notes!">"Ancient Lyre Strings"</a>, which featured my lyre strung with 100% pure wound silk strings<em><a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/"> tuned in the wonderfully pure just intonation of antiquity:</a></em><br><br><iframe height="240" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=500935043/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" width="320"></iframe><br><br>The most intriguing observation I made, through, during the course of this performance, was that even with the close approximation to just intonation which can be achieved with natural fibre strings,<em> it was the wonderful purity of the sound of the intervals in just intonation which provided the magic, not the actual reference pitch of the musical mode I was attempting to tune to!</em><br><br>No matter <em>what</em> the starting note of the mode I play in,<em> it is the wonderfully pure ratio of musical intervals in just intonation which makes the difference</em> - just intonation creates intervals which sound almost three dimensional in quality, with an almost tangible intensity, in contrast to the impure compromise of intervals in modern equal temperament, which sound "muddy" in comparison. Compared to just intonation, equal temperament is like a rose without its scent!<br><br>Music in just intonation has the effect on the listener, of sounding simultaneously more calming, yet almost magically, at the same time, <em>inspiring</em> - just intonation was the<em> real</em> magic of the music of antiquity, not some arbitrary frequency measured at either 432 Hz or 528 Hz for that matter (which the ancients, with no understanding of the physics of what sound was, could not have ever precisely measured in the first place!).<br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HOW DOES MUSIC ACTUALLY HEAL?</strong></span><br><br>Music certainly does have a healing quality, as so well told in the Biblical story of how David's lyre soothed the troubled mind of King Saul, but in my opinion, <em>this healing quality was almost certainly not imparted at the level of DNA</em>, as the "hard core" New Agers would have us believe!<br><br>Music can literally heal the Soul, because due to our truly archaic, pre-linguistic ability to express emotion through specific sounds, it follows that music <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/what_is_music/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/what_is_music/">is the only artistic medium which communicates the beauty of aesthetic emotion, directly to our higher cognitive faculties</a></em> - in this way, like a magic carpet, music can transport us from our own inner sufferings and take us on a fantastic journey of inspiration and imagination whilst simultaneously instilling in us, an appreciation of the timeless geometrical symmetry of harmonious musical intervals and in doing so, music can in time, like it once soothed the troubles and tribulations of King Saul, restore the inner harmony of our very own Souls once more...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/1b8fbe661588a7f7b664e74f0a2757125d389aec/original/ernst-josephson-david-och-saul-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ2MiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="462" width="600" /><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>POSTSCRIPT</strong></span><br><br>In closing this blog, I wish to emphasize that despite my often cynical sense of humour, <em>it was not actually my intention to actively offend anybody during the course of my research</em> - I merely wish to extract a few grains of truth from the jumble of unverifiable assertions which presently clutter the actual facts surrounding the 432 Hz thing! I openly welcome <em>any</em> constructively critical comments to this blog, in my effort to get even closer to what new truths can be found...many thanks!<br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417752018-10-16T12:00:00-12:002022-10-14T03:43:37-12:00Finding Authentic Tunings For An Ancient Lyre<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></span></p>
<p><br>What follows is a list of tunings which I have researched & used in all my albums of ancient lyre music. These tunings include ancient Middle Eastern scales derived from my experience as a Klezmer musician, and which according to the work of the late Suzanne Haik Vantoura, also appear in the original 3000 year old music of the Bible! The tunings also include the original ancient Greek modes, as described in the writings of Plato & Aristotle, some 2400 years ago...<br><br>I have used modes starting on E - this is the key which the Mid East Kinnor I used for most of my albums is naturally tuned to and also, which is the most logical key to use to describe the ancient modes, as there are only sharps entailed in raising the necessary pitches for each mode, instead of a confusing mixture of sharps & flats. Suzanne Haik Vantoura also used E as the tonic for the ancient Biblical modes she discovered, for the same reasons described.<br><br>For the Marini Made Davidic Harp, to avoid snapping strings, it is necessary to transpose these tunings from E to D - using the divisive chromatic scale starting on D<br><br>With the divisively tuned chromatic scale downloads kindly provided by John Wheeler (please see my other blog, <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/">"Ancient Tuning Methods"</a>) it is now possible to tune any evocation of the ancient Biblical lyre to the exact ratio of pitches once used in antiquity!<br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>AN EXPLORATION OF THE ANCIENT MUSICAL MODES OF ANTIQUITY</strong></span><br><br>Regarding the tuning of the Kinnor, I have personally done much experimentation in both playing the Kinnor Lyre, & in attempting to find an "authentic" tuning; I have found that the ancient Jewish Chazzanut Modes (i.e.the modes used in cantorial singing in the synagogue) fit the 10 strings of the Kinnor perfectly. All the instrumental Klezmer modes are in turn derived mainly from Chazzanut modes, which are used in the cantorial singing in the synagogue.<br><br>It seems reasonable, therefore, to assume, that the ultimate origins of the modes used in the synagogue, must in turn, have been influenced, to at least some extent, by the ancestral, aural memory of the singing of the Levitical Choir in the Temple of Jerusalem.<br><br>Since it was primarily the Kinnor Lyres which accompanied these Levitical singers, I find it logical to infer, that a tuning derived from either the Chazzanut modes or the Klezmer modes found in all traditional Jewish music to the present day, would be a fairly "authentic" inference as to what some of the original tunings of the Biblical Kinnor might have sounded like.<br><br>Here are some details of the tunings I used in the creation of my albums, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel" , "Lyre of the Levites" & "King David's Harp"... </p>
<p> <br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE "AHAVA RABA" MODE </strong></span><br><br>The most common Jewish scale heard in the performance of traditional instrumental Klezmer music, is known as the "Ahava Raba" Mode:<br><br>E F G# A B C D E<br><br>This scale was also known in ancient Greece, as the "Chromatic Dorian Mode"(& can be heard in the 2nd half of the 2nd century song,"Hymn of the Muse" by Mesomedes of Crete):<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAvbUiKdXiA" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>To play the Kinnor in the "Ahava Raba" Mode of traditional instrumental Jewish Klezmer music, I tune the 10 strings of the lyre as follows, bottom string to top:<br><br>D E(tonic) F G# A B C D E(tonic) F<br><br>I have tuned the Kinnor to the Ahava Raba mode, for my arrangements on my album "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel", of the following traditional instrumental Jewish Klezmer melodies: "Berdichiever Khosid", "Kandel's Hora", "Abu's Courtyard", "Bukovina Freylekhs" and "Der Heyser Bulgar" & "Araber Tantz" : </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0cb5kxXmpCo" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>There are also many traditional Jewish folk songs in the "Ahava Raba" mode, as can be heard in my arrangements of "Zemer Atik" and "Hava Nagila":</p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5m8P1wKmkps" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The "Ahava Raba" mode can also be heard in the Synagogue, as can be heard in my arrangements of "Kol Nidre", "Avinu Malcheinu" (both traditionally sung at Yom Kippur), and the traditional melody usually sang to the Shabbat hymn "Shalom Aleichem" (this wonderful, timeless melody was, in fact, composed by the American Rabbi, Israel Goldfarb in 1918).<br><br> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE NATURAL MINOR MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>This scale has been preserved from the depths of antiquity, and can be heard in almost every traditional, ancient Hebrew song:<br><br>E F# G A B C D E<br><br>As can also be heard in my videos of traditional Egyptian music which I have arranged for solo lyre (which can be found in this section of the website), the Natural Minor Scale also prevails - to me, this may suggests a very ancient root to the use of the Natural Minor Scale, throughout the Middle East?<br><br>To play my replica Kinnor in the Natural Minor Mode, I tune the 10 strings as follow, bass string to treble:<br><br>D E (tonic) F#G A B C D E (tonic) F#<br><br>Using a tuning of the Kinnor based around the Natural Minor Mode outlined above, this seems to work perfectly for the most famous of all Jewish melodies, "Hatikvah" (The Hope), which in 1948, became the National Anthem to the newly reborn State of Israel.<br><br>I have also used the same tuning in "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel", in my arrangements of "Havenu Shalom Aleichem", "Siman Tov", "Shalom Chavarim", "Hine Ma Tov", "Oh Hanukah", "Shabbat Shalom", "Ose Shalom" and "Yigdal". <br><br>I also tune my Kinnor to the Natural Minor mode in my arraangement of "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (as can be heard on my albums "Lyre of the Levites" & "King David's Harp"): <br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Tj5_PV3hoo" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE "MISHEBERAKH" MODE </strong></span><br><br>A variation of the ancient Natural Minor mode, still often heard in instrumental Jewish Klezmer music today, is the basic natural minor scale, but with the addition of an augmented 4th and a whole tone between the 5th and 6th intervals of the scale:<br><br>E F# G A# B C# D E<br><br>In ancient Greece, this scale can be heard in a fragment called "Tecmessa's Lament", where this same scale was kown as "The Chromatic Phrgyian Mode" :<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2rw0D-cCXYY" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>This is known in traditional Jewish Klezmer music today, as the "Misheberakh" mode, as can be heard in my arrangement of "Odessa Bulgar" - track 10 from my first album, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel".</p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j3FTajaRAns" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK MODES</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/elERNFoEf3Y" width="480"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The names of musical modes in use today, (e.g. Dorian, Mixolydian etc) although having the same names as the original Greek musical modes, were actually misnamed during the Middle Ages! Apparently, the Greeks counted intervals from top to bottom. When medieval ecclesiastical scholars tried to interpret the ancient texts, they counted from bottom to top, jumbling the information. The misnamed medieval modes are only distinguished by the ancient Greek modes of the same name, by being labelled “Church Modes”. It was due to a misinterpretation of the Latin texts of Boethius, that medieval modes were given the wrong Greek names!</p>
<p>According to an article on Greece in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the original ancient Greek names for species of the octave included the following (on white keys):</p>
<p>B-B: Mixolydian<br>E-E: Dorian<br>A-A: Hypodorian<br>D-D: Phrygian<br>G-G: Hypophrygian<br>C-C: Lydian<br>F-F: Hypolydian</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Full details can be found here:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.midicode.com/tunings/greek.shtml">http://www.midicode.com/tunings/greek.shtml</a></p>
<p>For what Plato & Aristotle themselves had this to say about these ancient musical modes, please see this fascinating link:<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.pathguy.com/modes.htm">http://www.pathguy.com/modes.htm</a></p>
<p>Below is a "live" video, featuring a spontaneous improvisation in the ancient Greek Dorian Mode, which according to the writings of Plato & Aristotle, either had the ability to improve concentration in slower pieces in this mode, or in faster pieces, it could even inspire bravery in battle. In the video, I have played the improvisation both slow at the start and fast at the end, to hopefully convey something of these effects on the emotions which Plato & Aristotle quite rightly said about this beautiful ancient musical mode:<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xkI6tQEIT1I" width="480"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Here is another improvisation in the ancient Greek Dorian Mode, this time performed on my archaic skin-membrane arched harp - almost tonally identical to the skin-membrane ancient Greek "Lyra" (the lyre with a resonator made out of a tortoise shell over which the skin membrane soundboard was stretched:<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3SCFxZeOvQ" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>To tune my 10 string lyre to some of the main ancient Greek modes, I tune the lyre as follows, bottom bass string to top treble:<br><br>The Ancient Greek Dorian Mode:<br><br>D E(tonic) FGABCDEF<br><br>The Ancient Greek Hypodorian Mode:<br><br>DE(tonic)F#GABCDEF#<br><br>The Ancient Greek Phrygian Mode:<br><br>DE(tonic)F#GABC#DEF#<br><br>The Ancient Greek Hypophrygian Mode:<br><br>DEF#GA(tonic)BC#DEF#<br><br>The Ancient Greek Lydian Mode:<br><br>D(tonic)EF#GABC#DEF#<br><br>The Ancient Greek Hypolydian Mode:<br><br>DEF#G(tonic)ABC#DEF#<br><br>The Ancient Greek Mixolydian Mode:<br><br>D#(tonic)EF#G#ABC#D#EF#</p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SCALES</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although the ancient Egyptians did not have a written form of musical notation, they did have a system of musical notation whereby specific hand gestures represented the changes of pitch in a melody. This ancient form of musical notation was used since the 4th Dynasty, and is known as "chironomy"...amazingly, chironomy still survives in Egypt today, preserved in the music of the the Coptic Church! The ancient art of chironomy is discussed at length in this fascinating article:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/chironomy.htm">http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/chironomy.htm</a></p>
<p>Below is a link to MIDI files of some of the actual ancient Egyptian scales, as deciphered from ancient Egyptian chironomy, by the late Professor Hickmann of the Museum in Cairo:</p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/midis/egyptian_scale_just.mid" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/mtext-decoration: underline;
/pidis/egyptian_scale_just.mid">http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/midis/egyptian_scale_just.mid</a><br> </p>
<p>Below is my improvisation on one of these ancient Egyptian minor pentatonic scale, as deciphered by the late Professor Hans Hickmann of the Museum in Cairo:</p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FHq1H5cmL5w" width="425"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>I later recorded this improvisation for track 1 of my album, "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel" - I called this improvisation on an ancient Egyptian scale "The Music of Moses", in my attempt to convey the ancient connections between the ancient Hebrews and ancient Egypt.<br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417702018-10-15T12:00:00-12:002021-11-20T02:39:25-12:00How Did The Ancient Greeks Tune A 7-String Lyre?<p>The ancient Greek Kithara & Lyra generally had 7 strings - for the ancient Greeks, <a data-imported="1" href="http://science.jrank.org/pages/9577/Harmony-Harmony-in-Ancient-Greek-Writings-on-Music.html" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="http://science.jrank.org/pages/9577/Harmony-Harmony-in-Ancient-Greek-Writings-on-Music.html">music represented the harmony of the Universe</a> & so for them, the number 7 was spiritually significant - it could represent for them, the <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_spheres" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_spheres">Seven Celestial Spheres</a>...</p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/292d4eb2e9c727ada3a70ad66c957037a65f0005/original/lyra.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjIzeDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="223" /><br><br>According to the research of the musicologist <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Sachs" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Sachs">Curt Sachs</a> in his book <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Music-Ancient-World-West/dp/0393097188" target="_blank" title="Buy This Book on Amazon!"><em>"The Rise of Music in the Ancient World - East and West"</em></a> (page 230), the following tunings for the standard 7 string ancient Greek lyres can be inferred for the following surviving pieces of written music from ancient Greece (the tunings are all <em>descending</em> - in the tuning below, the first E is at the <em>top</em> string and the D is the <em>bottom</em> string):<br> </p>
<p>ED BAG ED<br>Seikilos' Skolion<br>2nd Hymn to Apollo<br>Berlin Papyrus<br>Oxyrhynchos Papyrus</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EDC AG ED<br>Hymn to the Muse<br>Hymn to the Sun<br>Hymn to Nemesis<br>Bellerman's instrumental piece</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>Another possibility, taking into account E being sharpened to F and then adding that 7th string below:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>F DC AGFE<br>1st Hymn to Apollo<br>Cairo Fragment</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>All these would be "open-string" tunings as inferred by the preserved melodies Sachs discusses.<br> </p>
<hr><p><br>Here are some fascinating responses by the Oxford classicist and musicologist, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-tosca-lynch" target="_blank" title="https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-tosca-lynch">Tosa Lynch</a>, to questions I raised about the issue of the limited possibilities which only 7 strings must have presented to an ancient Greek or Roman lyre player:<br><br><strong style="font-size: medium;"><em>1. Is there any specific documented tuning known for the standard 7 string lyre?</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><em>"Philolaus gives us the basic structure of all lyre harmoniai (two tetrachords disjoined by a tone, i.e. the so-called fixed notes – in the Dorian tonos c f g c’; in Lydian e-a-b-e’).<br><br>The tuning procedure detailed in Philolaus and other classical sources (the so-called tuning by consonances) shows that lyre tunings were based on the diatonic genus. This is consistent with Mesopotamian lyre tunings too, as Stefan Hagel and others have shown in detail.<br><br>By contrast, the enharmonic genus belonged to the aulos, where producing microtones was simply a matter of partially uncovering finger holes.<br><br>Olympus’ ‘pentatonic’ scale (by which I think you mean the spondeion/Libation song? and not the spondeiazon tropos?) belongs precisely to the realm of the aulos - he was the most famous mythical aulete of antiquity, and the text in question says explicitly that he was experimenting on this aulos when he discovered the beauty of that particular enharmonic arrangement.<br><br>Archytas’ aim was different – he was trying to find ways to describe mathematically/theoretically a variety of tunings employed by practicing musicians (including lyre players as well as aulos players).<br><br>The Aristides scales are offered in the enharmonic genus, because they come from an Aristoxenian source and they reflect the structure of modulating auloi.<br><br>By contrast, Ptolemy offers detailed descriptions of the so-called harmogai and explicitly says that they are tunings employed on lyres and/or kitharai (depending on the passage). And, once again, these tunings generally display various shades of the diatonic genus and one instance of a chromatic shade (the upper tetrachord of the tuning called tropoi).</em><br><br><em>This is consistent with all the rest of the evidence telling us that lyres/kitharai employed diatonic scales and occasionally ‘chromatic’ colouring of this basic diatonic canvas."</em><br><br>Of particular interest, is how the fascinatingly intense quartertone of the ancient Greek Enharmonic genus was natural to, and could have actually originated on the aulos.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong>2. I have found by my own experimentation that 9 strings seems to be the optimum number on my lyres (just enough range to play interesting solos yet not too many to hinder the African style 'string blocking' strumming technique - of which there is ample visual evidence of during classical antiquity) - with 7 strings, I can do virtually nothing!</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><em>"It seems to me that there are two overlapping questions here.</em><br><br><em>The fact that you feel that you can do ‘virtually nothing with 7 strings’ is probably right – in the sense that seven-stringed tunings were intended as basic tunings, that did not allow for modulations and were employed to accompany simple songs that had no extravagant modulations.<br><br>According to the ‘ancient style’ (i.e. early Classical, simple and unmodulating) You tune your instrument in e.g. Dorian and sing your song to Athena. Then if you want to play a different song in a different mode, you stop, retune your instrument and play eg. in Phrygian.<br><br>Similarly you would have changed between different sets of pipes at this stage, because before Pronomos’ time auloi were unmodulating too."</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong>3. Were all 7 ancient diatonic Greek modes used on the lyres of classical antiquity?</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><em>"We don’t have any evidence that all the seven modes were employed on stringed instruments in Classical times (i.e. pre-New Music), which is when people would have employed more than the canonical 7-8 strings on one and the same instrument.</em><br><br><em>Stefan has posited 9 strings for the Classical kithara, and his arguments work on many levels; as Armand has mentioned, I’ve recently shown how Phrynis could produce five harmoniai on twelve strings with the aid of a tuning mechanism (the predecessor of tuning keys), and how Timotheus and Philoxenus further expanded this technique to reach the complete series of seven and eight harmoniai respectively on the same 12-string tuning "</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong>4. What do we know about the actual lyre playing techniques used during classical antiquity?</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><em>"On the techniques employed to accompany sung music on kitharai, strumming/damping strings seems to have been the basic system (just as in our modern guitars). Plucking (psallein) was certainly an option too, but probably originated in harps.</em><br><br><em>The lyre could double the melody note-for-note, but this seems to have been especially true in educational settings (i.e. to help students learn a particular tune).<br><br>Professional singers who accompanied themselves on kitharai (kitharodes), as well as solo kithara music, seems to have used more elaborate techniques (including various kinds of colourings, ornamental additions, harmonic overtones, etc.)<br><br>These points are nicely contrasted in a passage of Plato’s Laws :<br><br>“... a different and manifold playing of the lyre, in which the strings emit one melody and the composer who has put together the vocal melody another one, setting dense movements against wide distances, quick against slow tempo and high against low pitch both in concords and discords, and fitting in the same way all kinds of rhythmical intricacies to the sounds of the lyre ...” (Plato, Laws 812d–e).<br><br>You can find an excellent overview of these issues in West 1992 66–70, which could be a starting point for your research."</em><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE PROBLEM OF PERFORMING CHROMATICISM ON A DIATONICALLY STRUNG LYRE? </strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>For me, however, one of the greatest mysteries, is how did the ancient Greeks managed to play some of the often complex & <em>chromatic</em> music of ancient Greece (as testified by the 60 or so fragments of ancient Greek music so far discovered) on a <em>diatonically</em> strung lyre with just 7 strings?<br><br>Besides the documented use of chromaticism in so many of the surviving fragments of notated music from ancient Greece, there is also the knotty issue, that so many of the extant ancient Greek melodies do not fit the range of 7 notes! For example, In the famous <em>'Skolion of </em><em>Seikilos'</em>, the notated melody has a C; 4th degree of the mode starting on G - one hypothetical technique by which an ancient Greek lyre player could play this on a 7 string lyre, is to use the knuckle or nail of the left hand thumb as a fret on the string to raise its pitch by the required semitone - a technique also inferred by Sachs.<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>If this hypothetical 'string stopping' technique was not used, then one must conclude that the lyre simply 'filled in' some sort of either arpeggio-style or more rhythmic 'block and strum' style of accompaniments to the vocal line, rather than exactly mirroring it, similar to the block and strum still practiced today by African lyre performers...<em>what a pity the </em><em>ancient Greeks did not leave any MP3s of their music to rest the case either way!</em><br> </p>
<p>So, below is a video of one of my live "archae-musicological experiments", in which I attempted to play an actual fragment of ancient Greek music (The First Delphic Hymn To Apollo, c.128 BCE) on just 7 strings, in an attempt to further verify the theory expounded by Curt Sachs that the ancient Greeks must have used some form of "finger stopping" (using either a knuckle or finger of the left hand as a fret on the lyre string) in order to play the accidentals clearly indicated in some of the extant surviving fragments of ancient Greek music:<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ToNvZ1-AU30" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>There are, of course, arguments against the hypothesis of this technique of finger stopping to create accidentals on a lyre - there is no evidence of using it among cultures perceived to be ancient Greek music successors. For example, in Africa, where all manners of lyres have been played continuously since antiquity, <em>this technique is never seen</em>. <br><br>However, the fact remains,<em style="font-size: medium;"> that the ancient Greeks clearly indicated the use of chromaticism in so much of the surviving music that has been discovered</em> - string-stopping on the lyre certainly provides one practical solution to this problem of how to actually produce these accidentals - and as can be seen in my experiment, the method proposed by Sachs works perfectly on the sort of low tension natural fibre or gut strings which would have been used on the Kitharas & Lyras once played in ancient Greece.<br><br>In more recent experiments, however, I have also found that <em>the greater mass of a more authentic carved bone or wood plectrum can seamlessly also be used as a fret on any lyre string</em>, raising its pitch by the required interval and thus considerably extending the range of a standard 7 string lyre of classical antiquity. This 'plectrum fretting' technique also more or less preserves the timbre of an open string when used, unlike the more muffled timbre a knuckle or nail gives.<br><br>Another interesting technique suggested by Greek musicologist and lyre virtuoso,<a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Xanthoulis" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Xanthoulis"> Nikos Xanthoulis</a>, is that extra range can be given to the basic 7 strings <em>by means of producing different naturally occurring harmonics on the same string.</em><br><br>This is indeed a fascinating technique - but whether this or the other techniques proposed in this blog were ever actually used in antiquity, though, we almost certainly, regrettably, never know for sure!<br> </p>
<hr><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">EVIDENCE OF THE STRING-STOPPING TECHNIQUE IN ANCIENT EGYP</span></strong><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>T?</strong></span><span style="text-decoration:underline"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>For me, <em>the</em> most compelling evidence for Curt Sach's hypothesis on the use of string-stopping on the ancient Greek lyre to produce chromaticism, is the even earlier evidence of the same technique in use, <em>at least a thousand of years before the Golden Age of ancient Greece</em>, as practiced by the harpists of ancient Egypt. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>There is a <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-inside-look.pdf" target="_blank" title="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-inside-look.pdf">fascinating PDF article abut the ancient Egyptian harp</a> from a book excerpt <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-pg.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/books/musical-instruments-pg.html">"Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments"</a> by Moustafa Gadalla, which I recently discovered, featuring an illustration of a relief from tomb 11 in the Ta-Apet (Thebes) area (New Kingdom 1520 BCE):<em> a harper shortens the string with one hand,and plucks with the other</em> - this is surely the first unambiguous pictorial evidence of the technique of string-stopping from the ancient world! <strong><em>The bent string is clearly shown:</em></strong><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/4819411ff4c48b8fc3df56119934f27fd2d89147/original/bent-string.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br>Also, the book excerpt mentions that <em>"in Idut’s Tomb [c. 2320 BCE], two of the five depicted harpers pluck with only the right hand, while the left one holds down the string"</em><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If string-stopping was an established ancient Egyptian harp-playing technique for playing chromatics, in use from at <em>least</em> as early as 2320 BCE, <em>then surely there can be no problem with Curt Sach's hypothesis that it was also being used 2000 years later, by the lyra & kithara players of Classical Greece? </em><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For me, this illustration from ancient Egypt, <em>could</em> well be the<em> "smoking gun"</em> to prove (at least <em>circumstantially</em>) the existence of Curt Sach's hypothesis of the finger-stopping technique to play accidentals on a diatonically strung lyre or harp - & even more significantly, <em>the existence of this finger-stopping technique is evidence of an understanding of chromaticism by the musicians & composers of antiquity, <strong>dating back over 4000 years!</strong></em><br><br><br>The music of the ancients must have been more complex, developed & refined than we could <em>ever</em> have previously imagined...</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<hr style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417792018-10-14T12:00:00-12:002020-11-07T00:01:54-12:00New Archaeological Discoveries - in my Lounge, on my Laptop!<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE BOUNTY OF HIDDEN ANCIENT TRUTHS WAITING TO BE FOUND IN MODERN 'DIGITAL ARTIFACTS'</strong></span><br><br>Never underestimate the power of 'Google Search' in unearthing new 'digital artifacts' - I have recently found the answers to several intriguing questions regarding the lyres of antiquity...<em>right here, in my lounge, on my laptop!</em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/2f10b4742362c558e2f5e8cb4c677d6c8eef1da5/original/lap.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzA3eDM2MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="360" width="307" /><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>1. THE MYSTERY OF THE THE RIDGE DEPICTED RUNNING DOWN THE BACK OF THE ANCIENT BIBLICAL KINNOR - SOLVED!</strong></span><br><br>The first puzzle I managed to resolve, was the curious ridge seen on the back of <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-biblical-kinnor" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_biblical_kinnor/">the Biblical Kinnor lyres</a> depicted on the coins from the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/revolt1.html" target="_blank" title="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/revolt1.html">Simon Bar Kokhba Revolt</a> against the Roman occupation of Judea in the 2nd century CE:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/00379958767148871982802d0c76683318ae916e/original/bar.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjcxeDI3MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="273" width="271" /><br><br>For years, I had assumed this vertical ridge must have been some sort of strap to hold the lyre - until I stumbled into the research of the author and musicologist, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.hellenic-books.com/detail.asp?ID=7004" target="_blank" title="https://www.hellenic-books.com/detail.asp?ID=7004">Michalis P. Georgiou</a>, who states that the ancient Greek kithara (the large wooden lyre of the professional musicians of ancient Greece) <em><strong>also</strong> had a vertical ridge down the back of the instrument! </em>According to Georgiou, this vertical ridge represented <em>the shape of the spine of a tortoise</em>, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.lyravlos.gr/img/lyra.jpg" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">as seen in the more archaic ancient Greek "chelys" </a> - the lyre of classical antiquity, made with a soundboard of taut leather stretched over tortoise shell resonator:</p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/292d4eb2e9c727ada3a70ad66c957037a65f0005/original/lyra.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjIzeDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="223" /><br><br>After a little more research on Google, I found another article in <em>"The Journal of Hellenic Studies"</em> (Volume 95 / November 1975, pp 175-175), by Martha Maas of the Ohio State University, entitled <a data-imported="1" href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8678908" target="_blank" title="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8678908">"Back Views of the Ancient Greek Kithara"</a>, in which the article clearly states:<br><br><em>"the back of the kithara soundbox bulges out at the top, tapering toward the base; and in examples from the fifth century and later, it rises to a vertical ridge running down the centre of the back"</em><br><br>This tantalizing detail about the vertical ridge featured on the back of the ancient Greek Kithara immediately solved the mystery for me, <em>of the virtually identical vertical ridge so clearly depicted down the back </em><em>the later versions of the Biblical Kinnor</em> - which from the example shown above on one of the Bar Kokhba coins, can clearly be seen. Indeed, the Biblical Kinnor of the 1st century CE appears <a data-imported="1" href="http://greek-language.com/bible/palmer/11hellenisticage.pdf" target="_blank" title="http://greek-language.com/bible/palmer/11hellenisticage.pdf">so highly Hellanized in this late stage of their evolution</a>, that they are <em>almost </em><em>identical </em><em>to the ancient Greek Kithara</em> - an illustration of the Classical ancient Greek Kithara can be seen below:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ccdee277f399a8f621040c08627a1d462e28fda0/original/large-5-arxaia-kithara-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzI1eDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="325" /></p>
<p><br>Here is another illustration of the Biblical Kinnor from the Bar Kokhba coins - the similarity to the ancient Greek Kithara is particularly striking in this specific example:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ee009a1896ca9397dd81d60edaa4f4491a4118eb/original/bar2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTc3eDE3MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="170" width="177" /><br><br>To further prove my point, I also recently found several images of the reverse of the ancient Greek Kithara, depicted on <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stater" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stater">ancient Greek Silver Stater coins</a>, from around 400 BCE - the very same vertical ridge is clearly illustrated,<em> exactly as shown on the strikingly similar images of the Biblical Kinnor from the Bar Kokhba coins</em>, as seen above:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/155a8653d8f220d772039d7825b2150faa356846/original/silver-stater.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzA3eDI2OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="269" width="307" /><br><br><br><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/cfc557572bf8f792e7346e6d7eb4a2ba4b2d18be/original/stater2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIweDE2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="167" width="320" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/bec2d05201c04a0a8586dfdbdd5a0b614612a53f/original/comparison-of-the-biblical-lyre-on-the-bar-kokhba-coins-ancient-greek-lyres.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_left border_" /></strong><br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">2. RARE ANCIENT LITERARY REFERENCES TO ACTUAL ANCIENT LYRE PLAYING TECHNIQUES</span></strong><br><br>The second major discovery I have made on Google, was an ancient description of an actual lyre playing technique which I had previously inferred from illustrations of ancient lyre players and which is featured in all of my albums - alternating between finger plucked and plectrum plucked tones. I found a description of this very same technique in some really interesting text by the ancient Roman poet, Virgil, in his epic poem, <a data-imported="1" href="http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1305901h.html#Aeneid06" target="_blank" title="Read line 645 of Book VI of Virgil's poem ">"The Aeneid" - Book VI, line 645</a> : <br><br><em>"...There Orpheus too, the long-robed priest of Thrace, accompanies their voices with the seven-note scale, playing now with fingers, now with the ivory quill" [nec non Threicius longa cum ueste sacerdos obloquitur numeris septem discrimina uocum,iamque eadem digitis, iam pectine pulsat eburno] </em><br><br>Also of relevance to my musical quest into antiquity, <em>this amazing little passage of original text by Virgil clearly mentions the specific use of a <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptatonic_scale" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptatonic_scale">heptatonic 7 note scale/mode</a></em>...<br><br>There is another ancient literary reference, by the second century Roman poet and prose writer <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apuleius" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apuleius">Apuleius</a> in which he describes a sculpture of a youth playing a kithara:<br><br><em>"...his left hand, fingers apart, sets the strings going, while the right hand moves the plectrum toward the kithara as if ready to strike it when the voice has paused in its song."</em><br><br>This ancient text suggests that suggests that <em>the melody was plucked with the fingers of the left hand, doubling the vocal line, and then the strums with the plectrum in the right hand, were used to fill the spaces between the vocal line, as bridges or as rhythmic beats.</em><br><br>Another ancient literary gem I have discovered, this time from ancient Greece, by <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Younger" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Younger">Philostratus the Younger</a>, provides a strikingly similar, vivid description of ancient lyre playing technique - in this account of Orpheus, there is a description of the simultaneous and alternating use of plectrum and finger plucked notes, the position in which the lyre was held, and even describing how Orpheus beats the time with his foot on the ground!):<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Younger" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Younger">Philostratus the Younger</a>, "Imagines": <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusYounger.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusYounger.html">http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusYounger.html</a><br><br><em>"6. ORPHEUS</em><br><br><em>Orpheus sits there, the down of a first beard spreading over his cheeks, a tiara bright with gold standing erect upon his head, his eye tender, yet alert, and divinely inspired as his mind ever reaches out to divine themes. Perhaps even now he is singing a song; indeed his eyebrow seems to indicate the sense of what he sings, his garment changes colour with his various motions, his left foot resting on the ground supports the lyre which rests upon his thigh, his right foot marks the time by beating the ground with its sandal, and, of the hands, the right one is firmly grasping the plectrum gives close heed to the notes, the elbow extended and the wrist bent inward, while the left with straight fingers strikes the strings"</em><br><br>Here is yet <em>another</em> ancient literally gem, this time by Philostratus the Elder - this passage describes how the left hand fingers are playing at the same time as the plectrum in the right hand - <em>yet more evidence of the use of harmony in antiquity?</em><br><br>The description begins with an amazingly vivid description of the ancient Greek chelys (tortoise shell form) lyre:<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Elder" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philostratus_the_Elder">Philostratus the Elder</a>, "Imagines": <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusElder1A.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusElder1A.html">http://www.theoi.com/Text/PhilostratusElder1A.html</a><br><br><em>"1.10 AMPHION</em><br><br><em>The clever device of the lyre, it is said, was invented by Hermes, who constructed it of two horns and a crossbar and a tortoise-shell; and he presented it first to Apollo and the Muses, then to Amphion of Thebes.32 And Amphion, inasmuch as the Thebes of his day was not yet a walled city, has directed his music to the stones, and the stones run together when they hear him. This is the subject of the painting.</em><br><em>[…]</em><br><em>Look carefully at the lyre first, to see if it is painted faithfully. The horn is the horn “of a leaping goat,” 33 as the poets say, and it is used by the musician for his lyre and by the bowman for his bow. The horns, you observe, are black and jagged and formidable for attack. All the wood required for the lyre is of boxwood, firm and free from knots – there is no ivory anywhere about the lyre, for men did not yet know wither the elephant or the use they were to make of its tusks. The tortoise-shell is black, but its portrayal is accurate and true to nature in that the surface is covered with irregular circles which touch each other and have yellow eyes; and the lower ends of the strings below the bridge lie close to the shell and are attached to knobs, while between the bridge and the crossbar the strings seem to be without support, this arrangement of the strings being apparently best adapted for keeping them stretched taut on the lyre.</em><br><br><em>And what is Amphion saying? Certainly he keeps his mind intent on the harp, and shows his teeth a little, just enough for a singer. No doubt he is singing a hymn to Earth because she, creator and mother of all things, is giving him his walls, which already are rising of their own accord. His hair is lovely and truthfully depicted, falling as it does in disorder on his forehead and mingling with the downy beard beside the ear, and showing a glint of gold; but it is lovelier still where it is held by the headband – the headband “wrought by the Graces, a most lovely ornament,” as the poets of the Secret Verses say – and quite in keeping with the lyre. My own opinion is that Hermes gave Amphion both these gifts, both the lyre and the headband, because he was overcome by love for him. And the chlamys he wears, perhaps that also came from Hermes; for its colour does not remain the same but changes and takes on all the hues of the rainbow. Amphion is seated on a low mound, beating time with his foot and smiting the strings with his right hand. His left hand is playing, too, with fingers extended straight,37 a conception which I should have thought only plastic art would venture. Well, how about the stones? They all run together toward the singing, they listen, and they become a wall. At one point the wall is finished, at another it is rising, at still another the foundation is just laid. The stones are eager in rivalry, and happy, and devoted slaves of music; and the wall has seven gates, as the strings of the lyre are seven"</em><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>3. PROOF THAT THE ANCIENT GREEK CHELYS (TORTOISE SHELL) LYRE WAS ALSO SOMETIMES MADE FROM WOOD IN THE FORM OF THE TORTOISE SHELL?</strong></span><br><br>Not only is an ancient lyre playing technique described in the passage above, but also a fascinating possible confirmation from an original, ancient literary source, that the resonator of the 'Chelys' (tortoise shell form of lyre), <em>could also be made of wood <strong>in accurate portrayal of a tortoise shell</strong>, as well as using the actual shell:</em><br><br>"<em><strong>All the wood required for the lyre is of boxwood</strong>, firm and free from knots – there is no ivory anywhere about the lyre, for men did not yet know wither the elephant or the use they were to make of its tusks. The tortoise-shell is black, <strong>but its portrayal is accurate and true to nature</strong> in that the surface is covered with irregular circles which touch each other and have yellow eyes</em>"<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/43c3298ca2e0b2c67946662423070cc676f8723f/original/drunken-banqueter-louvre-g13.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDU5MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="591" width="600" /><br><br><br>There are, however, some interpretative issues with this text in unanimously confirming this fact. <em>The issue is in the interpretation of the word 'portrayal'</em> - in the context of the sentence from the ancient Greek text quoted above, which immediately precedes this phrase,<em> the text is describing the wood from which the lyre is made</em>, which in <em>this</em> context, <em>would</em> infer that the shell of the lyre is indeed portrayed accurately in wood. However, at the beginning of the passage quoted, we come across the sentence:<br><br>"<em>This is the subject of the <strong>painting</strong>...</em><em>Look carefully at the lyre first, <strong>to see if it is painted faithfully" </strong></em><br><br>In <em>this</em> context, <em>the passage is describing a <strong>painting</strong> of a tortoise shell lyre</em> - in this context, the later occurrence of the word "portrayal " in the passage could, in fact mean,<strong> the portrayal in a <em>painting</em> of the shell of the lyre!</strong><br><br>Indeed, following further research, the very publicly available information quoted in Wikipedia for the chelys lyre being <em>"which had a convex back of tortoiseshell or of wood shaped like the shell" </em><a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Chelys" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Chelys">originates from an article from 1911 by Kathleen Schlesinger for Encyclopedia Britannica</a> - but in the original article from 1911, <em>no original sources to substantiate this claim are given</em> - is this actually an 'urban myth' generated by this 107 year old 'authoritative' assertion, which in reality, has no actual hard evidence to back it up, whatsoever?<br><br>Although the ancient Greeks would have known the superior acoustic qualities of wood over the poor resonance of an actual tortoise shell, I have, regrettably not been able to so far find any other unambiguous first-hand ancient illustration or account in an ancient text to definitively affirm or deny the intriguing possibility that the shell was indeed sometimes substituted for wood carved in the general form of the tortoise shell in order to add richness to the resulting tone. <br><br>Despite the frustrating lack of definitive evidence, there is certainly circumstantial evidence that wood in some specific cases, almost certainly would have been substituted for an actual tortoise shell - the <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism">Pythagoreans</a> <em>were devout vegetarians</em> and as such, <em>would abhor the killing of the humble tortoise</em>, for no other end than to fashion a musical instrument:<br><br><em>"Alas, what wickedness to swallow flesh into our own flesh, to fatten our greedy bodies by cramming in other bodies, to have one living creature fed by the death of another! In the midst of such wealth as earth, the best of mothers, provides, nothing forsooth satisfies you, but to behave like the Cyclopes, inflicting sorry wounds with cruel teeth! You cannot appease the hungry cravings of your wicked, gluttonous stomachs except by destroying some other life"<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://ivu.org/history/greece_rome/pythagoras.html" target="_blank" title="https://ivu.org/history/greece_rome/pythagoras.html">(Depicted in Ovid: The Metamorphoses, translated by Mary M.Innes)</a></em><br><br><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>4. THE BUZZING TIMBRE OF THE ORIGINAL LYRES O</strong><strong>F</strong><strong> ANTIQUITY?</strong></span><br><br>I have argued in several of my other posts throughout this website, (including the sections I have researched regarding <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/the_roman_lyre/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_roman_lyre/">the Roman lyre known as the Cetra</a> and <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/have-the-biblical-lyres-survived-to-the-present-day-in-africa" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/have_the_biblical_lyres_survived_to_the_present_day_in_africa/">the Ethiopian Begena</a>), <em>that it is likely that a subtle buzzing quality was quite common to the timbre of most of the lyres of antiquity</em> - rather than having the sharp-edged, modern guitar-style bridge which creates a pure, harp-like tone, <em>almost all the detailed depictions of the actual lyre bridges used in antiquity, tend to show a much wider, 'bench shaped' top of the bridge.</em><br><br>The main consequence of this shape of bridge, is that due to the greater surface area on which the vibrating portion of the string rests, <em>there will be a subtle, sitar-like buzzing quality to the tone as the vibration is transmitted through the bridge to the resonating body of the lyre</em>. Indeed, this buzzing quality is the main feature of <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/have-the-biblical-lyres-survived-to-the-present-day-in-africa" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/have_the_biblical_lyres_survived_to_the_present_day_in_africa/">the Ethiopian Begena</a> - the archaic 10-string bass lyre still played in Ethiopia today.<br><br><br>I recently found at least some circumstantial evidence to back up my observations, in an ancient Greek story which has come down to us from several ancient sources, (including Plato & later, the Roman poet Virgil), <em>which likens the tone of the Kithara to that of the buzz of the cricket-like insect known as the cicada:</em><br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DSJoFMwSXro" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>The story is that of the expert Kithara player, Eunomus and the cicada. Eunomus and Aristo, of Rhegium, were contending on the lyre for the musical prize at the Pythian games...<br><br><em>"Phoebus, god of Delphi, Locrian Eunomus set up this cicada in your honour, an appropriate symbol of his victory. He was competing in the lyre contest against his rival Sparthys and the strings resounded as he plucked them with the plectrum. A worn string began to buzz with a hoarse rattle and spoil the true melody of the music. Then a sweet-voiced creature, a cicada, flew chirping onto the lyre to supply with its song the broken string. Recruited to follow the rules of musical sound, it flew down from the high glades to bring us aid with its chirping song. Accordingly, so that the honour due to your cicada, o holy god, may last undiminished, on top of the lyre she sits here herself, a minstrel in bronze."<br>(<a data-imported="1" href="http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/alciato/emblem.php?id=A21a185#N2A21a185" target="_blank" title="http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/alciato/emblem.php?id=A21a185#N2A21a185">a translation of Anthologia graeca 6.54</a>)</em><br><br>The buzz of the cicada <em>matched the tone of the broken lyre string perfectly</em>, so that Eunomus could finish his piece and win the Kithara contest! Why would <em>the distinctively buzzing tone of the cicada</em> be featured in this ancient Greek story, if this buzzing quality was not also in some way <em>a unique feature of the actual timbre of the ancient Greek Kithara?</em> The story would make little sense, if the timbre of the ancient Greek lyres were all pure, clear and more harp-like.<br><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE</strong><strong> SIGNIFICANCE OF 'DIGITAL ARTIFACTS' IN MUSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY</strong></span><br><br>In this brave new digital age, there are probably the answers to so many more of the so far unanswered questions of musical archaeology already out there on the Internet - it just takes a bit of luck, and the right person to be able to find and <em>interpret</em> these new hidden <em>"digital artifacts"</em>...</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417772018-10-14T12:00:00-12:002020-11-04T22:40:39-12:00Composing New Music in the Original Ancient Greek Modes<p>One of my greatest musical discoveries, was <em style="font-size: medium;">re-discovering the beauty and unique musical expression of each of the original ancient Greek Modes...</em><br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/62a9e0d373ddbc7e7a002f5e7d41b43b7962d9ca/original/ancient-greek-modes-album-cover.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDQwMiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="402" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE ORIGINAL ANCIENT GREEK MODES</span></strong><br> </p>
<p>The names of musical modes in use today, (e.g. Dorian, Mixolydian etc.) although having the same names as the original Greek musical modes, were actually misnamed during the Middle Ages! Apparently, the Greeks counted intervals from top to bottom. When medieval ecclesiastical scholars tried to interpret the ancient texts, they counted from bottom to top, jumbling the information. The misnamed medieval modes are only distinguished by the ancient Greek modes of the same name, by being labelled “Church Modes”. It was due to a misinterpretation of the Latin texts of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boethius" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boethius">Boethius</a>, that medieval modes were given the wrong Greek names!<br> </p>
<p>According to an article on Greece in <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians"><em>“The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians”</em></a>, the original ancient Greek names for species of the octave included the following (on white keys):<br> </p>
<p><em>B-B: Mixolydian</em></p>
<p><em>E-E: Dorian</em></p>
<p><em>A-A: Hypodorian</em></p>
<p><em>D-D: Phrygian</em></p>
<p><em>G-G: Hypophrygian</em></p>
<p><em>C-C: Lydian</em></p>
<p><em>F-F: Hypolydian</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>For what Plato & Aristotle had this to say about these ancient musical modes, please see this fascinating link:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.pathguy.com/modes.htm">http://www.pathguy.com/modes.htm</a></p>
<p> <br>Regarding how the specific ancient Greek modes were indicated in the alphabetical musical notation of ancient Greece, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-armand-dangour" target="_blank" title="https://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-armand-dangour">Professor Armand D'Angour</a> kindly explained to me the following brief summary:<br><br><em>"The mode is indicated by the use of specific series of alphabetic letters. Unlike our system (CDEF...) each letter is not a whole tone, but they are grouped into threes; so e.g. Α Β Γ represent the same note, but a different letter is used for different modes. The tables of Alypius (c. 5th cent AD) give a detailed breakdown about which letters were used to represent which modes."</em><br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MY COMPOSITIONS FEATURING THE ORIGINAL ANCIENT GREEK MODES</span></strong><br> </p>
<p>My first major project to explore these wonderfully expressive ancient musical modes, was my album, <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greek-Modes-Michael-Levy/dp/B003MRID7U/ref=sr_1_7?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1392117495&sr=1-7&keywords=michael+levy" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on Amazon!">"The Ancient Greek Modes"</a></em> - an EP of 7 original compositions in each of the original ancient Greek Modes (it was just pity I did not have the means of tuning my lyre into <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/ancient_tuning_methods/">just intonation</a></em> back then - this wonderfully pure tuning is what truly "brings life" to the ancient musical modes!).<br> </p>
<p>Most of my later releases, including my 3 Roman-themed albums, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Ancient-Rome-Michael-Levy/dp/B004I40WMU/ref=sr_1_17?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1392117495&sr=1-17&keywords=michael+levy" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on Amazon!">"E<em>choes of Ancient Rome"</em></a>, <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ode-Ancient-Rome-Michael-Levy/dp/B007CDWGUA/ref=sr_1_5?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1392117495&sr=1-5&keywords=michael+levy" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on Amazon!">"Ode to Ancient Rome"</a></em> & <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Roman-Lyre-Michael-Levy/dp/B00HD0IQPQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1392117495&sr=1-10&keywords=michael+levy" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on Amazon!">"The Ancient Roman Lyre"</a></em> all use the original ancient Greek modes as their basis....</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE ANCIENT GREEK PHRYGIAN MODE</span></strong><br> </p>
<p>My personal favourite is the ancient Greek Phrygian Mode (equivalent intervals as D-D on the white notes of the piano) - so poignant yearning in its character...perfect for evoking lost ancient landscapes! This was misnamed the <em>"Dorian"</em> Mode during the Middle Ages.</p>
<p>This mode is the explored in my compositions, which have feelings of yearning as their inspiration:<br> </p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/glory-parthenon-composition/id372937241?i=372937255" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track on iTunes!">Glory of the Parthenon – track 7, “The Ancient Greek Modes”</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome-original/id504920372?i=504920390" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/ode-to-ancient-rome-original/id504920372?i=504920390">Ode to Ancient Rome - track 1 of my album “Ode to Ancient Rome”</a> - this is also performed in just intonation.</em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-visions/id395045792?i=395045846" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-visions/id395045792?i=395045846">Ancient Visions – track 1, “Ancient Visions – New Compositions for an Ancient Lyre”</a></em>.<br><br><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-ancient-rome-original/id413189409?i=413189472" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-ancient-rome-original/id413189409?i=413189472">Echoes of Ancient Rome - track 1 of my album “Echoes of Ancient Rome”</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/desiderantes-yearning/id784145351?i=784145369" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/desiderantes-yearning/id784145351?i=784145369">Desiderantes (Yearning) - track 5, "The Ancient Roman Lyre"</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/vapours-delphi-composition/id574488427?i=574488790" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/vapours-delphi-composition/id574488427?i=574488790">Vapours of Delphi - track 2 of my album "A Well Tuned Lyre: The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-aion-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321475" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-aion-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321475">Ode to Aion - track 9, "The Ancient Greek Lyre"</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/celestial-nile-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315802" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/celestial-nile-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315802">The Celestial Nile – track 2, “The Ancient Egyptian Harp”</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sacred-reverie-original-composition/id522215403?i=522215405" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sacred-reverie-original-composition/id522215403?i=522215405">Sacred Reverie – track 1, “Ancient Vibrations”</a></em></p>
<p><br>I also use the ancient Greek Phrygian mode as the basis for the following of my extended length singles. All the singles listed below, which feature this mode, <em>are also in just intonation:</em><br> </p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-lyre-strings-single/id698956115" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-lyre-strings-single/id698956115">Ancient Lyre Strings</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/neros-lyre-lament-for-solo/id545685650" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/neros-lyre-lament-for-solo/id545685650">Nero's Lyre</a></em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/orpheuss-lyre-lament-for-solo/id671957486" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/orpheuss-lyre-lament-for-solo/id671957486">Orpheus's Lyre</a></em></p>
<p><br>(These singles are also incorporated into my second compilation album, <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/musical-adventures-in-time/id720049943" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/musical-adventures-in-time/id720049943">“M<em>usical Adventures in Time Travel”</em></a>)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK DORIAN MODE</strong></span><br> </p>
<p>The ancient Greek Dorian Mode is the equivalent intervals as E-E on the white notes of the piano (misnamed the <em>"Phrygian"</em> mode in the Middle Ages).</p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+lach.+188d" target="_blank" title="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+lach.+188d">According to the writings of Plato and Aristotle</a></em>, this was the most “manly" of the musical modes, and could even be used to inspire bravery in battle!<br> </p>
<p>From my own experience of using this mode, the assertions of these ancient Greek philosophers is certainly is true, <em>but only when this mode is played with vigour</em> - I therefore used the ancient Greek Dorian Mode in the following of my compositions, which attempt to evoke war-like bravery:<br> </p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-mars-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189473" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-mars-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189473">The Temple of Mars - track 2, "Echoes of Ancient Rome</a>"</em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gloria-belli-glory-of-battle/id784145351?i=784145382" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gloria-belli-glory-of-battle/id784145351?i=784145382">Gloria Belli (Glory of Battle) - track 7, "The Ancient Roman Lyre"</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-battle-of-thermopylae/id720049943?i=720050027" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-battle-of-thermopylae/id720049943?i=720050027"><em>The Battle of Thermopylae - track 11, "Musical Adventures in Time Travel"</em></a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/paean-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321478" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/paean-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321478"><em>Paean - track 11, "The Ancient Greek Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p><br>However, when played softly, it is an incredibly <em>intense</em> mode, and <em>has the effect of increasing the feeling of concentration in the listener</em>. An example of an actual surviving fragment of ancient Greek music which is in this mode and creates this intense, introspective effect, <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-muse-mesomedes-crete/id393321464?i=393321471" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-muse-mesomedes-crete/id393321464?i=393321471">is my arrangement for solo lyre, of "Hymn To The Muse"</a>,</em> by <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesomedes" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesomedes">Mesomedes of Crete</a> </em>(2nd century CE) .<br><br>As a slightly <em>surreal</em> musical experiment, a few years ago I had some great fun arranging "Hymn To The Muse" - <em>on thrash metal-style electric guitar</em>, in an atTempt to invoke the more "manly" musical colour of the ancient Greek Dorian Mode when playing this original piece of ancient Greek music...set to a slideshow of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae">the Battle of Thermopylae </a>(certainly <em>the</em> most manly of <em>all</em> the epic battles of ancient Greece!). Here was the result - quite possibly the <em>Mother</em> of all remixes!!:<br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OLGa0xqPbsQ" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>My own compositions which feature the ancient Greek Dorian mode in its particularly intense "musical colour" are:<br> </p>
<p><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/contemplationis-contemplation/id784145351?i=784145364" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/contemplationis-contemplation/id784145351?i=784145364">Contemplationis (Contemplation) - track 4, "The Ancient Roman Lyre"</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-osiris-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315812" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-osiris-original-composition/id454315787?i=454315812"><em>Hymn To Osiris – track 3, "The Ancient Egyptian Harp"</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flight-mercury-original-composition/id504920372?i=504920451" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flight-mercury-original-composition/id504920372?i=504920451">The Flight of Mercury - track 6, "Ode to Ancient Rome"</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spirit-kithara-composition/id372937241?i=372937247" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spirit-kithara-composition/id372937241?i=372937247"><em>Spirit of The Kithara - track 1, "The Ancient Greek Modes"</em></a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-zeus-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158423" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-zeus-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158423"><em>Hymn to Zeus - track 3, "Apollo's Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/music-celestial-spheres-composition/id574488427?i=574488789" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/music-celestial-spheres-composition/id574488427?i=574488789">Music of the Celestial Spheres - track 1, "A Well Tuned Lyre - The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/realm-ancestors-harp-rebecca/id522215403?i=522215497" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/realm-ancestors-harp-rebecca/id522215403?i=522215497"><em> </em></a></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK HYPOLYDIAN MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Another favourite ancient Greek mode of mine, is the Hypolydian Mode (this mode has the equivalent intervals as F-F on the white notes of the piano). This was misnamed the <em>“Lydian Mode”</em> during the Middle Ages. I first heard this mode in an actual surviving fragment of ancient Greek Music <em>"Kolon Exasimon"</em> on track 13 of the album, <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Musique-Grece-Antique-Ancient-Greek/dp/B00004TVG7" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.com/Musique-Grece-Antique-Ancient-Greek/dp/B00004TVG7">"Musique de la Grece Antique"</a>.</em> I have since recorded my own arrangement of the tune<em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-greek-musical-fragment/id393321464?i=393321467" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-greek-musical-fragment/id393321464?i=393321467"> on track 2 of my album "The Ancient Greek Lyre"</a></em> & my updated version, <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-greek-musical-fragment/id574488427?i=574488794" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-greek-musical-fragment/id574488427?i=574488794">on track 5 of "A Well Tuned Lyre: The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a>.</em><br> </p>
<p>This mode to me,<em> is almost dream-like in character, feminine, sensual - almost erotic in character</em>. I have since composed in this mode for the following of my compositions:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dancers-dionysus-composition/id372937241?i=372937248" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dancers-dionysus-composition/id372937241?i=372937248"><em>Dancers of Dionysus - track 2, "The Ancient Greek Modes"</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-wings-cupid-original-composition/id504920372?i=504920450" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-wings-cupid-original-composition/id504920372?i=504920450">On the Wings of Cupid - track 5, "Ode to Ancient Rome"</a>. This is also in performed in just intonation.</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-venus-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189475" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-venus-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189475"><em>The Temple of Venus - track 3, "Echoes of Ancient Rome"</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/amatores-lovers/id784145351?i=784145362" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/amatores-lovers/id784145351?i=784145362">Amatores (Lovers) - track 2, "The Ancient Roman Lyre"</a>. This is also in just intonation.</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/song-syrinx-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321481" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/song-syrinx-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321481"><em>Song of Syrinx - track 12, "The Ancient Greek Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK HYPOPHRYGIAN MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>This mode is the equivalent intervals as G-G on the white notes of the piano – misnamed the <em>“Mixolydian”</em> mode during the Middle Ages. This mode creates feelings of warmth, inner peace, contentment and tranquillity. An example of an actual surviving piece of ancient Greek music which is in this mode, is my recording of <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/epitaph-seikilos-ancient-greek/id574488427?i=574488796" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/epitaph-seikilos-ancient-greek/id574488427?i=574488796">"Epitaph of Seikilos" (c.1st century CE)</a>. I have used this mode in the following of my own compositions:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158435" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158435"><em>Apollo's Lyre</em></a> – track 1 from my album <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420">“Apollo’s Lyre”</a>. One of my favourite compositions, I recorded a new version of the piece on my new hand-made lyre, featuring a heterephonic development of the melody, in the wonderfully pure just intonation of antiquity, re-named <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-composition/id574488427?i=574488792" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-composition/id574488427?i=574488792">“A Well Tuned Lyre” – track 3 from my album “A Well Tuned Lyre – The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a></em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mount-olympus-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321474" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mount-olympus-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321474"><em>Mount Olympus – track 8, “The Ancient Greek Lyre”</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sacred-flame-vesta-original/id504920372?i=504920392" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sacred-flame-vesta-original/id504920372?i=504920392">Sacred Flame of Vesta – track 3, “Ode to Ancient Rome”</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sanctuary-apollo-composition/id372937241?i=372937252" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sanctuary-apollo-composition/id372937241?i=372937252"><em>The Sanctuary Of Apollo – track 5, “The Ancient Greek Modes”</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tranquillitas-serenity/id784145351?i=784145363" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tranquillitas-serenity/id784145351?i=784145363">Tranquillitas (Serenity) – track 3, “The Ancient Roman Lyre”</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/procession-vestal-virgins/id413189409?i=413189483" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/procession-vestal-virgins/id413189409?i=413189483"><em>Procession of the Vestal Virgins – track 6, “Echoes of Ancient Rome”</em></a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/roman-banquet-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189485" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/roman-banquet-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189485"><em>Roman Banquet – track 7, “Echoes of Ancient Rome”</em></a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-ur/id395045792?i=395045849" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-ur/id395045792?i=395045849"><em>Echoes of Ancient Ur – track 3, “Ancient Visions – New Compositions for an Ancient Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK HYPODORIAN MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>This mode is the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano and was misnamed the <em>“Aeolian”</em> mode during the Middle Ages. In modern musical theory is also known as the <em>“Natural Minor”</em>. This mode has the same intensity as the ancient Greek Dorian Mode, but has a much more sorrowful feel to it. I used this mode in the following of my compositions:</p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-aphrodite-original/id393321464?i=393321476" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-aphrodite-original/id393321464?i=393321476"><em>Ode to Aphrodite – track 10, “The Ancient Greek Lyre"</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dark-realms-pluto-original/id504920372?i=504920406" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dark-realms-pluto-original/id504920372?i=504920406">Dark Realms of Pluto – track 4, “The Ancient Roman Lyre”</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-poseidon-composition/id372937241?i=372937250" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-poseidon-composition/id372937241?i=372937250"><em>Hymn To Poseidon – track 3, “The Ancient Greek Modes”</em></a></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-orpheus-composition/id368158420?i=368158436" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-orpheus-composition/id368158420?i=368158436">Ode to Orpheus – track 2, “Apollo’s Lyre”</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tristitia-sorrow/id784145351?i=784145381" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tristitia-sorrow/id784145351?i=784145381">Tristitia (Sorrow) – track 6, “The Ancient Roman Lyre”</a> - this is also in just intonation</em></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-saturn-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189477" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-saturn-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189477"><em>The Temple of Saturn – track 4, “Echoes of Ancient Rome”</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK MIXOLYDIAN MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>This is the equivalent intervals as B-B on the white notes of the piano – misnamed the <em>“Locrian”</em> mode during the Middle Ages. This mode has a feminine, almost playful quality. This is, however, by far the most difficult mode to actually compose in, <em>due to the dissonant diminished 5th which occurs in the Mode</em>.</p>
<p><br>However, in rising to the challenge of composing in absolutely every one of the original ancient Greek Modes, I did use this Mode in the following of my compositions:</p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/oracle-delphi-composition/id372937241?i=372937253" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/oracle-delphi-composition/id372937241?i=372937253"><em>"The Oracle of Delphi" – track 6, “The Ancient Greek Modes”</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT GREEK LYDIAN MODE</strong></span></p>
<p><br>This is the equivalent intervals as C-C on the white notes of the piano – the basis of all the major keys we now use today. This was misnamed the<em> “Ionian”</em> mode during the Middle Ages.<br> </p>
<p>This is also probably the oldest of the musical modes, <em>as notes in this mode occur naturally in the <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)">harmonic series</a>, either when a string is lightly stopped to create harmonics, or in when playing any form of natural, valveless trumpet</em>.<br> </p>
<p>Like modern major scales, this mode is bright, triumphant and can evoke feelings of happiness. However, unlike the modern major scale, when tuned in the wonderfully pure, just intonation of antiquity, these emotional effects on the listener are much more intense, due to the almost 3D purity of the intervals. I used this mode in just intonation, for the following of my compositions:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/libation-to-laetitia-original/id504920372?i=504920452" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/libation-to-laetitia-original/id504920372?i=504920452"><em>Libation to Laetitia – track 7, “Ode to Ancient Rome”</em></a><br> </p>
<p>Before I had the means of tuning my lyre into just intonation (courtesy of a computer program called <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/" target="_blank" title="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/">SCALA</a>, which generates tuning tones in just intonations – kindly provided for me in 2012 by <a data-imported="1" href="https://musicofthebiblerevealed.wordpress.com/author/rakkav/" target="_blank" title="https://musicofthebiblerevealed.wordpress.com/author/rakkav/">John Wheeler</a>), I also used this mode in regular equal temperament, for the following of my compositions:<br> </p>
<p><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/procession-olympians-composition/id372937241?i=372937256" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/procession-olympians-composition/id372937241?i=372937256"><em>Procession of the Olympians – track 4, “The Ancient Greek Modes”</em></a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-hermes-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321472" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-hermes-original-composition/id393321464?i=393321472"><em>Hymn To Hermes – track 7, “The Ancient Greek Lyre”</em></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></span></p>
<p><br>For composition using modern major and minor keys, there is basically a bland choice to compose a melody that sounds either “happy” or “sad” – using the ancient Greek modes, in addition to these basic emotional palettes, <em>it is possible to create new melodies which can best be described as intense with the ability can increase concentration in the listener, music which can sound either “manly” or “feminine” in character, melodies which sound dream-like, music that can sound erotic, melodies with a playful character, music which is triumphant and music can invoke sorrow...</em><br> </p>
<p>Adding the wonderfully pure-sounding just intonation of antiquity into this incredible tapestry of available acoustic landscapes in which to compose in, intensifies the unique feel and character of each of these wonderful ancient Greek modes even further, <em>to create an almost 3 dimensional vista of "sculpture in sound"!</em><br> </p>
<p>The unique character of these ancient Modes never ceases to amaze me & so much has been lost in Western musical art, since these modes and their magic were abandoned in favour of our monotonous, standardized and quite frankly soulless palate of bland major and minor keys - spoilt further, by the use of the unsettling quality of the sound of intervals in slightly out of tune, fuzzy, muddy equal temperament! <br> </p>
<p>It is therefore my mission, to restore these ancient musical modes, <em>so that rising like a Phoenix out the long-forgotten magic of Classical antiquity, these wonderful lost gems of the ancient musical world shall sparkle with new life, once again…</em><br> </p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/daf8a52d69154b08817f50f7702b8e1deba289eb/original/singerkithara.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTI0eDM1MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="353" width="524" /></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417812018-10-01T12:00:00-12:002019-12-23T07:14:21-12:00What is Music?
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/67d3c2295d3b6aa1f1de572cee0355c73b2b9be9/original/music.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjgweDM5NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="396" width="280" /><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE CONCEPT OF MUSIC - A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS</strong></span><br><br>What <em>is</em> music? A usual response would be a pleasant melody...but to the tortured philosopher like myself, one has to dig deeper and ask, <em>when</em> is a collection of notes a "melody", and <em>what is it about music, that actually defines it as "music" as opposed to any other type of sound?</em> This is the nature of philosophical inquiry - digging away at a deeper level to discover what may be the actual raw concept of whatever topic is being subjected to the rigours of philosophical investigation!<br><br>The way this <em>refining nature of philosophical analysis</em> has been done since the days of Plato & Socrates, is that of argument and counter-argument, until a core of truth may finally be revealed...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3c96f393fd12c8f51816fe06d6b65cc10e59d285/original/plato-socrates.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTQ1eDQxMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="411" width="545" /><br><br>Using these methods, then, I shall ask again, <em>what is music?</em><br><br>Music certainly consists of sound, <em>but not every sound could be classed as music</em>, so should we say that only<em> pleasant</em> sounds are musical? Not necessarily - the sound of a flowing brook is very pleasant and soothing to the ear, <em>yet this still does not constitute music</em>, so there must be another few essential ingredients missing in my attempt to define the concept...<br><br>A combination of pleasant sounds with <em>structure</em>, perhaps? However,<em> there are examples of structured pleasant sounds which are still not strictly "music"</em> - bird song is a classic example. Although there can often be an underlying structure, and the sound is pleasant, <em>I would still hesitate to call bird song music composed by birds...</em> <br><em><br>Harmony</em> is also another really important ingredient into the mix - it is the sound of harmonious intervals which, (presumably due to the human mind's predisposition to value order in contrast to disorder in it's perception of the world), brings <em>a sense of appreciation for the symmetry of sound</em> and how this in turn, <em>can bring harmony to the Soul of the listener</em>. <br><br>Contrary to the prevailing prejudice in Western thought that harmony was somehow magically 'invented' by Western composers towards the end of the Middle Ages, <em><a title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_urban_myth_of_the_monotony_of_monophony_in_the_ancient_world/" href="/the-urban-myth-of-the-monotony-of-monophony-in-the-ancient-world" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">as my other detailed blog demonstrates, there is ample evidence for the use of harmony in music from before the age of the pyramids in Egypt</a></em> and indeed, as also was noted by the eminent early 20th century musicologist, <a title="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Music-Ancient-World/dp/0486466612" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Music-Ancient-World/dp/0486466612" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Curt Sachs</a>,<em> there is not one aboriginal population on any continent on the planet, who do not have at least a rudimentary use of harmony in their ancient musical traditions, despite never having had any contact with the Western world! </em>A classic example of this, is<a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_music" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> the intricate polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa. </a><br><br>Harmony was not 'invented'<em> </em>by elite Western composers such as Monteverdi<em> </em>at the start of the Renaissance<em> - harmony is quite simply, the timeless symmetry of how two or more sound waves interact!</em> Just as in the apriori, timeless laws of mathematical geometry, the angles of a triangle will always add up to 180 degrees, in the apriori, timeless, geometry of <em>harmony</em>, the interval of a 5th has and always will sound consonant...<br><br>However, harmony in isolation, <em>is not music</em> - as I learnt the hard way, after the living torture of teaching absolute beginners piano lessons to the mostly 'terminally tone deaf' for 10 miserable years between 1992 - 2002, if I listen continuously to a young child bashing out a 3 note triad played repeatedly on the piano<em style="font-size: medium;">, this very soon brought deluges of <em>disharmony</em> to my Soul! <br><br></em>Also, some of the best folk melodies sound best when sung without <em>any</em> accompanying harmony, yet these are still very much music - harmony by itself, then, is not at the core of what makes music, into <em>music.</em>..</p>
<p><br>A combination of pleasant sounds, with structure, harmony and<em> rhythm</em>, perhaps? However, imagine I am aboard a steam train listening to birdsong whilst passing leisurely through the countryside - I have both the regular rhythm of the steam engine and the background of birdsong to provide the structure, yet still, <em>this is not music!<br><br></em>Like harmony, though, rhythm certainly is a core ingredient of the 'musical cake mixture' - maybe it is how rhythm <em>mirrors the rhythm of our heart beats</em>, so that a faster beat literally makes us <em>feel</em> like our heart is beating faster, or a regular beat reminds us of the natural rhythm of our footsteps during walking, running or marching, depending on the speed of the beat (or even on a more erotic level, how rhythms of ever increasing speed mirror those of the sexual act!) ...and from these natural psychological responses to the sound and feel of rhythms, <em>maybe this is how dance started off</em> - a consequence of the literal feelings of movement, vitality, and even eroticism,<em> which can be directly communicated by the rhythmic component of music? </em><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>TRUE MUSIC IS THE COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION THROUGH SOUND FROM THE PERFORMER TO THE LISTENER </strong></span><br><br>The <em>essential</em> component missing from all the other ingredients of the 'musical cake mixture' which I have so far been attempting to analyse, is that in music, <em>there is also the expression of emotion</em> through the pleasant sounds and melodic structure of music, which is further emphasized by the use of rhythm & harmony. Throughout <em>all</em> these different ingredients of music, <em>it is the expression of emotion from the performer to to the listener</em> which seems to be the first real definition of what is at the very <em>core</em> of what music actually is? In my opinion, the expression of emotion is the 'egg' component of the 'musical cake mix' - which binds all the other ingredients together, to transform them into what we commonly know as "music"! <br><br>Indeed, when only one or 2 of the other 'ingredients' of the 'musical cake mix' are played with the communication of <em>emotion, </em>very often, we would still consider the result as music - for example, the intricacies of a jazz percussion solo, or the entrancing polyrhythms of traditional African music, are played with such spirit and vitality, that it would be impossible <em>not</em> to call them music, despite the fact that there is no melodic line or harmony.<br><br>However, crying or sighing and laughter<em> are all sounds which express emotion through sound, yet these are not music!</em> The essential difference between the sounds associated with raw human emotion and the expression of emotion through music, then, would seem to be that the emotion communicated through music is the communication of <em>aesthetic emotion</em> - but what exactly <em>is</em> aesthetic emotion? To answer this question is to<em> really</em> get finally get to the root of the concept of music...<br><br>The whole notion of the aesthetics of music has puzzled me since the age of 16 - whilst walking through the countryside, I was listening to an old cassette tape of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony on my Sony Walkman, when it occurred to me...why bother listening to music which is about the feelings of being in the countryside, <em>when I am actually in the countryside?</em> Just what <em>was</em> it about the feelings communicated through Beethoven's magnificent music about being in the countryside which was so enticing and so much more immediate than<em> my direct experience of actually being in the countryside?</em><br><br>30 years after first becoming so perplexed by this issue and a degree in philosophy later, I now finally feel able to answer this intriguing question! I have come to the conclusion, that the essential difference between the feelings of my raw, direct experience of actually being in the countryside and my the feelings invoked by the aesthetic experience of hearing Beethoven's beautiful music about being in the countryside,<em> is like the difference between the taste of raw grape juice and the refined bouquet of flavours to be discovered and appreciated in a fine, mature wine</em> - music has the uncanny ability to <em>elevate</em> our raw emotions, by a process of <em>communicating directly to our higher level cognitive faculties</em>, a sort of refined, distilled "essence" of the particular emotion - <em>this</em> is what I would call <em>aesthetic</em> emotion.<br><br>The <em>detached</em> nature of aesthetic emotion in all the arts, can probably be best understood in my gory appreciation of the suspense and roller coaster ride of horror so brilliantly conveyed in the "Saw" movies - I certainly would feel utter revulsion if I were to witness all the gory scenes in these movies <em>for real! </em><br><br>To sum up, in the context of philosophically analysing music again, we are we are able to <em>intellectually appreciate</em> the more detached, "distilled" aesthetic emotion communicated so directly through music, whereas the simple, raw emotion we feel from actual, physical experience <em>does not engage our higher cognitive faculties in such a similar fashion</em>. It is this<em> intellectual elevation of emotion</em> which creates <em>aesthetic appreciation</em> of the emotions communicated through music - which is to me, the answer to my 30 year old riddle, of why hearing Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony about the feelings of being in the countryside is like savouring a fine wine, whilst in comparison,<em> our raw experience of actually being in the countryside is like drinking raw grape juice! </em><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>WHY DOES MUSIC COMMUNICATE EMOTION SO</strong><strong> DIRECTLY?</strong></span><strong><br><br></strong>Having established that music is the direct communication of aesthetic emotion, it must now be asked, <em>why</em> is it, that the organized tones of music communicate emotion so directly to the listener?<br><br>The answer to this question, I think this has something to do with the fact that during the hundreds of thousands of years of human evolution, even before we communicated through the means of language, we still communicated all our emotions and needs through <em>sounds! </em>For example, any person from any culture of any age, knows instinctively that the sound of crying is associated with feelings of sadness, the sound of laughter and exclamations of elation are associated with feelings of joy, whereas screams and grunts are associated with anger. The origins of music, therefore, <em>would seem to predate our use of language. </em>This is why music has such a direct effect on the listener - <em>humans are "hard-wired" to associate specific combinations of sounds with specific emotional feelings!<br><br></em>This would possibly explain why notes a minor 3rd apart instantly sounds sad to the human listener, <em>as it mirrors the sound of a sigh</em>, whereas notes a major 3rd apart is associated with happiness, <em>as it mirrors a primitive exclamation of elation...</em><br><br></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">HOW DID MUSIC BEGIN?</span><br><br></strong>As noted by Curt Sach in his book, <a title="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Rise-Music-Ancient-World/dp/0486466612" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Rise-Music-Ancient-World/dp/0486466612" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Rise of Music in the Ancient World: East and West"</a>, music almost certainly started with <em>singing</em>. Sachs was one of the first musicologists of the earlier part of the 20th century to actually record the sounds of music from every corner of the world and from virtually every culture, (as well as recording the spontaneous singing of very young children, who significantly, have had no influence from anyone else in creating their simple, spontaneous, melodies of usually 2 or more notes) - there is quite literally, <em>no human culture on the planet, no matter how remote, that does not have at some tradition of rudimentary musical practice!</em><br><br>Indeed, human vocal cords, like any form of musical string, <em>are and have always been, subject to the laws of the <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)" target="_blank" data-imported="1">harmonic series</a> and depending on the tension applied to them by the particular individual who happens to owns them, will, like any natural trumpet, usually generate combinations of the intervals of the harmonic series which form what the notes of a major chord (Doh, Mi, Sol etc) </em>Therefore, the foundation for musical expression is quite literally "built in" to us as human beings!<br><br>It would not have needed much of a further imaginative spark for our very early ancestors to realize that certain combinations of notes created certain emotional effects, <em>due to how they mirrored the sounds of our basic prelinguistic emotional communication (for example, the way a minor 3rd mirrors the sound of a sigh of sorrow).<br><br></em>From this, it may be reasonable to <em>infer</em> at least, that either <em>the regular major heptatonic scale or its associated intervals which form the natural notes of the harmonic series, may have been the oldest musical scales used. </em>Notes in the harmonic series naturally form the intervals which make up this scale when any vibrating strings length is shortened by specific ratios and a natural trumpet will automatically generate the intervals in the harmonic series which form a major chord.<br><br>Assuming this was the case, once the first string instruments developed, the harp and later the lyre, the other musical modes would have been discovered, simply by moving the starting note of a melody to the next string, then the next string up - <em>the creative musicians of antiquity would have soon realized that each musical mode had its own unique emotional effect on the listener. <br><br></em>It was this aesthetic insight which led to the development of the ancient Greek modes, their exotic chromatic variations used throughout the ancient Near East - and eventually, to the dull and monotonously standardized palette of either major or minor scales used in Western music today!<br><br><strong><br><span style="text-decoration:underline">CONCLUSION</span><br><br></strong>From this brief conceptual analysis, music can best be described as <em>the direct communication of aesthetic emotion from the musician to the listener</em>, with aesthetic emotion being defined as a more detached, refined and '<em>concentrated'</em> form of raw emotion, which has the aesthetic property of being able to <em>elevate</em> the original raw emotion by the direct stimulation of our <em>intellect</em> - only through music, <em>(due to our evolutionary predisposition to associate specific sounds with specific emotions)</em> can these emotions be so directly communicated to our higher cognitive faculties, where the finer points of these aesthetic emotions <em>can be artistically appreciated by the listener...<br><br></em>Music can then literally 'heal the Soul', because due to our truly archaic, pre-linguistic ability to express emotion through specific sounds, it follows that <em>music is the only artistic medium which communicates the beauty of aesthetic emotion, directly to our higher cognitive faculties</em> - which is certainly what seems to account for the 'transporting' quality we often find in the very best music.<em> <br><br>In this way, like a magic carpet, music can transport us from our own inner sufferings and take us on a fantastic journey of inspiration and imagination whilst simultaneously instilling in us, an appreciation of the timeless geometrical symmetry of harmonious musical intervals and in doing so, music can in time, (just as in the Biblical account of how David's lyre could sooth the troubles and tribulations of King Saul), restore the inner harmony of our very own Souls once more...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/b0f4db96eab193b4d7e815e62678052253347e91/original/mu.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDMzNiJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="336" width="600" /></em><strong><br><br></strong></p>
<hr>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417612018-09-30T12:00:00-12:002019-12-31T03:55:17-12:00The Inspiration Behind My "Musical Adventures in Time Travel"<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE BEGINNINGS OF MY FASCINATION WITH ANCIENT MUSIC</span></strong></span></p>
<p><br>My interest in ancient music all started when I was just 14 - I happened to find an old cassette tape of the late great <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Munrow" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Munrow">David Munrow's</a> reconstruction of early medieval music. The transporting quality of the music immediately struck me - it was able to carry my mind back in time in a way so much more direct and immediate than any dusty text book or museum exhibit ever could; <em>music alone, almost like a magic carpet, had the power to take the mind on a fabulous journey of time travel, back to simpler times, when magic was perceived to be part of the very fabric of the Universe, there was still the awe of the pantheon of the gods, and there a greater appreciation of the fragility and brevity of life. </em>On a philosophical level, I wonder if it is it for some of <em>these</em> reasons, that we will always continue to be so fascinated and inspired by the ancient world?<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/022b6255e681e831d7449a526c5e067cd3ddbac6/original/lyre.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM1NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="357" width="500" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MY CHILDHOOD FASCINATION WITH THE ANCIENT LYRE - REKINDLED!</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Also in my 14th year, I happened to hear an old LP <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Together-Julian-Bream-John-Williams/dp/B000003FDM" target="_blank" title="Buy This CD From Amazon!">"Together"</a>, of the fabulous Classical guitarists, Julian Bream & John Williams - their arrangement of Ravel's <em>"Pavane for a Dead Princess"</em> sent shivers down my spine, and for the first time, it's haunting, evocative harp-like tones and the middle section where the melody magically modulates into the hauntingly poignant ancient Greek Phrygian Mode (misnamed the "Dorian" mode in the Middle Ages) <em>let me imagine what both the lyre of antiquity and the effect on the listener upon hearing the ancient musical modes, must have once sounded like...</em></p>
<p>I was <em>delighted</em> to recently find once more, for the first time in over 30 years, this very same <em>magical</em> recording on Youtube:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGsptWdzROE" width="425"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>My childhood fascination for the lyre of antiquity was <em>rekindled</em> once again, when in 2006, I stumbled upon a fabulous CD, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Echoes-Jerusalems-Second-Temple/dp/B00006SKPY" target="_blank" title="Buy This CD From Amazon!">"Music From The Time of Jesus and Jerusalem's Second Temple" </a>by the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble - an <em>incredible</em> album, which attempted to recreate <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.savae.org/echoes1.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.savae.org/echoes1.html">the lost sounds of the Levitical Ensemble and Levitical Choir in the Temple of Jerusalem</a>.<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3f7bd31996e1910b25bf70935f558ccaf5fd36cb/original/levite-musicians-cropped-belownav.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTU4eDEyMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="123" width="158" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was in the actual liner notes of the CD, that I first saw a modern day evocation by Mid East Ethnic Instruments, of <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-biblical-kinnor" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/the_biblical_kinnor/">the Biblical Kinnor</a> (the 10 strings Biblical lyre of my very own, very ancient Levite ancestors, mentioned throughout the Biblical text and also in the writings of the 1st century Jewish historican, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/flavius_josephus/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/flavius_josephus/">Flavius Josephus</a> - now <em>that's</em> what I call <em>extreme</em> "Roots Music"!)</p>
<p>After a quick Google search on "Kinnor", I was astounded to learn that I could actually order the very same lyre as used in this CD, on <em>eBay</em> - <em>my journey into attempting to evoke the lost sounds of the lyre of antiquity had begun...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE BIRTH OF MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later on in 2006, I first heard of the then new-fangled "YouTube", and posted my very first tentative grainy old webcam videos of my attempts at learning to play on my evocation of the Biblical Kinnor, some of the Klezmer music repertoire I knew as a self-taught Klezmer fiddle player.<br> </p>
<p>I also gained a few fans on the now sadly virtually defunct Myspace, where one of them suggested that I should put together an album...and the inspiration for my first album, <em>"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</em> (featuring mainly traditional Jewish instrumental Klezmer music and sacred Jewish melodies arranged for my newly acquired Biblical lyre), was born!<br> </p>
<p>My first <em>ever</em> Youtube video hit the unsuspecting world on 31st August 2006 - a shakey attempt at playing <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatikvah" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatikvah">"Hatikvah"</a> on my newly acquired evocation of the Biblical Kinnor. Although I deleted the original video on Youtube very shortly after uploading it, a few years later, for the sake of history, I decided to '<em>re-upload'</em> it, in all it's original, grainy 'glory':<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Rpbci73hhrg" width="420"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MY UNDERLYING PASSION FOR 'ROOTS MUSIC'</strong></span></p>
<p><br>My <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Klezfiddle1" target="_blank" title="https://www.youtube.com/user/Klezfiddle1">"Klezfiddle1" Youtube Channel</a> was so named, as it was <em>originally</em> set up for my bold experiments at thrashing <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer">traditional Jewish Klezmer music</a> on my electric fiddle...<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5d0540ac05040ff6efc9a75710457d3f87f62d92/original/095-11-7f3da3315a57ac2e551df3cfa6483936-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="FENDER ELECTRIC FIDDLE_resized" /> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There has always been <em>something</em> about "Roots Music" which inspires me! My journey into exploring Jewish music and indeed, <em>any</em> sort of music, did not begin until I was 11 years old - I had until then, <em>absolutely no interest in music,</em> until for the end of my first year at secondary school, when we had to do some sort of basic practical exam for our music class. As I could not play any instrument, my father & I decided to have a go at playing by ear, a one-fingered arrangement of the timeless Jewish classic, <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hava_Nagila" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hava_Nagila"><em>"Hava Nagila"</em></a> on the piano - <em>my inspiration to learn to play music was born!</em><em> </em><br> </p>
<p>I went on to teach myself the piano to about grade 5 and had a few lessons towards my grade 6 exam whilst studying for my A' Level...during which my digital watch alarm went off in the middle of some tedious piece by Haydn, putting me off from the formal Classical route of music, forever!<br> </p>
<p>My view of the piano as an "instrument of torture" was further reinforced when, due to the complete lack of any employment prospects I had in 1992, I was forced to become self-employed for 10 long, miserable years, as a piano tutor for the "terminally tone deaf"! It was this primarily this experience which acted as a catalyst to drive me to seek refuge, in teaching myself to play new and more challenging instruments - since 1991, I then taught myself to play fiddle, mandolin, banjo, a bit of guitar & ukulele: During my many years of unemployment (since gaining my (sadly vocationally useless!) philosophy degree in 1989!), <em><a data-imported="1" href="/files/493260/george-formby-busking-days.jpg">I even developed my own somewhat unique "George Formby Busking Act" - as featured in "The Manchester Evening News"!</a></em><br> </p>
<p>I discovered the magic of traditional Jewish Klezmer music in 1998, and given my childhood passion for "roots music" (following my 1-fingered arrangement for piano of "Hava Nagila" when I was 11!), I then concentrated all my musical efforts at attempting to master the art of the Klezmer fiddle...<br> </p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/236a6d1a01059bb56b57590d8997ea29efb27f89/original/p6220350-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDUweDYwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="600" width="450" /> </p>
<p><br><em><strong>Live Klezmer music aboard the <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.hvhptp.org.uk/folktran.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.hvhptp.org.uk/folktran.htm">Hathersage Folk Train</a>, 2005!</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE STORY OF HOW MY ALBUMS WERE ACTUALLY RECORDED</strong></span></p>
<p><br>It has all been <em>quite</em> a journey - and as this little video describes, <em>some moments of this ride have been considerably "bumpier" than others!!</em><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q8X4fzabkc8" width="480"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>The very first seed of inspiration to actually find a proper recording studio, was thanks to the suggestion of one of my fans on Myspace, at the start of 2008. After much frantic Google searching, I finally found a studio I could get to on the Manchester "Metrolink" tram service...(alas, the last time I took a driving lesson, 20 years ago, I mistook the accelerator for the brake - <em>in the Emergency Stop!).</em><br> </p>
<p>Anyway, I finally found "The Cutting Rooms", a few minutes walk away from Crumpsall Metrolink Station, and in March 2008, my lyre and I went on our very first "Tram Ride into Musical History!!" It proved to be a <em>long</em> journey...the marriage of my evocation of the 3000 year old Biblical lyre, and 21st century digital recording technology<em>, nearly ended up in divorce!!!</em><br><br>I will always be grateful to the <em>infinite</em> patience of my first ever maestro sound engineer, Tom Winstanley...in my 6 month long quest, to find just the right "etherial, ancient sound" and delicately balanced EQ settings which I for so long, desperately sought!<br> </p>
<p>The main problem we encountered, was the softness in tone of my lyre, <em>compared to the screeching Thrash-Metal rock bands who usually stalked the studio building!!</em> I would be half way through an intricate improvisation on an ancient 3500 year old Egyptian scale....when some spikey-haired, leather-clad, unwashed, axe-thrashing <em>Yetti</em> would go and slam a door - <em>and I would have to start all over again!</em><br> </p>
<p>Below is a photo taken of me in the studio, in these somewhat frustrating early stages of (attempting!) to record <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-ancient/id295165096" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</a>:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/e6f10dd26b9c621ee227db67f05a0cd9cefc6426/original/recording-my-album.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_" /></p>
<p><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>The most technically challenging piece on <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-ancient/id295165096" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</a>, was track 10, <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/odessa-bulgar/id295165096?i=295165130" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track From iTunes!">"Odessa Bulgar"</a> (which after <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-music-of-moses/id295165096?i=295165110" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track From iTunes!">"The Music of Moses"</a>, happens to be my own favourite track!). Here is a "live" performance of my arrangement for Kinnor, of <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/odessa-bulgar/id295165096?i=295165130" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track From iTunes!">"Odessa Bulgar"</a>:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HbB7HKXpFJw" width="425"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>In my arrangement for solo lyre of this fantastic traditional Klezmer classic, I experimented with an ancient style of lyre playing still heard in Eritrea, East Africa, known as "block and strum". This entails the initially mind-boggling technique, of blocking with fingers of the left hand, notes not required to be heard, and leaving open for strumming with the plectrum in the right hand, notes which are required to be heard - by this technique, it is possible to strum different chords on the lyre, just as on an acoustic guitar - despite the fact there is no fingerboard to actually form these chords! <br> </p>
<p>It is like tying to play the guitar backwards - instead of holding notes down with the left hand to form chords, in this technique, one is holding down notes not required to be heard to form chords! The final result of this mind-muddling mental contortion, sounds like some kind of totally cryogenically cool "Klezmer/Flamenco <em>Fusion</em>"!!<br> </p>
<p>Sadly, "The Cutting Rooms" was yet another victim of the global ecconomic recession, and closed its doors in May 2009. Undaunted by the demise of the only recording studio I could get to, I invested in an affordable little digital recorder and bravely recorded, mixed & produced my album, <a data-imported="1" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/an-ancient-lyre/id338195640" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"An Ancient Lyre"</a> myself. <br> </p>
<p>Shortly after releasing <em>"An Ancient Lyre"</em>, I had the pleasure of meeting an <em>incredible</em> Manchester-based young composer, multi-instrumentalist, & quite frankly sound engineering <em>genius</em>, called<a data-imported="1" href="http://www.dominikjohnson.com" target="_blank" title="http://www.dominikjohnson.com"> Dominik Johnson</a>, who contacted my on my <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.myspace.com/jubalslyre" target="_blank" title="http://www.myspace.com/jubalslyre">"Ancient Echoes" Myspace page</a> - this was the most serene bit of serendipity to ever come from my experience of using the now sadly, virtually defunct Myspace site! <br> </p>
<p>Dominik has masterfully mixed <em>every</em> album I recorded since 2010, adding new magic to each of my recordings, with his haunting selection of reverbs, <em>sampled from actual ancient Middle Eastern caves...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</strong></span><br> </p>
<p>Special thanks is due to Biblical Musicologist, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/index2.htm">John Wheeler</a>, for all the fascinating information on ancient lyre-playing techniques, and for invaluable information on the historical background to the creation of my debut album, <em>"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel", </em>recommending to me in 2011, the wonderfully hand-made <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.marinimadeharps.com/davidic.htm">"Marini Made Davidic Harp"</a> and for so kindly providing me with the authentic, ancient just intonation tuning tones with which I have been able to tune my lyre to, for all of my releases since 2012.<br> </p>
<p>Thanks is also due, for the excellent album artwork/disc manufacture of first few physical CD albums, by Paul Draper of <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.deadfrogstudio.co.uk" target="_blank" title="http://www.deadfrogstudio.co.uk">"Dead Frog Studio"</a>, Ormskirk.<br> </p>
<p>Special thanks to Tom Winstanley of the now very sadly closed "Cutting Rooms" Studios, Crumpsall, Manchester, for his <em>infinite</em> patience, in the epic mixing and mastering of my first debut album, <em>"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"!</em> <br> </p>
<p>Thanks again, to the incredible audio engineering & general <em>genius</em> of <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.dominikjohnson.com" target="_blank" title="http://www.dominikjohnson.com">Dominik Johnson</a>, in producing all of my albums recorded since 2010.<br> </p>
<p>Many thanks to my Youtube subscriber <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/leftysallowNetworkingcolor:%20#000000;/spancolor:%20#000000;span%20style=" target="_blank" title="https://www.youtube.com/user/leftysergeant">"Leftyseargent"</a>, for all the fascinating research into the radiation of ancient Mesopotamian musical culture.<br> </p>
<p>Special thanks is also due to Joseph Ennis, for his invaluable contributions on ancient tuning systems.<br> </p>
<p>Above all, special thanks to all the many loyal subscribers to my Youtube Channel: it is thanks to all your support, comments, constructive criticism and encouragement, which has finally transformed my dream of creating these albums, dedicated to restoring the sound of the ancient Lyre of my Levite ancestors, a reality! <em>I am, & always will be, grateful to you all, each & every one of you... </em></p>
<hr><p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417852018-09-29T12:00:00-12:002021-09-28T01:46:04-12:00Music of the Celestial Spheres
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HARMONY OF THE SPHERES</strong></span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/955fb26b677e7ae878387afd63907f3d915e82b0/original/p073z78v.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDI4MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="281" width="500" /><br><br>In March 2019, I had the unique pleasure of being briefly interviewed on the BBC Radio 3 "Sunday Feature" series, <a title="Here a podcast of this programme on BBC Sounds!" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0003sgc" target="_blank" data-imported="1">in a programme about the ancient Greek musical and cosmological concept of the "<em>Harmony of the Spheres"</em> </a>:<br><br></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mUVWtwL5KNA" width="560" allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br>Although so short, but so sweet to have had this opportunity of briefly describing on BBC Radio 3, the essence of how my own music attempts to match the ancient ideal of the Music of the Celestial Spheres,<em> I would have certainly liked to have gone into much more depth - so in this blog, here is my opportunity to do just that...<br><br></em>The<em> Harmony of the Spheres</em>, sometimes also referred to as the <em>"Music of the Spheres"</em> (also known as <em>“Musica Universalis”</em>), was an ancient Greek philosophical/cosmological concept, <em>describing the proportions of the movement of the celestial bodies as a form of music</em> (not literally audible, <em>but a harmonic, mathematical and sacred concept</em>). This concept developed from an ancient astronomical theory, known as the <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_spheres" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_spheres" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>Celestial Spheres</em></a>:
<p><br><em>“The celestial spheres…were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus and others. In these models, the stars and planets are carried around by being embedded in rotating spheres made of an aetherial transparent 5th element (quintessence), like jewels set in orbs. Since the fixed stars did not change their positions relative to each other, it was argued that they must therefore be on the surface of a single starry sphere”</em> (Wikipedia)</p>
<p><br>How, precisely, did this ancient Greek cosmological concept relate to an ancient Greek concept of music? </p>
<p><br><em>“The spheres were thought to be related by the whole number ratios of pure musical intervals, creating musical harmony – there is a legend that Pythagoras could hear the music of the spheres, enabling him to discover that consonant musical intervals can be expressed in simple ratios of small integers”</em> <a title="http://www.crystalinks.com/musicspheres.html" href="http://www.crystalinks.com/musicspheres.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.crystalinks.com</a><br></p>
<p><br>According to Pythagoras and Plato, then, <em>music literally reflected the harmony of the universe</em> – to them, these mathematical proportions of pure musical intervals were universal truths, just as are the laws of geometry. In philosophical terminology, these truths are<a title="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20priori" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20priori" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em> ‘Apriori’</em></a> (reasoning to acquire knowledge from pure deduction rather than observational experience).<br><br>For example, even if there was no time or space, nor a creator of the universe,<em> the mathematical proportions of the symmetrical, whole number ratios of pure musical intervals would still remain timelessly the same</em> – a 5th would have the ratio 3:2, a 4th would have the ratio 4:3, an octave the ratio 2:1 – just as the angles of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees.</p>
<p><br>Regarding triangles, the <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetractys" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetractys" target="_blank" data-imported="1">tetractys</a>, was a distinctive symbol in <a title="https://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_pythagoreanism.html" href="https://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_pythagoreanism.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Pythagoreanism</a>. It is a is a triangular figure consisting of ten points arranged in four rows: one, two, three, and four points in each row:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/164c8b7d9d3a7ec7e721b69f06528eeb7fb84a98/original/tetractys.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzU0eDMwOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="308" width="354" /><br><br>As a mystical symbol,<em> it is</em><em> the geometrical representation of the fourth triangular number</em>. The tetractys was therefore a very important to the secret worship of Pythagoreanism - there were four seasons, <em>and the number was also associated with planetary motions and music.</em><br><br>It is said that the Pythagorean musical system was based on the tetractys <em>as the rows can be read as the ratios of 4:3 (perfect fourth), 3:2 (perfect fifth), 2:1 (octave), forming the basic intervals of the Pythagorean scales.</em> <br><br>That is, Pythagorean scales are generated from combining pure fourths (in a 4:3 relation), pure fifths (in a 3:2 relation), and the simple ratios of the unison 1:1 and the octave 2:1</p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br><br>MUSIC AS A MODERN FORCE OF NATURE</strong></span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/7ba18cc70a265c73f85cddacc886a0b1df5562e6/original/music-as-a-force-of-nature.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDUwOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="509" width="400" /><br></p>
<p><strong><br>1. String Theory</strong> – the popping up into existence of fundamental particles from nothing, can be explained as the vibration of <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory" target="_blank" data-imported="1">super strings</a>, vibrating between different dimensions of space-time! Improvisation in music, therefore mirrors the creation of matter in the universe! Improvisation is just as magical as quantum particles popping into existence from seemingly nowhere.<br><br></p>
<p><strong>2. Music as a Creative Force</strong> – if one creates music as a means to an end, <em>the intrinsic value of the music as a pure, creative force is lost -</em> it just becomes another means to an ends; to make money! <br><br>This is why, to me, commercial music has <em>literally</em> lost it’s soul. I believe that if we create music,<em> for music’s sake alone</em>, is may just be conceivably possible,<em> that the positive creative energy this process naturally generates, could possibly actually have some effect on the energy in the universe with which it resonates with?</em> This is why I now strive not to make a living from music, but instead, to live <em>for</em> music!<br><br>Indeed, regarding the idea of the Universe actually providing some form of reward for the creative energy we generate whilst we are are a part of it, I have often discovered that the most awesome of my musical achievements to date, have always seemed to have happened - when I have done absolutely nothing 'proactive', besides simply putting my new ancestral musical creations 'out there' - the invitation to this very BBC Radio 3 interview came via a telephone call from the producer, just as I was on my way out the house to one of my part-time jobs which I have to do to keep me in lyre strings,<em><strong> <a title="http://ancientlyre.com/news/discovered_by_rufus_wainwright/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/news/discovered_by_rufus_wainwright/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">the adaption of my "Hymn to Zeus" in 2 scenes of Rufus Wainwright's second opera, "Hadrian"</a></strong></em>, the use of my track <em><strong><a title="http://ancientlyre.com/news/the_sweet_taste_of_success/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/news/the_sweet_taste_of_success/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ode to Ancient Rome" in the Mars M&M's TV advert which went across the entire continent of the USA & Canada</a></strong></em>, the use of my lyre music <a title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/bringing_ancient_history_back_to_life___literally/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/bringing_ancient_history_back_to_life___literally/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">for museum exhibitions all over the globe</a>, my ongoing collaboration with <em><strong><a title="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/the_lyre_2.0_project/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/the_lyre_2.0_project/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Luthieros specialist replica ancient Greek lyre makers in Thessaloniki</a></strong></em>, my<a title="http://ancientlyre.com/collaboration_with_other_artists/" href="/collaboration-with-other-artists" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page"> collaboration with artists and composers all over the globe</a> and <em><strong><a title="http://ancientlyre.com/news/ancient_lyre_n_hip_hop__who_knew/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/news/ancient_lyre_n_hip_hop__who_knew/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">my epic new collaboration with the legendary Hip Hop record producer, Tim Gomringer of CuBeatz</a></strong></em> (who may soon fulfil my dream of making my lyre music mainstream!) - all of these wondrous things came to pass from emails sent to me, as a consequence of recording my spontaneously conjured up tunes in my spare room!<br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HOW MY 'NEW ANCESTRAL MUSIC' FOR SOLO LYRE ATTEMPTS TO FIT INTO THE ANCIENT CONCEPTUAL SCHEME OF THE HARMONY OF THE SPHERES</strong></span><br><br>Another aspect of my own 'New Ancestral Music' creations, in how I attempt to fit it into the conceptual scheme of the Music of the Celestial Spheres, is the <em>'stripping back'</em> in the texture of my compositions for solo lyre to only those basic elements which best capture the <em>'essential essence'</em> of the emotions I wish to convey through my music - analogous to the stripped back purity of the almost perpetual, ratio of the orbital motions of the stars and planets.<br><br>In other words, the basic texture of my <em>'New Ancestral Compositions'</em> for lyre, features just <em>one</em> solo lyre, using <em>one</em> primary melodic line which is either plectrum or finger plucked, (in accordance with my idea of creating simple spontaneous textural improvisations via the use of <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterophony" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterophony" target="_blank" data-imported="1">heterophony</a>) - accompanied literally by simple, geometrically pure intervals of 4ths or 5ths in just intonation (tuned via simple, perfectly symmetrical whole number ratios) with the fingers of my left hand.<br><br>My ultimate intention is therefore to create aesthetic beauty from only those bare, stripped back elements necessary to achieve this task - free of clutter, extravagance and distractions; to reveal<em> the essential essence of a pure, elemental aesthetic inner beauty...</em><br><br>In the same way, in our own lives, <em>if we strip back all the extravagance, superficiality and strive to seek only the ancient ideal of the perfection of the perpetual purity and simplicity of the motion of the celestial spheres, <strong>we too, can finally find the true essence of the intrinsic beauty and worth we have, which resides within all of us!</strong><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/65d413cc6837be8906e16dbb8cb21c9fb4a7f470/original/inner-beauty-1-1600x1200.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></em><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417782018-09-29T12:00:00-12:002019-12-23T07:14:20-12:00Composing New Music For An Ancient Lyre
<p><em>Music is the only true magic of the ancients which we have left - only through music, is it possible to spontaneously conjure up, literally from from nothing, the most sublime sounds, which like a magic carpet, can transport the listener, to mystical, ancient landscapes, so long ago forgotten...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/885406c66e91da68221f2cc7abf9346cd883b2c0/original/ancient-greek-prayers-02.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mjg5eDIyOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="229" width="289" /></em><br><br>Throughout my journey of musical exploration, I have discovered that the timeless lyre almost has a "Soul" of it's own - once it is possible to learn to tap into it, the most magical music will flow, with no prior effort, laborious notation and compositional deliberation! In this blog, I want to reveal some of the ways I have found of composing new music for an ancient lyre...<br><br><strong><br><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE VERY FIRST MELODY I TRIED TO COMPOSE!</span></strong></p>
<p><br>The first time I tried composing an original melody, was when I was 17 years old - as a lonesome, lovelorn teenager, in my <em>incredible</em> naivety, I thought it would be a really novel way to make my romantic intentions known to the very first girl I felt an attraction to, <em>by going through the Herculean task of writing, recording and sending her a tape of a love song, complete with piano accompaniment!</em> Here is a recent recording for solo piano, of this very same melody:<br><br><a href="/files/493267/my-first-composition.mp3" data-imported="1">My_First_Composition.mp3</a><br><br>Alas, after all this frankly <em style="font-size: medium;">barmy</em> amount of effort, naturally, the poor girl must have thought I was some sort of<em style="font-size: medium;"> stalker</em> (and told me in no uncertain terms precisely where she thought I should stick the cassette tape I had sent her!). All my aspirations as a young composer were not so much dashed, but just like my heart at this time, <em style="font-size: medium;">were broken beyond repair!</em></p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br>COMPOSING NEW MUSIC FOR AN ANCIENT LYRE</strong></span><br><br>Attempting to write this first ever tune for piano also seemed to take an eternity. It certainly seems to be the case, <em>that the more mental effort one puts into creating an original melody, the less inspirational the resulting melody will sound</em>. <br><br>This is something I also discovered a year later, in November 1986 at my first term of University, when I had the <em>sublime</em> privilege of seeing the living Blues legend and indeed, the father of what was to become Rock n' Roll, the one and only <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.B._King" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.B._King" target="_blank" data-imported="1">B.B King</a> playing <em>live</em>, during his 60th birthday UK tour...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/bb583b61586316d421f635cf824d4a1c631abb8e/original/bb.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDUyNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="525" width="400" /><br><br>It was not the number of notes or the technique behind the notes which mattered in BB King's guitar epic playing - it was the incredible fact, that each and every note he played <em>weighted about 10 tons a piece & seemed to originate from deep down, somewhere within the man's very soul! </em>This is what makes music <em>great</em> music - the magic in music, <em>is being able to communicate directly to the listener, the emotion and feeling being expressed by either the musician or the composer behind the music.</em><br><br>These lessons were something I carried with me over 2 decades later, when I finally picked up a lyre for the first time in 2006! Some of my compositions for lyre are therefore absolutely <em>spontaneous improvisations</em>, such as <em><a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-music-of-moses/id295165096?i=295165110" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Music of Moses" (an improvisation on an ancient Egyptian scale)</a></em> and <em><a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-lyre-improvisation/id338195640?i=338195709" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"An Ancient Lyre" (an improvisation on a particularly evocative Indian Sitar tuning I had heard)</a></em> <br><br></p>
<p>For the majority of my original compositions, though, I<em> use a compromise between pure, unplanned improvisation and pre-planned composition</em>. Generally, I tend to first come up with a basic binary melodic theme <em><a title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/composing_new_music_in_the_original_ancient_greek_modes/" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/composing_new_music_in_the_original_ancient_greek_modes/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">based on the particular individual characher of the specific ancient musical mode I wish to use</a></em>, then use the virtually <em>limitless</em> possibilities of the lyre to embellish and add<em> <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterophony" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterophony" target="_blank" data-imported="1">heterophonic development</a> </em>of these themes, by use of a diverse range lyre playing techniques which I like to use. These techniques offer almost limitless possibilities for improvisation, for example:<br><br>1. Alternating between rapid plectrum & finger-plucked tones<br><br>2. Playing pure finger-plucked intervals with the left hand to accompany a plectrum-plucked melody in the right hand.<br><br>3. Playing plectrum-plucked bass notes to accompany a finger-plucked melody.<br><br>4. Playing a plectrum-plucked tremolo in the bass to accompany a finger-plucked melody.<br><br>5. Using tremolo in the actual melody line.<br><br>6. Strumming rhythm with a plectrum like a guitar - notes not required to sound are blocked by fingers in the left hand.<br><br>7. Hitting the strings percussively with a wooden baton like a hammered dulcimer - <em><a title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/cyprus_palestine__the_ancient_mesopotamian_lyre/" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/blogs/cyprus_palestine__the_ancient_mesopotamian_lyre/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">a technique I inferred from illustrations of lyre players seen in both the Bas Reliefs from the Palace of Nineveh and in the Pahos Mosiacs in Cyprus</a></em>, who all seem to be using a small wooden baton to hit the strings of their lyres, rather than the usual plectrum to pluck the strings.<br><br>8. The use of harmonics by plucking the strings whilst lightly finger-stopping the strings at their centre with the left hand.<br><br>9. The use of accidentals, portamento and microtones <em>by using the left hand thumb nail as a moveable fret on the string</em>. This works even better, by also placing the middle finger against the string, so that it is pinched between this finger and the thumb nail.</p>
<p>10. The use of parallel motion - using finger-plucked and plectrum-plucked tones generally an interval of 3rd apart in sections of a melody.<br><br>With this almost <em>infinite</em> palette of tonal variations, coloured by the unique individual characteristics of each of the many ancient musical modes, almost an infinite number of wonderful melodies can be conjured out of the air with virtually no effort! <em>The lyre truly was, the "magic wand" of the ancients...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/69d26c112134daf9f557caacfb4fac2c304b7103/original/cyprus064-1-2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTgweDg1OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="859" width="580" /><br><br></em></p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417842018-09-28T12:00:00-12:002019-12-31T03:57:57-12:00The 'Lyre 2.0' Project<p><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE LYRE 2.0 PROJECT:<br>REINTRODUCING THE BEAUTIFUL LYRE OF ANTIQUITY INTO THE MODERN WORLD</span></strong><br><br>Since June 2014, I have been delighted to announce an exciting new collaboration entitled <em>"The Lyre 2.0 Project"</em>, between myself and the specialist ancient Greek lyre makers from Thessaloniki, <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/">"Luthieros - Ancient & Modern Music Instruments"</a><br><br><br><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/699d08dbf46a87d776f6ee58c6fbab6f67eb4420/original/michael-levy-kithara.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDMzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="338" width="600" /></em><br><br>The essential concept of the "Lyre 2.0 Project", <em>is our shared vision of reintroducing the beautiful lyre of antiquity back into our much less beautiful, bland, modern world.</em> Recently, this inspirational project was featured as a new entry in the prestigious <a data-imported="1" href="http://etc.ancient.eu/2016/01/11/luthieros-lyre-2-0-project/" target="_blank" title="Read This Article in the Ancient History Encyclopedia!">Ancient History Encyclopedia</a>.<br><br>There is a series of video presentations about my collaboration in the project, filmed whilst I had the pleasure of visiting the Luthieros team in Thessaloniki in October 2015. The videos in this series were directed and produced by Panagiotis Tsandaris: <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.backdrop.gr" target="_blank" title="http://www.backdrop.gr">http://www.backdrop.gr</a><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BHC3ZJGLWJ0" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>VIDEOS OF MY LIVE PERFORMANCES ON LUTHERIOS REPLICA ANCIENT GREEK INSTRUMENTS FILMED ON LOCATION IN ANCIENT EUROPOS</strong></span><br><br>Here is another video in the series, filmed on location at the site of an ancient Greek burial ground in ancient Europos, by Panagiotis Tsandaris, featuring a performance on the lovingly recreated Luthieros <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-king-lyre-of-pan-kylix-lyre-11strings-ancient-greek-lyre-massive-authentic-lyre-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instruments" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-king-lyre-of-pan-kylix-lyre-11strings-ancient-greek-lyre-massive-authentic-lyre-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instruments">replica ancient Greek tortoise shell lyre</a>:<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rZu1cTAiqEw" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>The next video filmed in tis unique ancient Greek archaeological site, features the Luthieros replica ancient Greek <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/ancient-sambuca-ancient-harp-like-lyre-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/ancient-sambuca-ancient-harp-like-lyre-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument">Sambuca</a> - an archaic arched harp with a resonator made of an actual tortoise shell:<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vkfjfzv781Q" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>Here is a video featuring the Luthieros replica ancient Greek <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-dark-lyre-of-sappho-ancient-greek-barbiton-lyre-9-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-dark-lyre-of-sappho-ancient-greek-barbiton-lyre-9-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument">Barbiton or Barbitos</a> - a bass register tortoise shell lyre, favoured by the ancient Greek lyrical poet, <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho">Sappho of Lesbos:</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mm9GnKjTKpc" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p><p><br>The next video in this series, features one of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-11-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-11-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument">the Luthieros Chelys (Tortoise Shell Form) Lyres</a> - made with a resonator of wood in the form of the tortoise shell for a richer tone. In this video, I also demonstrate some of the wonderful rhythmic possibilities on this lyre, using<a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/ancient-lyre-plectrum-two-animal-bone-authentic-ancient-pick-for-stringed-instruments-top-quality-artefact-actual-playing-pickv" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/ancient-lyre-plectrum-two-animal-bone-authentic-ancient-pick-for-stringed-instruments-top-quality-artefact-actual-playing-pickv"> the Luthieros replica 2500 year old carved bone plectrum</a> to also percussively hit the skin of the soundboard, in addition to plucking the strings:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CjYAth5AyE0" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p><p> </p><p><br>The next video features a similar type of chelys form lyre, <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/lyre-of-the-blind-bard-homer-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-9-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/lyre-of-the-blind-bard-homer-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-9-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument">"The Lyre of the Blind Bard Homer"</a>, which has a distinctive treble register timbre:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LxUQw3rykUk" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p><p><br>The next video from the epic film shoot in ancient Europos, features the Luthieros replica ancient Greek angular harp, known as the <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lethe-harp-the-ancient-greek-harp-of-oblivion-epigonion-psaltery-12string-harp-top-quality-handcrafted-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lethe-harp-the-ancient-greek-harp-of-oblivion-epigonion-psaltery-12string-harp-top-quality-handcrafted-instrument">Epigonion</a>:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQOKZTo8pgg" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p><p><br>The final videos which of my performance of the Luthieros ancient Greek Kithara and Phorminx can be seen in the section of this site dedicated to my own research about <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-kithara-of-ancient-greece-rome" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_kithara_of_ancient_greece__rome/">the ancient Kithara of ancient Greece and Rome</a> - these lyres feature the wonderfully reconstructed 2500 year old vibrato mechanism, of which, as I argue in my research, there is almost an overwhelming body of visual evidence to support this theory.<br><br><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LYRE 2.0 PROJECT</span></strong><br><br>As my own own ongoing contributions to this unique collaboration, I have written <a data-imported="1" href="/files/493258/a-brief-history-of-the-lyre-second-revision.pdf" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/files/A_BRIEF_HISTORY_OF_THE_LYRE_SECOND_REVISION.pdf">a booklet outlining the history of the lyre, lyre playing techniques, the unique characteristics of the ancient Greek modes</a>, <a data-imported="1" href="/files/493249/music-for-10-string-lyre.pdf" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/files/Music_For_10_String_Lyre.PDF">notated my arrangements of music for solo lyre</a> (featuring some original ancient Greek melodies and a selection of my own compositions in a selection of some of the original ancient Greek modes) and recording a CD to accompany the booklet of notated music to capture the haunting and evocative ancient timbre of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-11-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/product/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii-ancient-greek-lyre-chelys-11-strings-top-quality-handcrafted-musical-instrument"><em style="font-size: medium;">"The Lyre of Apollo III"</em> </a> model which Luthieros custom made for me in December 2014. The CD (the physical CD of my album <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_lyre_of_apollo:_the_chelys_lyre_of_ancient_greece/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_lyre_of_apollo:_the_chelys_lyre_of_ancient_greece/">"The Lyre of Apollo: The Chelys Lyre of Ancient Greece"</a></em>) and booklet will be included with each beautiful Luthieros lyre sold. <br><br>Other physical CDs of my albums to also be included in sales of the Luthieros lyre range, include my albums <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/a_well_tuned_lyre:_the_just_intonation_of_antiquity/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/a_well_tuned_lyre:_the_just_intonation_of_antiquity/"><em>"A Well Tuned Lyre: The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</em> </a>, <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_lyre_of_hermes/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_lyre_of_hermes/"><em>"The Lyre of Hermes"</em> </a> and featuring the wonderful replica tortoise shell lyre, my album <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_ancient_greek_tortoise_shell_lyre/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_greek_themed_albums/the_ancient_greek_tortoise_shell_lyre/"><em>"The Ancient Greek Tortoise Shell Lyre"</em> </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>My new meditative compilation album, <a data-imported="1" href="http://ancientlyre.com/compilation_albums_for_solo_lyre/ancient_lyre_music_for_meditation/" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/compilation_albums_for_solo_lyre/ancient_lyre_music_for_meditation/"><em>"Ancient Lyre Music for Meditation"</em> </a> with also be featuring tracks recorded with the Luthieros replica Barbitos, Kithara and Tortoise Shell Lyres.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/71647d3ebcd961ab22cebe9dfd4cbaf4b80f6588/original/lyre-2-0-book-with-cd.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /><br><br>I have also compiled <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/learn-to-play-the-lyre" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/learn-to-play-the-lyre">a series of special beginners tuition videos for the lyres made by Luthieros.</a><br><br>The following slide show presentation I put together, features my composition <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-aphrodite-original/id393321464?i=393321476" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track on iTunes!">"Ode To Aphrodite"</a></em>, from my album <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-greek-lyre/id393321464" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on iTunes!"><em>"The Ancient Greek Lyre"</em> </a> arranged for the beautiful, exotic timbre of the <em>"Lyre of Apollo III"</em>:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bn-VJAcAd44" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>SOME BASIC BACKGROUND ABOUT LUTHIEROS</strong></span><br><br>Luthieros are comprised of members of the Koumartzis family of specialist musical instrument makers, musicians and researchers, who are based in Thessaloniki, Greece: <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/95da5694e79bbe1458801c18876499c31220bf79/original/koum.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTIweDM0NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="347" width="520" /><br><br><br>The master luthier of the family, is <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.luthieros.com/about-2" target="_blank" title="http://en.luthieros.com/about-2">Anastasios Koumartzis, whose sons manage research and production, public relations and global web representation</a>.Here is one of the Luthieros video presentations, outlining the detailed production and research process entailed in recreating their beautiful lyres:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="281" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/109957678" width="500"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The Luthieros inspirational "Lyre 2.0 Project" <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.lifo.gr/team/gnomes/5159" target="_blank" title="See This Article in 'Lifo' Magazine!">recently featured in an article in "Lifo Magazine"</a> - one of the most widely read cultural magazines in Greece.</p>
<p><br>Their vision is one I share and which continues to inspire me - maybe, some day soon, the beautiful lyre of antiquity will once again resonate the bland modern world with its haunting, ancient beauty...<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/66LnJGGjzyg" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><br>One of the most innovative of all the video presentations Luthieros have produced in collaboration with <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.backdrop.gr" target="_blank" title="http://www.backdrop.gr">Panagiotis Tsandaris</a>, is an arrangement of the theme of the cult television series, <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones" target="_blank" title="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones">"Game of Thrones"</a></em>, featuring almost their entire range of replica ancient Greek lyres:<br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MD6uXXZwfi8" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">HOW TO ACQUIRE A BEAUTIFUL LUTHIEROS LYRE</span></strong><br><br><em>For a special discount of 25 Euros for each and every new order from Luthiers, simply quote the voucher code <strong>"MICHAELLEVY01"</strong> for each new order!</em> Here are some examples of the beautiful lyres available to purchase from the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Luthieros" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Luthieros">Luthieros Etsy Store</a> - <em>simply click on the photos below to be directed to the purchase links:</em><br><br><em><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/239400778/cithara-of-the-golden-age-ancient-greek?ref=shop_home_feat_1" target="_blank" title="Buy This Beautiful Instrument From Luthieros!"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/dd6d0ea9e77af10467a130037ca743f034dcb7d5/original/cithara.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDc2MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="760" width="570" /> </a><br><br>Kithara of the Golden Age<br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/245789449/phorminx-advanced-lyre-like-7-or-9?ref=shop_home_active_23" target="_blank" title="Buy This Beautiful Instrument From Luthieros!"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/112aa7083619e609b29bc3a5f8c99b26998187f4/original/phorminx.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br>Phorminx</em><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/188606073/the-lyre-of-hermes-ancient-greek-lyre?ref=shop_home_feat_1" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/188606073/the-lyre-of-hermes-ancient-greek-lyre?ref=shop_home_feat_1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/4bed6f9f47ce062b6adb9c23c267bbe11c6532e6/original/hermes1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Lyre of Hermes</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/197578684/the-lyre-of-apollo-ancient-greek-lyre?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/197578684/the-lyre-of-apollo-ancient-greek-lyre?ref=shop_home_feat_2"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/64f436e0148b46aea5f1daa51fdcc02d0b7ddeac/original/the-lyre-of-apollo.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Lyre of Apollo</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205372944/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus-plus?ref=shop_home_feat_4" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205372944/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus-plus?ref=shop_home_feat_4"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a0f789dfa31149d2d2aec0579412ebeba9c32015/original/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Marvellous Lyre of Olympus</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/210981106/the-golden-lyre-of-erato-lovers-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/210981106/the-golden-lyre-of-erato-lovers-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_2"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/15af20526e64db69986b0d4b940edcc69c01e014/original/the-golden-lyre-of-erato.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDc2MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="760" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Golden Lyre of Erato</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205131814/the-lyre-of-apollo-ii-hand-painted?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205131814/the-lyre-of-apollo-ii-hand-painted?ref=shop_home_active_3"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/876fbbb12a46121f8c3d9069d1487fdbe54c908f/original/the-lyre-of-apollo-ii-hand-painted.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br>The Lyre of Apollo II (Hand Painted)<br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/188608295/the-dark-lyre-of-orpheus-the-lyre-of-the?ref=shop_home_active_4" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/188608295/the-dark-lyre-of-orpheus-the-lyre-of-the?ref=shop_home_active_4"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/d519a841f8582eec78b34ab04b23aba2a760e7d7/original/the-dark-lyre-of-orpheus.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Dark Lyre of Orpheus - The Lyre of the Underworld</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/206797077/the-barbiton-lyre-of-sappho-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_15" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/206797077/the-barbiton-lyre-of-sappho-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_15"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5feed331205bb3ba0b37beb67a7e8279d2edd781/original/the-barbiton-lyre-of-sappho.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Barbiton Lyre of Sappho</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/209965609/the-lyre-of-sappho-ii-ancient-greek?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/209965609/the-lyre-of-sappho-ii-ancient-greek?ref=shop_home_active_5"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3e9d477194906cd5820cabd027a5a0ed730defb5/original/the-lyre-of-sappho-ii-ancient-greek-barbiton-lyre.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDQyOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="428" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Lyre of Sappho II - Ancient Greek Barbiton Lyre</em><br><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/209010968/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii-ancient-greek?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=the+lyre+of+apollo+iii&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank" title="Order This Lyre From the Luthieros Etsy Store!"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c2f2d0e0fa467ba4bd91df24c96bce598680bae7/original/the-lyre-of-apollo-iii.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDQyOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="428" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Lyre of Apollo III</em><br><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205372944/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus-plus?ref=shop_home_active_16" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/205372944/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus-plus?ref=shop_home_active_16"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a0f789dfa31149d2d2aec0579412ebeba9c32015/original/the-marvellous-lyre-of-olympus.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Marvellous Lyre of Olympus</em><br><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/197592399/the-marvellous-lyre-of-terpander-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_22" target="_blank" title="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/197592399/the-marvellous-lyre-of-terpander-ancient?ref=shop_home_active_22"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/d8324c35d6c8929610fcd30614b5f7660277b50f/original/the-marvellous-lyre-of-terpander.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTcweDM3OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="379" width="570" /> </a><br><br><em>The Marvellous Lyre of Terpander</em><br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MY EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING "THE LYRE OF APOLLO"</strong></span><br><br>Inspirationally authentic - this was my first observation! In particular, the unique, exotic timbre of this lyre is mainly thanks to the much more authentically 'bench-shaped' bridge - much wider at the top and flatter than the standard guitar-style "A-shaped' bridges which feature on my other lyres.<br><br>The shape of the lyre bridge is really significant in the creation of the unique tone of the lyre, for whereas the modern guitar-style 'A-shaped' bridge is designed to be buzz-free, creating a pure, harp-like tone almost all detailed illustrations of ancient lyres seem to show the flatter, bench-shaped bridge, which creates a completely different tone!<br><br>The wider top of these 'bench-shaped' bridges creates a subtle but very pleasant 'buzz' to the overall timbre - rather like that of a sitar, or a much more subtle version of the <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/have-the-biblical-lyres-survived-to-the-present-day-in-africa" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/have_the_biblical_lyres_survived_to_the_present_day_in_africa/">begena</a>, a lyre still played today in Ethiopia, where the inherent buzz of the archaic flatter lyre bridge has become the primary feature of the particular tone of this bass register 10-string lyre.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>I have always suspected that one of the Biblical lyres, the 10-string <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-biblical-kinnor" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_biblical_kinnor/">'Kinnor'</a> also possessed a similar timbre, for the ancient Hebrew word for melody, pronounced '<em>Zemer'</em>, to me, always sounded <em>onomatopoeic</em> - one could almost hear the buzz of the ancient lyre strings in the sound of the word <em>'Zemer'</em> itself!<br><br>Every detail of this beautiful lyre has been designed with authenticity in mind, even down to the incredibly useful and aesthetically pleasing braided <em>'telamon'</em> - the strap traditionally used to play the lyre with two hands simultaneously, which contrary to the prevailing prejudice for a belief in <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-urban-myth-of-the-monotony-of-monophony-in-the-ancient-world" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_urban_myth_of_the_monotony_of_monophony_in_the_ancient_world/">the 'urban myth' of the monotony of monophony in the ancient world</a>, this is <em>exactly</em> how these beautiful instruments were indeed designed to be played in antiquity, as illustrated in countless actual ancient depictions of lyre players:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/125455dbee61a426bd2369b3b98d68344bd53ad5/original/strap2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDI3eDUwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="500" width="427" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/bceb22149b4d77a3709e76e9bc1353b77e2f2625/original/lyre-strap.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDM0MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="341" width="400" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5d5ece1af23f48010ddff852fd872ec16fd28e8d/original/strap.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mjk2eDY0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="640" width="296" /><br><br>Another really authentic feature which appealed to me greatly, <em>was the use of a perfectly straight bridge</em> - the other lyres I own, all have a steeply slanted bridge to compensate for the tension of the thinner treble strings and much thicker bass strings, similar to the way a guitar bridge slants, providing greater vibrating length to the bass strings and less vibrating length to the treble, thus evening out string tension.<br><br>In this beautiful, lyre, since low tension gut strings are used, which are also of fine gauge, there is no need to slant the bridge in this way - which is really great for playing harmonics, because the point at which the harmonic can be produced by lightly stopping the string at the centre, is at exactly the same point for each string.<br><br>Also, by the addition of an extra telamon half way up the length of the arms of the lyre (this time, 'authentically' fashioned from a pair of my wife's old nlyon stockings!), I have found that it is then possible to achieve some of the lyre playing techniques for playing the accidentals clearly indicated in many of the surviving fragments of ancient Greek music, which was hypothesized by the musicologist, Curt Sachs - the use of either the knuckle or nail of the left thumb as a fret at the top of the string, to raise its pitch by either the required semitone, or indeed, microtone. There is evidence I found of such a technique used by ancient Egyptian harpists, at least a thousand years before the Golden Age of ancient Greece, as seen in this illustration of a harpist in a relief from tomb 11 in the Ta-Apet (Thebes) area (New Kingdom circa 1520 BCE) clearly seen using a finger to change the vibrating length of a specific harp string:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/860832b348eeeb826b7cf9ac7c2109156c470123/original/but-harpist-string-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDQ4eDYwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="600" width="448" /><br><br>I found it very easy to adapt to this 'string stopping' technique on my 'Lyre of Apollo' as unlike the other lyres I own, just as on the actual lyres of antiquity, <em>the strings on my 'Lyre of Apollo' are fanned out, so that they are much closer together at the bridge than they are towards the tuning pegs</em>, which leaves easily manageable, wide spaces at the top of the strings to insert my thumb in order to raise the pitch of the individual strings. I could actually comfortably fit my thumb in sideways - a feat impossible on my other lyres, in which the strings are all perfectly vertical with equal narrow spaces between them.<br><br>Here is a video I recorded to demonstrate both this 'string stopping' technique and the ease of playing harmonics on my beautiful 'Lyre of Apollo' in this performance of my composition, <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-zeus-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158423" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track on iTunes!"><em>"Hymn To Zeus"</em> </a> from my album "<em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on iTunes!">Apollo's</a></em><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on iTunes!"> Lyre</a>":</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IRYvQQ319Uk" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Unlike<em> </em>the harp<em>, these authentically made lyres are strung with the bass strings closest to the player and the treble strings farthest away - </em>which although this took a few hours to get used to, also adds to the authentic lyre playing experience! There was a very specific reason for this particular stringing configuration of the lyre in antiquity, in contrast to that of the harp, as clearly explained here by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/" target="_blank" title="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/">John Wheeler</a>, in a discussion thread about this subject in the Facebook group, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/189117621210658/" target="_blank" title="https://www.facebook.com/groups/189117621210658/">"The Lyre"</a>:<br><br><em>"Without exception, where the evidence is unambiguous – in dozens if not scores of illustrations cited by Prof. Richard Dumbrill in his book on the Archaeomusicology of the Ancient Near East (ANE) – the ancient asymmetrical lyre player always had the bass strings nearest to him. If he was a right-handed player, the bass strings were on the left of the lyre from the front. If he was a left-handed player, the bass strings were on the right of the lyre. Presumably the trend continued in symmetrical lyres (old habits die hard).</em><br><br><em>So what was a multi-instrumentalist of the ANE to do? Is there the slightest evidence that any of them ever said, “Oh, dear, I’m playing a lyre now rather than a harp – I have to string the lyre so that it matches harp stringing?” No, indeed! There was a reason why the lyre player kept the bass strings nearest to him: the resonance of the instrument, which is something he could feel and which was reinforced by contact with his body (and vice versa). Harps followed a different path of development and projected their sound in a different way. For the resonance to affect the harpist’s body and vice versa, different points of contact had to be made"</em><br><br>Regarding the actual construction of my<em> 'Lyre of Apollo III'</em> model by Luthieros, the instrument is incredibly lightly built and responsive, with ample volume, even from its low tension gut strings. In the other models by Luthieros such as the<em> 'Lyre of Hermes' and 'The Golden Lyre of Erato'</em>, the tortoise shell-style resonator featured in these models is still fashioned from wood for this much more desirable, light and responsive tone, but as the photos of these lyres show, the wood is painstakingly carved to look identical to a tortoise shell (the material originally used to fashion the resonator for the ancient Greek lyra). The attention to detail is phenomenal - for their 'Lyre of Hermes', 'The Golden Lyre of Erato' and 'The Dark Lyre of Orpheus' models, Luthieros actually use cutting edge 3D laser scanning technology<em> to replicate every detail of an actual tortoise shell in wood:</em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/e7bf46d5af18000cfa0fb637f57f11c0d523a3fd/original/laser-scanning.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTIweDI3MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="273" width="520" /><br><br>Indeed, the <em>only</em> concession to modernity, is the much more practical use of friction tuning pegs, instead of the rather unstable and difficult archaic tuning system of leather bands over which the strings were wrapped and the leather band twisted to get the strings stretched to the required pitch (sometimes with the aid of tuning rods inserted into the string spool) which were generally used in antiquity and indeed, which are still used today on most of <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/the-incredible-survival-of-the-harps-lyres-of-antiquity-in-africa-today" target="_blank" title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_incredible_survival_of_the_harps__lyres_of_antiquity_in_africa_today/">the wonderfully archaic lyres still played in Africa</a>:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a08fe55187a69079fd0a144389378344fba40aac/original/african-lyre.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDI3eDU0OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="548" width="427" /><br><br>However, even these rather smart-looking tuning pegs do indeed <em>look</em> rather like the original antique-style tuning rods! <br><br><br><em>All of the beautiful lyres, lovingly hand-crafted by Luthieros are indeed, divine artifacts, reintroduced into the modern world...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417802018-09-27T12:00:00-12:002019-03-13T15:01:02-12:0021st Century Lyre Music?
<p><br>Sadly, the wonderful Classical lyre of antiquity fell into disuse and eventually oblivion at the end of the Dark Ages in the West, not replaced by the harp, but by the increasing preference for and resulting development of the fretted lute family of instruments, leading eventually to the evolution of the modern guitar and in modern times, the electric guitar, which was to become part of the very fabric of the modern popular music we know today...<br><br>However, imagine an <em>"Alternative Universe"</em> - where instead, the preference may have been for the timeless lyre and as a consequence, <em>all of the fiendish fretted lute family were the musical instruments which vanished from the musical map of the 21st century! </em><br><br>Imagining such an <em>"Alternative Universe"</em>, the Classical lyre would have continued to have evolved, including the dawn of electric lyres (which would have become as familiar in popular music as the guitar is on our own, much poorer Universe!) What would the lyre have sounded like, then, if it had continued to develop into our present century? This novel idea may have been what also inspired the creator of <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Star Trek"</a> to feature <a title="Hear Spock's " href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1XESPCg6ns" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Spock's "Vulcan Harp"</a>:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/37cda245f83029a9abb7c96ad6e7f9c210dd5092/original/vulcan.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /><br><br><em><strong>It was this concept, which inspired the creation of my ultra-experimental LP, <a title="New Age Space Music - for LYRE!" href="http://ancientlyre.com/new_age_ambient_space_music_album/ascension_of_the_lyre/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ascension of the Lyre"</a></strong></em><br><br>The concept also has inspired my brand new series of Youtube videos, <em><a title="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMukF3RspKy_F1K_2Q_x_AkYcl8Kl-BFB" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMukF3RspKy_F1K_2Q_x_AkYcl8Kl-BFB" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"21st Century Lyre Music?"</a> </em><br><br>In the Youtube series of videos, it has been my aim to transport the forgotten lyre of antiquity into the 21st century musical experience, using a selection of some of the very same effects which have made the electric guitar so popular...ins such an alternative Universe, I wonder if the late great Jimi Hendrix would have also been inspired to <em>set fire to the lyre...</em>my fiendish musical experiments can all be seen & heard below!<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br>THE LYRE OF ANTIQUITY - WITH FLANGER!</strong></span><br><br>The video features a performance of one of my favourite compositions for solo lyre - <em><a title="Buy This Single on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/neros-lyre-lament-for-solo/id545685650" data-imported="1">Nero's Lyre</a></em> (a lament for solo lyre in the just intonation of antiquity)...with VERY 21st century <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanging" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanging" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Flanger effects</a>, (courtesy of my VOX Valvetonix Guitar Amp!!):<br><br><br></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TJpumg3P-qM" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br>THE LYRE OF ANTIQUITY - WITH AUTO-WAH!</strong></span><br><br>The video features a completely spontaneous improvisation for solo lyre - with <em>"sonically surreal"</em> <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-wah" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-wah" target="_blank" data-imported="1">AUTO WAH effects</a>...<br><br><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lnrE8RosKdI" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br>THE LYRE OF ANTIQUITY - WITH DISTORTION!</strong></span><br><br>The video features a performance of <a title="Buy This Track From iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gloria-belli-glory-of-battle/id784145351?i=784145382" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>"Gloria Belli" (Glory of Battle)</em></a>, track 7 from my album <a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-roman-lyre/id784145351" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>"The Ancient Roman Lyre"</em></a> - with <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distortion_(music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distortion_(music)" target="_blank" data-imported="1">DISTORTION</a> & <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanging" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanging" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FLANGER REVERB</a>! In this particular video, the lyre of antiquity, has been dragged, quite literally, kicking and <em>screaming</em> into the 21st century:<br><br><br><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/axgC-d1BfVU" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE LYRE OF ANTIQUITY - WITH PHASER!</strong></span><br><br>The video features a performance of my composition <em><a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-zeus-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158423" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Hymn to Zeus"</a></em>, track 3 from my album <em><a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Apollo's Lyre"</a></em>...with trippy <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaser_(effect)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaser_(effect)" target="_blank" data-imported="1">PHASER effects</a>! <br><br><br><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P4wf2Kfh_TI" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br>This latest experiment was the one which I think actually added something unique to the tone of the lyre and the reason for this, is, ironically, maybe something to do with how the actual Classical Kithara of ancient Greece may have actually sounded! Indeed, there has been fascinating research, to suggest that the Kithara had a really unique spring & counterweight mechanism incorporated into the instrument, which allowed the arms of the Kithara to have some lateral movement when the strings were struck, thus slightly altering the string tension. The counterweight attached at the ends of the arms then served the function of slowing down the speed of this subtle pitch-bending lateral oscillation of the arms of the Kithara <em>which created a vocal-style vibrato effect!</em> A detailed PDF of the research paper by Pavel Kurfurst on this topic, can be freely downloaded <a title="Pavel Kurfurst " href="http://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/112395/H_Musicologica_25-1990-1_2.pdf" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>here</em><br><br></a>The phaser effect with my lyre, is probably as near as I can get, <em>to recreating an evocation of what this fabulous vibrato technique on the Kithara may actually have sounded, some 2500 years ago!</em><br><br>Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of oblivion, maybe one day, the wonderful lyre of antiquity will once again become a part of the everyday musical experience of mankind - <em>my musical experiments may be a catalyst to spark the brave new "Lyre Music Revolution" to (hopefully!) come...<br></em><br>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417932018-09-26T12:00:00-12:002019-06-30T20:14:44-12:00Use of my Lyre Music in Immersive Online History Courses
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MY ANCIENT GREEK LYRE MUSIC - LICENSED BY PEARSON EDUCATION</span></strong><br><br>I am delighted to announce, that from June 2019, a selection of my ancient Greek-themed lyre tracks are to be featured in a new immersive online world history course, <a title="https://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZu4y&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbSubSolutionId&PMDbCategoryId=815&PMDbSubCategoryId&PMDbSubjectAreaId&PMDbProgramId=161321&fbclid=IwAR2Zodd5qnFnlH8Am1z7NYIsfsxjoCKvr43CyUZ1dyhcRUKjcx2ty555d-g" href="https://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZu4y&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbSubSolutionId&PMDbCategoryId=815&PMDbSubCategoryId&PMDbSubjectAreaId&PMDbProgramId=161321&fbclid=IwAR2Zodd5qnFnlH8Am1z7NYIsfsxjoCKvr43CyUZ1dyhcRUKjcx2ty555d-g" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>"Imagine World History"</em> </a>- produced by Pearson Education, for use by high schools across the entire continent of the United States - <em>for the next decade! </em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c62085f48dd51a693f4ceda85f206bbb169d931e/original/pearson-education-michael-levy-lyre-music.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDA5eDEyMyJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="123" width="409" /><br><br>The tracks featured, are my arrangements for solo lyre, of some of the surviving notated music of ancient Greece, including the <em>"Epitaph of Seikilos"</em>, <em>"The First Delphic Hymn to Apollo"</em> and another ancient Greek music fragment.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/9873970bfec4bcd835f85505a17c8b2e8578b560/original/michael-levy-ancient-lyre.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDYyNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="625" width="500" /><br><br><em><strong>For permission to use any tracks from my extensive repertoire of ancient world-themed music in similar educational projects, <a title="http://ancientlyre.com/music_licensing/" href="/music-licensing" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">please see my webpage on music licensing</a>.<br><br></strong></em></p>
<hr>
<p><br><br><br></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417912018-09-26T12:00:00-12:002019-12-31T03:59:39-12:00Bringing Ancient History 'Back to Life' - Literally!<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>USE OF MY HISTORIC LYRE MUSIC AT INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MUSEUMS ALL AROUND THE WORLD!</strong></span><br><br><br>One of the greatest rewards of my <em>'new ancestral'</em> musical mission, is the recognition of my music as a <em>'time machine'</em>, by internationally acclaimed museums all over the world, who have used my lyre music as soundscapes to enhance their exhibitions <em>- it has been a privilege to find my music used to literally bring ancient history 'back to life'! </em><br><br><em><strong>For consideration of the licensing of my music for any future museum exhibition soundscapes, audio-visual tour guides etc, <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/contact" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/contact">please contact me directly</a>.</strong></em><br><br>Here are some of the museums around the world which have featured my music to date...</p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS</strong></span><br><br>A selection from my ancient Greek-themed lyre albums will be featured in the exhibition <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/ancient-greece" target="_blank" title="https://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/ancient-greece">"Treasures of Ancient Greece"</a></em> - to be held between June 15, 2019 to Jan. 5, 2020 at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/ancient-greece" target="_blank" title="https://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/ancient-greece"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5ba73e39fc27358fe08bf0f3d9c049f7979d26d5/original/treasure-of-ancient-greece.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDIyOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="228" width="600" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE, WASHINGTON DC</strong></span><br><br>A selection of my ancient Biblical-themed music, from my albums <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JA3ZNY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_2QXEzbAP1NRHH" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="Buy this CD on Amazon!">"King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel"</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/king-davids-harp" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on Bandcamp!">"King David's Harp"</a> are featured in perpetuity, as the part of the soundscapes created for <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.museumofthebible.org/" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="https://www.museumofthebible.org/">the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC</a></p>
<p><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/fa4c7ef03f8bc57b08a01f873fdc472c416bf819/original/museumofthebible-exterior900-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDM2MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="360" width="600" /><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>GALLERIE D'ITALIA, VICENZA, ITALY</strong></span><br><br>In February 2017, tracks from my albums <em>"Apollo's Lyre"</em> and <em>"The Ancient Greek Lyre" </em> featured in a video for the exhibition <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.gallerieditalia.com/it/events/le-ambre-della-principessa-storie-archeologia-dalla-terra-puglia/" target="_blank" title="http://www.gallerieditalia.com/it/events/le-ambre-della-principessa-storie-archeologia-dalla-terra-puglia/">"Le ambre della principessa"</a> at Gallerie d'Italia, Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Vicenza, Italy.<br><br>In this exhibition, the video featuring my music, recreates in 3D one of the rooms of the dancers <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Dancers" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Dancers">tomb of Ruvo di Puglia (Italy)</a>, suggesting for the first time a reconstruction of the structure, discovered in the first half of 19th century, and irreparably dismembered. My lyre music was used to create an evocative music to the dance scene:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/a21c91c13619b47076be1bf88777cba4cfc4748e/original/femmes-peucetes-dansant-fresque.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDE4MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="180" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p><br><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">THE PROVINCIAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF OURENSE, SPAIN</span></strong><br><br>In August 2017, track 1 from my album, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/ancient_roman_themed_albums/ode_to_ancient_rome/" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/ancient_roman_themed_albums/ode_to_ancient_rome/">"Ode to Ancient Rome"</a> was used in conjunction with a 3D animation by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.lafactoria3d.es" target="_blank" title="http://www.lafactoria3d.es">Lafactoria 3D</a>, in which featured the scanning and digital reconstruction of a damaged Roman marble statue, found in Muradella (Verín) in 1964.<br><br>Currently both the original statue and the 3D animation of its reconstruction is on display in the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Ourense, Spain:<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://sketchfab.com/models/ac668e00d3a348ab8e65569474e8b929/embed" width="640"></iframe>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px; color: #4a4a4a;"><a data-imported="1" href="https://sketchfab.com/models/ac668e00d3a348ab8e65569474e8b929?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campain=share-popup" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1caad9;" target="_blank">DIONISOS E AMPELOS</a> by <a data-imported="1" href="https://sketchfab.com/lafactoria3d?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campain=share-popup" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1caad9;" target="_blank">lafactoria3d</a> on <a data-imported="1" href="https://sketchfab.com?utm_medium=embed&utm_source=website&utm_campain=share-popup" style="font-weight: bold; color: #1caad9;" target="_blank">Sketchfab<br><br><br> </a></p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM</strong></span><br><br>Between April 7, 2014 to Jan. 5, 2015, tracks from my 2011 compilation album, <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-landscapes/id438558025" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album on iTunes!"><em>"Ancient Landscapes"</em> </a> were used in a video presentation in support of the exhibition <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/remembrance/" target="_blank" title="https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/remembrance/">"In Remembrance of Me: Feasting with the Dead in the Ancient Middle East"</a>,</em> hosted by the University of Chicago Oriental Institute Museum:</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eDF01rx1P_s" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM, CANADA</strong></span><br><br><br>Between June 22, 2013 to January 5, 2014, my<a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-ancient-ugarit-hurrian/id656967776?i=656967777" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track from iTunes!"> most recent arrangement for solo lyre of Dr Richard Dumbrill's interpretation of the 3400 year old Hurrian Hymn</a> <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-ancient-ugarit-hurrian/id656967776?i=656967777" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track from iTunes!">from Ugarit</a> was featured at the exhibition, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia" target="_blank" title="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia">"Mesopotamia</a><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia" target="_blank" title="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia">"</a>, at the Royal Ontario Museum. <br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia" target="_blank" title="http://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/mesopotamia"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/474e3ef794e40ed9bd75abf01641f6b6f0441063/original/ontario.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIyeDkwIl0%3D.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="90" width="322" /> </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p> <br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE BRITISH MUSEUM</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>In June 2013, I had the honour of being invited to perform tracks from my albums <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372">"</a><a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372" target="_blank" title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372">Ode To Ancient Rome"</a> & <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-rome/id413189409" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"Echoes of Ancient Rome"</a> in support of the exhibition at the British Museum, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx" target="_blank" title="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx">"Life & Death in Pompeii & Herculaneum"</a><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx" target="_blank" title="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx"> </a> <br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/53588d249c83e5c7834dcb4f4bb8667a17ec61be/original/event-media-banner-med.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTIweDI0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="240" width="520" /></strong></strong> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/4fad9f988538d4c91a110a4b1a9d4c00c7b70a85/original/michael-levy-ancient-lyre-music-at-the-british-museum.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /><br><br><br>Coinciding with the Pompeii exhibition, a display in Room 3 of the British Museum - <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/silver_service.aspx" target="_blank" title="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/silver_service.aspx">"Silver Service: Fine Dining in Roman Britain"</a> also featured tracks from Michael's Roman-themed albums, used to help set the mood of a reconstruction of a Roman dining room. Running from 23rd May - 4th August 2013, the display was part of the 'Objects in Focus' series which features the <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/mildenhall_treasure_great_dish.aspx" target="_blank" title="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/mildenhall_treasure_great_dish.aspx">Mildenhall Great Dish</a> displayed in the context of a late Roman dining room, including an evocation of a stibadium, the semi-circular couch which would have been in use at the time the dish was produced...<br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/6dcf7b275e936632198d330d9c56326769931b39/original/4.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjE5eDQxMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="413" width="619" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>BUTSER ANCIENT FARM</strong></span><br><br>Also in 2013, I had the unique honour of being invited to provide Roman-themed lyre music for a presentation by the ancient food expert, author and TV chef, <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Sally-Grainger/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ASally%20Grainger" target="_blank" title="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Sally-Grainger/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ASally%20Grainger">Sally Grainger</a> at the replica Roman Villa at <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/" target="_blank" title="http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/">Butser Ancient Farm</a>:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/0cb5d204a3184f558686ab3f2e69d827b0df0485/original/image002.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM0NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="345" width="500" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/af6df959fcc1d395d75fbac773a50f83edae9dd7/original/cd1ws-owaaawsbx-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAweDI4OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="289" width="300" /><br><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PRAGUE</strong></span><br><br>Tracks from my albums<a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"A Well Tuned Lyre - The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a>, <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-greek-modes/id372937241" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"The Ancient Greek Modes"</a> & <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-egyptian-harp-ep/id454315787" target="_blank" title="Buy This Album From iTunes!">"The Ancient Egyptian Harp"</a> featured in an exhibition entitled <a data-imported="1" href="http://goout.cz/en/exhibitions/prague/ve-stinu-olympu/mtui/" target="_blank" title="http://goout.cz/en/exhibitions/prague/ve-stinu-olympu/mtui/">"In The Shadow of Olympus", (Vestnu Olympu) </a>held at the National Museum of Prague between December 2012 - March 2013<br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/9b2d404a677eb51274e41dedcdbe49940dc87313/original/vest.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ROMAN BATHS AT BATH SPA</strong></span><br><br>Since May 2012, as part of the UK <a data-imported="1" href="http://visitbath.co.uk/whats-on/museums-at-night-p384193" target="_blank" title="http://visitbath.co.uk/whats-on/museums-at-night-p384193">"Museums at Night Festival"</a>, I have regularly been invited to perform live, at the world famous <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/" target="_blank" title="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/">Roman Baths at Bath Spa</a>...<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/312e0f92972943c541f9fcc61fb6f4aeb5b91942/original/dsc00433.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<hr><p class="MsoNormal"><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>LIVERPOOL PLANETARIUM</strong></span><br> </p>
<p>Back in July 2011, <em>for the very first public use of my music in an actual real space</em>, (as opposed to my usual meagre monthly digital downloads in cyberspace!), was the honour of having my ancient Egyptian & Greek lyre music featured in a presentation at Liverpool Planetarium. It was part of the museums celebration of the Festival of British Archaeology which ran from 16th – 29th of July 2011.My music was used as the accompanying soundscape to this show, which demonstrated how night sky once looked like in Antiquity.<br> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/8d6079af3f7d5d819e019a9c200fc8390c74f440/original/planetarium.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzE4eDIxMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="211" width="318" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Above all, it was so perfectly fitting, to have had <em>the</em> very first public use of my music anywhere in the world, featured in the very city of my birth!<br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417862018-09-25T12:00:00-12:002019-12-31T04:02:57-12:00Lyre Music to Bring Ancient-Themed Podcasts to Life!<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ANCIENT-THEMED PODCASTS FEATURING MY LYRE MUSIC</strong></span><br><br>As an independent artist, with no record company to promote my music on my behalf, one of the best means I have so far found, of getting my ancient-themed lyre music heard by vast swathes of potentially interested 'target audiences' <em>are the many ancient-themed podcast series in which I have had the honour of having my music being featured...<br><br><em><strong>Requests for consideration to use my music in any future relevant podcast series should be made directly to me, via <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/contact" target="_blank" title="Contact me directly!">my website contact form</a> - many thanks!</strong></em></em><br> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE WHATSHERNAME PODCAST</strong></span><br><br>In 2018, a selection of my Roman-themed lyre music <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.whatshernamepodcast.com/perpetua-felicitas/" target="_blank" title="https://www.whatshernamepodcast.com/perpetua-felicitas/">was featured in episode 22 of the "Whats Her Name" Women's History Podcast series, on the story of the ancient Roman martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas</a><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.whatshernamepodcast.com/perpetua-felicitas/" target="_blank" title="https://www.whatshernamepodcast.com/perpetua-felicitas/"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/51fec468cf435ea6e196e199f0b4421c883b3761/original/michael-levy-lyre-music-whatshername-womens-history-podcast.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDE3OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="178" width="600" /></a><br> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANTHROCHEF HISTORY OF FOOD PODCAST</strong></span><br><br>In 2017, my arrangement of the 3400 year old Hurrian Hymn from ancient Ugarit, from his 2009 album, <em style="font-size: medium;">"An Ancient Lyre"</em>, was featured as the theme music for <a data-imported="1" href="https://anthrochef.blog/2017/09/14/the-history-of-food-episode-1-human-ancestors-and-prehistoric-foragers/" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank" title="https://anthrochef.blog/2017/09/14/the-history-of-food-episode-1-human-ancestors-and-prehistoric-foragers/">the Anthrochef podcast series, "The History of Food"</a></p>
<p><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://anthrochef.blog/2017/09/14/the-history-of-food-episode-1-human-ancestors-and-prehistoric-foragers/" target="_blank" title="https://anthrochef.blog/2017/09/14/the-history-of-food-episode-1-human-ancestors-and-prehistoric-foragers/"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/828bcfefb5588712b7333612e898fa1344decc76/original/anthrochef.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTk2eDQ5NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="496" width="596" /></a><br> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE PODCAST</strong></span><br><br>In 2016, a wide selection of my ancient Greek themed music was featured in many of the earlier episodes of <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/#!" target="_blank" title="Hear Ryan Stitt's series of podcasts on ancient Greece">"The History of Ancient Greece" podcast by Ryan Stitt.</a><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/140e83ad973e69721a72b75035a94d0b43a37c4b/original/picture4.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjUweDI0NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="244" width="250" /><br><br> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE VEGAN OPTION'S PODCAST</strong></span><br><br>Also in 2016, my ancient Greek-themed music featured <a data-imported="1" href="https://soundcloud.com/veganoption/veghist-ep03-pythagoreans" target="_blank" title="Hear Episode 3 of the Vegan Option's Podcast">in episode 3 of the Vegan Option's podcast, "Pythagoreans (Vegetarianism: The Story So Far)"</a><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://soundcloud.com/veganoption/veghist-ep03-pythagoreans" target="_blank" title="https://soundcloud.com/veganoption/veghist-ep03-pythagoreans"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3e1d67707863d9fb2af882d13c6a105a86db76b2/original/vegans-option.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="400" /></a><br><br> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE PODCAST HISTORY OF OUR WORLD</strong></span><br><br>In 2012, my ancient Biblical-themed lyre music was featured in the iTunes Podcast show<a data-imported="1" href="http://podcasthistoryofourworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/15-ancient-hebrews.html" target="_blank" title="The Podcast History of the World - The Ancient Hebrews">"The Podcast History of Our World" </a>by <a data-imported="1" href="https://twitter.com/PodcastHistory" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/PodcastHistory">Rob Monaco</a> in several episodes on the history of the ancient Hebrews/Israelites<br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://podcasthistoryofourworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/15-ancient-hebrews.html" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ecd6ec77ea374a3d7ce7ef3935324135ef264977/original/podcast-history-of-the-world-e1360044167400.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_" /></a></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<hr>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417922018-09-23T12:00:00-12:002021-06-18T10:21:56-12:00Use of my Lyre Music in Radio & Television<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ANCIENT LYRE MUSIC WAFTING ACROSS 21ST CENTURY AIRWAVES!</strong></span><br><br>One of the most awesomely exciting happenings for any 'independent artist' like myself, is those blissful occasions when out of the blue, I have been randomly contacted by both radio and television producers who want to feature my music in their forthcoming productions!<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/michael-levys-lyre-on-the-radio" target="_blank" title="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/album/michael-levys-lyre-on-the-radio"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/27251e4921a6de84d6c86101d111f4af47f75ffc/original/on-air.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="400" /> </a><br><br> </p>
<hr><p><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>RADIO AIRPLAY OF MY ANCIENT-THEMED LYRE MUSIC</strong></span><br><br>Since 2012, I have had the rare honour of having my 'micro-niche' music featured on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, BBC Radio Wales, a full length interview about my arrangements of the Bronze Age Hurrian Hymn on the Paul Franks Show, BBC Radio WM and a forthcoming interview with live lyre performances, on a BBC Radio 3 <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnwp" target="_blank" title="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnwp">'Sunday Feature'</a> programme on the subject of <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalis" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalis">the ancient cosmological concept of the Music of the Celestial Spheres</a> illustrated with my live lyre performances, produced by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.brooklapping.com/team/brook-lapping-team" target="_blank" title="http://www.brooklapping.com/team/brook-lapping-team">Simon Hollis</a>, presented by the author <a data-imported="1" href="https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/jerry-brotton" target="_blank" title="https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/jerry-brotton">Jerry Brotton</a> and to be broadcast in the spring of 2019 - <em>the best things in life are worth waiting for!</em><br><br>This airplay was just in the UK! Internationally, my arrangement of the Hurrian Hymn has featured on <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.npr.org/artists/15148770/beirut" target="_blank" title="Beirut Public Radio">Beirut National Public Radio</a>, my album, <em>"The Ancient Egyptian Harp"</em> featured on the German Radio Station <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.wdr3.de/" target="_blank" title="http://www.wdr3.de/">WDR3</a> in a broadcast about the arched harp from Myanmar, I have had a full length interview about my music on the German Radio Station<a data-imported="1" href="http://www.wueste-welle.de/redaktion/view/id/25/tab/weblog/article/34168/Das_-auml-lteste_Musikst-uuml-ck_der_Welt.html" target="_blank" title="Download the Show!"> "Freies Radio Wüste Welle" </a> and a 3-part series of in depth interviews about the purpose of his ongoing musical mission, <a data-imported="1" href="http://abookofadam.com/contributors/michael_levi/" target="_blank" title="http://abookofadam.com/contributors/michael_levi/">in a podcast series presented by the New York radio producer, Zach Martin</a> <br><br>A <em><strong>freely downloadable</strong> </em>compilation album of excerpts of some of these radio shows and podcasts which have featured both my lyre music and the interviews about my musical mission to reintroduce the lyre of antiquity into the modern world, is available from Bandcamp:<br><br><iframe height="240" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=956757852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" width="320"></iframe></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><br><em>To download this compilation album of excerpts of my radio airplay for free, simply type '0.00' in the 'name your price' field on the Bandcamp album page (although any voluntary donations would certainly be like a 'libation to Apollo' and greatly appreciated!)</em><br><br>In addition to radio stations which have included my music in their programmes, an excerpt of one of my ancient Greek-themed tracks, <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/track/music-of-the-celestial-spheres-original-composition-for-solo-lyre-in-the-just-intonation-of-antiquity" target="_blank" title="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/track/music-of-the-celestial-spheres-original-composition-for-solo-lyre-in-the-just-intonation-of-antiquity">"Music of the Celestial Spheres"</a> <strong>actually featured in a radio advertisement in the USA - for noodles!</strong></em> Here is<em> the</em> world's first radio advert to feature the recreated ancient lyre, for <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodles_%26_Company" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodles_%26_Company">"Noodles & Company"</a>:<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BhVe3NujqDM" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br><br><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">TELEVISION PROGRAMMES FEATURING MY ANCIENT-THEMED LYRE MUSIC</span></strong><br><br>In April 2017, I briefly appeared on the national Greek TV channel, EPT3, in an episode of the Greek language documentary series,<a data-imported="1" href="http://webtv.ert.gr/ert3/15apr2017-beyond-borders-mousika-organa-apo-tin-archeotita-stin-anagennisi/" target="_blank" title="Watch this documentary on EPT3!"> <em>"Beyond Borders"</em> </a>, which was on the reconstruction of ancient instruments. <em>Click on the image below for the link to the show:</em><br><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="https://webtv.ert.gr/ert3/15apr2017-beyond-borders-mousika-organa-apo-tin-archeotita-stin-anagennisi/" target="_blank" title="Watch this documentary on EPT3!"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/e7c75ae5ba77d4d63effa1b70f428daf1961c665/original/ept3.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDMxNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="316" width="600" /> </a><br> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong> </strong></p>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>In 2013, a clip of my composition <a data-imported="1" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome-original/id504920372?i=504920390" target="_blank" title="Buy This Track on iTunes!">"Ode To Ancient Rome"</a> was featured in episode 3, series 21 of the ITV prime-time comedy series <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Keyhole#Series" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through_the_Keyhole#Series">"Through the Key Hole"</a> as background music to a scene featuring the Roman-themed swimming pool in the home of <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Katona" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Katona">Kerry Katona</a>:<br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3592a01165972315bc971d0d10ba7db1e7846909/original/keith-lemon-michael-levy-lyre-kerry-katona.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p><br>As further fortuitous coincidence, on the celebrity panel on this particular episode of the show, happened to be the late, great <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilla_Black" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilla_Black">Cilla Black </a> - at least I can say another Liverpool music legend from the city of my birth got to hear one of my own tunes!<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BK9SsPL73Oo" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>In November 2012, a brief snippet of my live lyre music featured in episode 2 of the 4-part BBC television documentary series <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.drg.tv/ProgramDetails.aspx?ProgramDetail=12332" target="_blank" title="http://www.drg.tv/ProgramDetails.aspx?ProgramDetail=12332">"The Dark Ages: An Age of Light" </a> by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.facebook.com/zczfilms" target="_blank" title="Visit ZCZ Films Facebook Page!">ZCZ Fims</a>, directed & presented by the Sunday Times art critic, <a data-imported="1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_Januszczak" target="_blank" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_Januszczak">Waldemar Januszczak</a><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/2266fb3984e6649a596dc0aede2de7b9073b2207/original/dark-ages.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzUweDI2MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="263" width="350" /><br><br><br>Unfortunately, after a rather uncomfortable five hour train journey to the film shoot at <a data-imported="1" href="https://ancienttechnologycentre.com/" target="_blank" title="https://ancienttechnologycentre.com/">Cranborne Ancient Technology Centre </a> to the film shoot in the amazingly evocative <a data-imported="1" href="https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/e89d860f-16e6-4eeb-b080-63ebd3965e9a/9a1776d7-4eac-4235-bc13-4a344fa5fd87.jpg/:/rs=w:400,h:500,cg:true,m/cr=w:800,h:500,a:cc" target="_blank" title="Replica Iron Age Earthhouse">replica Iron Age roundhouse</a>, followed by almost 2 hours of nerve-wracking takes, another 5 hour journey on the train back home, then <em>waiting 9 months for the date of the documentary series to be broadcast</em>, followed by my grand social media announcement of my impending debut live television performance, in the final shoot of episode 2 which featured my music, <em>they only used a brief snippet of 'audio only', barely noticeable background music from my film shoot...</em><br><br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QeVfoDwrIII" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br><br>However, all was not lost - the producer very kindly requested that the series editor put together for me one of the many outtakes of my live film shoots. This, frustratingly, is what my live, televised lyre performance <em>would</em> have looked like, <em>if it had actually been broadcast:</em><br><br> <div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oa4BprGK9ck" width="560"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br> <hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE WORLD'S FIRST TV ADVERT TO FEATURE MY ANCIENT ROMAN-THEMED LYRE MUSIC!</strong></span><br><br><br>In the spring of 2018, my track <a data-imported="1" href="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/track/ode-to-ancient-rome-original-composition-for-lyre-in-the-ancient-phrygian-mode" target="_blank" title="https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/track/ode-to-ancient-rome-original-composition-for-lyre-in-the-ancient-phrygian-mode"><em>"Ode to Ancient Rome"</em> </a> was selected by the media company, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.bbdo.nyc/en" target="_blank" title="https://www.bbdo.nyc/en">BBDO New York</a>, to feature in the quick and quirky ancient Roman-themed TV advert for <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.mms.com/" target="_blank" title="http://www.mms.com/">Mars M&M's</a>, <em>which went out countless times, across the entire continent of the USA and Canada:</em><br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gEqhARizdTM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/gEqhARizdTM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gEqhARizdTM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<br><br>The ironic fact resulting from this viral TV ad, <em>is that the sound of my recreated lyre probably got heard by more masses of people, than the lyre was originally heard in the entire history of ancient Rome</em> - <strong><em>roll over, Nero!</em></strong><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/5301362f45c7e8ca5d7397c1ad36b6518b67c2fe/original/nero-with-lyre.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjM2eDI5NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="295" width="236" /><br> </blockquote>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417902018-09-19T12:00:00-12:002018-09-20T22:08:18-12:00Use of my Lyre in Feature Films!
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MOVIES FEATURING MY ANCIENT-THEMED LYRE MUSIC</span></strong></p>
<p><br>I am always willing to consider the licensing of my music to film makers - be it independent film makers interested in producing cinematic work to present at film festivals...(or of course, any ancient-themed, future Hollywood blockbuster movie would also do nicely!). <em><strong>For movie music licensing consideration,<a title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/contact" href="/contact" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page"> please contact me directly.</a></strong></em><br><br>Here are some of the independently produced movies which have featured my music so far...<br><br></p>
<hr>
<p><br>My composition, <a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sanctuary-apollo-composition/id372937241?i=372937252" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>"The Sanctuary of Apollo"</em> </a> from my 2010 release, <a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-greek-modes/id372937241" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Ancient Greek Modes"</a> featured in the 2016 movie by <a title="http://innerharmony.com" href="http://innerharmony.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Michael Stillwater</a>, <em><a title="http://www.songwithoutborders.net/filmseries.html" href="http://www.songwithoutborders.net/filmseries.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"In Search of The Great Song"</a><br><br><br><a title="http://www.songwithoutborders.net/filmseries.html" href="http://www.songwithoutborders.net/filmseries.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/d8eb1ccfe2eb61f8965f8fb4d4f5c0f003a1797a/original/posterloresvsmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjUyeDM5MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="390" width="252" /></a><br></em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p><br>In 2013, music from my <a title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Apollo's Lyre"</a> was featured in a feature film by <a title="https://www.facebook.com/AmerginFilmCompany?ref=stream" href="https://www.facebook.com/AmerginFilmCompany?ref=stream" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Sean Kane</a>, about the life of the ancient Greek Philosopher Plato, <a title="http://sthosdkane.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/shifting-gears/" href="http://sthosdkane.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/shifting-gears/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Plato: The Cave"<br> </a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a title="http://sthosdkane.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/shifting-gears/" href="http://sthosdkane.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/shifting-gears/" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/3bc5a98a37764a1154bbcf913b40eb16c46bcb88/original/p2.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIweDI0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="240" width="320" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2012, my lyre music also featured in the Medieval-themed film <a title="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334030/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334030/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Becket 2"</a> produced by <a title="http://nems360.com/view/full_story/3162205/article-A-Tupelo-native-returns-home-to-make-his-first-feature-film" href="http://nems360.com/view/full_story/3162205/article-A-Tupelo-native-returns-home-to-make-his-first-feature-film" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Michael D Perkins<br><br><br></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><a title="See behind the scenes footage!" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Becket-2/298456483539730" data-imported="1"><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/333832_299612570090788_1916210205_o_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Becket 2_resized" width="250" /> </a> </em> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<hr>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417892018-09-19T12:00:00-12:002022-10-14T03:54:59-12:00Use of my Lyre Music in Ancient-Themed PC Games!<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>CULT PC GAMES FEATURING MY LYRE MUSIC!</strong></span></p>
<p><br>I am always willing to consider the licensing of my music in any relevant, ancient-themed PC game platform - the more exposure of my music to new potential target audiences out there, the more libations to Apollo, in my efforts to bring his ancient musical magic back to life! <em><strong>For consideration, <a data-imported="1" data-link-type="page" href="/contact" target="_blank" title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/contact">please contact me directly via my website contact form</a></strong></em><br><br>Some of my Roman & Greek-themed tracks are featured in a modification of the cult PC Game, '<a data-imported="1" href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/4760/" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">Rome Total War</a>' - based on a modification called <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?580625-RTR-VII-Patch-Gold-Released!" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">R</a><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?580625-RTR-VII-Patch-Gold-Released!" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">ome Total Realism VII Gold</a>, it is called <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rometotalrealism.org" target="_blank" title="http://www.rometotalrealism.org"><em>"Rome Total Realism VII Platinum"</em> </a>...<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/8de402d143ca0b29f1e0e70a24d6e1399924d59f/original/rtrvii.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDMzOCJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="338" width="600" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/2c739b6f8583b05fbae51b353e812883f1202dee/original/total-war.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDI4MSJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="281" width="500" /><br> </p>
<hr><p><br>My ancient-themed lyre music also features in the PC game, <a data-imported="1" href="http://europabarbarorum.com/" target="_blank" title="http://europabarbarorum.com/">"Europs Barbarorum II"</a> - a total conversion of <a data-imported="1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_II:_Total_War" target="_blank" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_II:_Total_War">Medieval II Total War</a>:<br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/290230aecc89aad55fe7a9863c29d2f669881757/original/eb2-header11.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6OTUweDE1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="950" /><br><br><em>It is great to find a new 21st century 'micro-niche' for my own, 'micro-niche' ancient music creations!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ba4188699737552d4c224eec74b34ddd5aee2158/original/michael-levy-music-credits-in-europa-barbarorum.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NzAweDUzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="538" width="700" /></em><br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417882018-09-19T12:00:00-12:002018-09-22T04:39:51-12:00Use of my Lyre Music in International Academia
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>MY WORK FEATURED IN INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIA</strong></span></p>
<p><br>One of <em>the</em> most amazing rewards for all the efforts I have put into my <em>'New Ancestral Musical Mission'</em> I have had, is the almost surreal interest in my musical quest by international acclaimed academia, in the use of my music in academic presentations, as well as having an actual paper written on my work...<em>all I need now, to further 'nurse my narcissism', is maybe a future nomination for an honorary PhD!</em><br> <br></p>
<hr>
<p><br>In 2013, my research into recreating the lyre performance techniques of antiquity found International academic recognition and was featured in a full length article by <a style="font-size: medium;" title="http://www.dianarowan.com/" href="http://www.dianarowan.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dr Diana Rowan</a> entitled <a style="font-size: medium;" title="The Universal Lyre; Three Perspectives" href="/files/493269/ahs-summer2013-pp55-63.pdf" data-imported="1">"The Universal Lyre: Three Perspectives"</a> published in <a style="font-size: medium;" title="http://www.harpsociety.org/Publications/Journal/Index.asp" href="http://www.harpsociety.org/Publications/Journal/Index.asp" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The American Harp Journal"<br><br></a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/878fc5a60bf6820e5f27578f8daf412570f3355b/original/summer2009journalcover.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDEwMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="103" width="500" /><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p><br>On 23rd March 2018, I had the honour of being invited to perform my lyres and kithara at <em>the University of Oxford</em>, for a fascinating event hosted by their world famous Faculty of Classics!<br><br>As part of <a title="http://festival-latingrec.eu/" href="http://festival-latingrec.eu/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">the European Festival of Latin and Greek</a>, the world renowned Department of Classics at the University of Oxford organised readings of individual translations of Book X of <a title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ovid's Metamorphoses</a> in Magdalen College's historic chapel - to set the atmosphere of this fascinating attempt to bring this ancient text back to life, I <em>was invited to accept the challenge of spontaneously improvising the background music on my kithara and tortoise shell lyres...</em><br><br></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T8vXR1soJMw" width="560" allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<br><br>Quoting from the Oxford University <a title="See the Facebook Page for this Event!" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1864157710321478/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook Events Page</a>, this event aimed to create:<br><br><em>"A magical metamorphosis of the Magdalen Chapel into a temple of Orphic song. A group of Oxford poets and translators will be performing Book 10 of Ovid's epic poem, as part of an international festival of Latin and Greek. Come in from the frost for tales of grief, incest, joy and</em> jealousy..."<br><br>The haunting acoustics of Magdalen Chapel, were indeed quite possibly the nearest I have ever come, to performing my lyres and kithara in an actual ancient Greek Temple!<br><br>
<hr>
<p><br><br>In January 2011, my live performance of <a title="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hurrian-hymn-ancient-mesopotamian/id438558025?i=438558034" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hurrian-hymn-ancient-mesopotamian/id438558025?i=438558034" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"</a><a title="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hurrian-hymn-ancient-mesopotamian/id438558025?i=438558034" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hurrian-hymn-ancient-mesopotamian/id438558025?i=438558034" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Hurrian Hymn (Text H6) </a>, <em>the oldest fragment of written music so far discovered in History</em>, <a title="https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/01/dueling-hurrian-hymns.html#ebXj9chGS1yd5RMP.97" href="https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/01/dueling-hurrian-hymns.html#ebXj9chGS1yd5RMP.97" target="_blank" data-imported="1">featured in an article in “The Biblical Archaeology Review” </a></p>
<div class="sketchfab-embed-wrapper">
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/87160384315d790e4d11cd94e7d3ad9d029ff185/original/biblical-archaeology-review-january-2011-hurrian-hymn-michael-levy.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDU3eDYwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="600" width="457" /><br><br></p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<p><br>My arrangement of <a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-first-delphic-hymn-to/id393321464?i=393321470" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The First Delphic Hymn To Apollo”</a> was used in a DVD lecture "<em>The Great Tours: Greece & Turkey”</em> by <a title="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.aspx?pid=319" href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.asp%20height=a%20title=USE%20OF%20MICHAELstrong%20target=x?pid=319" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Professor John R Hale</a> of the University of Louisville, produced by <a title="http://www.greatcourses.co.uk/greatcourses.aspx" href="http://www.greatcourses.co.uk/greatcourses.aspx" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Great Courses Teaching Company</a> <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/b7a37d040e48cb3292e461076d374662dd1cf6fd/original/great-courses.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDIwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" /><br><br></p>
<p></p>
<p>My more recent arrangement of the First Delphic Hymn in just intonation (from my album <a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"A Well Tuned Lyre - The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a>) was also licensed for use in both <a title="http://www.oraprep.com/courses/greek-architecture/" href="http://www.oraprep.com/courses/greek-architecture/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">a course on ancient Greek architecture hosted by the Oxford Royale Academy Prep</a> & for an online humanities course run by <a title="http://www.mindedge.com/" href="http://www.mindedge.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">MindEdge</a> in the USA.<br><br></p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p>Music from my albums <a title="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-tuned-lyre-just-intonation/id574488427" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"A Well Tuned Lyre - The Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a> & <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-rome/id413189409" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Echoes of Ancient Rome"</a> were used in <a title="http://www.ruthdwyer.com/hs-video.htm" href="http://www.ruthdwyer.com/hs-video.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">a series of scholarly lectures & videos on the Pythagorean influence on the design of Byzantine architecture</a>, in a conference at the UCLA presented by <a title="http://www.ruthdwyer.com/" href="http://www.ruthdwyer.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dr Ruth Dwyer</a>: <br><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q3rOdkfQgAc" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em> </em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"></span></strong></p>
</div>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417872018-09-19T12:00:00-12:002019-05-14T19:09:01-12:00Audio Books and Educational Publications Featuring my Lyre Music
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>USE OF MY ANCIENT-THEMED LYRE MUSIC IN AUDIO BOOKS, EDUCATIONAL CD's/DVD's & ONLINE COURSES</strong></span><br><br><em><strong>I am always willing to consider licensing the use of my music in audio books and educational CD's/DVD's & for online courses - to inquire,<a title="http://www.ancientlyre.com/contact" href="/contact" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page"> please contact me directly! </a></strong></em><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p><br>From 2019 a selection of my ancient Greek-themed lyre tracks are to be featured in a new immersive online world history course, <em>"Imagine World History"</em> - to be produced by <em><a title="https://www.pearson.com/us/" href="https://www.pearson.com/us/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Pearson Education</a></em>, for use by high school students across the entire United States - <em>for the next decade!</em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/c62085f48dd51a693f4ceda85f206bbb169d931e/original/pearson-education-michael-levy-lyre-music.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDA5eDEyMyJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="123" width="409" /><br><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p><br>Music from my album<a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Apollo's Lyre"</a> was featured in an audio book by <a title="http://www.tmcamp.com/" href="http://www.tmcamp.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">TM Camp</a>, called <a title="Download This Free Audio Book From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cradle/id523640965" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Cradle"</a>. The book is inspired, in part, by the story of 'Baucis and Philemon' from Ovid.<br><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><a title="Download this free audio book from iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cradle/id523640965" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/The-Cradle_resized.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="tHE cRADLE_resized" height="300" width="198" /><br><br><br></a></em></p>
<hr>
<p><br>Clips from my album <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-egyptian-harp-ep/id454315787" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Ancient Egyptian Harp" </a> were featured in a CD of children's stories about the ancient world,<a title="Order this fascinating CD of eductional children's stories!" href="http://www.musicinstories.co.uk" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> "Music in Stories"</a> by <a title="View more details about this author" href="http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/authors/robina-beckles-willson-1227" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Robina Wilson <br><br><br></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a title="www.musicinstories.co.uk" href="http://www.musicinstories.co.uk" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/MUSIC_IN_STORIIES_resized_cropped.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="MUSIC_IN_STORIIES_resized_cropped" height="200" width="200" /> </a> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p><br>My composition <a title="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Lyre-Strings/dp/B00FLUMK1G/ref=sr_1_14?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1383464721&sr=1-14&keywords=musical+adventures+in+time+travel" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Lyre-Strings/dp/B00FLUMK1G/ref=sr_1_14?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1383464721&sr=1-14&keywords=musical+adventures+in+time+travel" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ancient Lyre Strings"</a> (track 18, <a title="http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Adventures-Time-Travel-Michael/dp/B00FLULYJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=musical+adventures+in+time+travel" href="http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Adventures-Time-Travel-Michael/dp/B00FLULYJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=musical+adventures+in+time+travel" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Musical Adventures in Time Travel"</a>) featured in the accompanying CD to <a title="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/music-express" href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/music-express" target="_blank" data-imported="1">an educational publication by A&C Black: "Music Express Book 3"</a>. This book was aimed at primary school teachers, and has an accompanying CD and CD-Rom, featuring audio and video clips to support the songs/poems and lesson plans in the book.<br><br><br><a title="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/music-express" href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/music-express" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/051c2cc8049582d30e6c02fc4f5e10f02c7892a7/original/music-express.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDI4NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="284" width="200" /></a><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p>My ancient Roman-themed composition, <a title="Buy This Track on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-mars-original-composition/id413189409?i=413189473" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Temple of Mars"</a> from my album <a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-rome/id413189409" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Echoes of Ancient Rome"</a> has also been licensed for use in an accompanying CD to a school educational publication by <a title="http://moderna.com.br/pagina-inicial-2.htm" href="http://moderna.com.br/pagina-inicial-2.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Moderna Publications</a> in Brazil.<br><br><br><a title="http://moderna.com.br/pagina-inicial-2.htm" href="http://moderna.com.br/pagina-inicial-2.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/b924c09b24717a69876305f996f169c339c3576b/original/banner-homepage-eventos.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDMxNCJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="314" width="200" /></a><br><br><br></p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417712013-11-03T12:00:00-12:002019-12-23T07:14:18-12:00Cyprus, Palestine & the Ancient Mesopotamian Lyre
<p>Having recently had the pleasure of seeing the famous Mosaics at Paphos in Cyprus,(dating from the between the 2nd - 4th centuries CE) I was fascinated to see in the mosaics, a rare lyre-playing technique which until then, I thought was unique to ancient Mesopotamia!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In illustrations of lyre players from ancient Mesopotamia, (Details of a relief from SW Palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh, ca. 701 BC), instead of a plectrum to pluck the strings, the lyre players use a wooden baton to hit the strings - similar to how the hammered dulcimer is played today:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/lachish_musicians689x482.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="lachish_musicians689x482.jpg" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/03.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="03.jpg" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> <img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/fig12.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="fig12.png" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>In several of the depictions of lyre players in the beautiful 2nd - 4th century CE Paphos Mosaics, almost exactly the same unusual, percussive lyre-playing technique, almost 1000 years later, can clearly be seen:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/mosaic_clip_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="mosaic_clip.jpg_resized" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/Apollon_Pafos_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Apollon_Pafos.jpg_resized" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/Cyprus064_1___2_1_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Cyprus064_1___2_1.jpg_resized" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The illustrations above, clearly show Kithara players, with a wooden baton, not a plectrum, in the right hand! Yet more intriguing evidence of ancient cross-cultural musical exchange of ideas between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As these beautiful Mosaics were found in the ruins of Roman Villa's at Paphos, is this possible evidence that this ancient Mesopotamian lyre-playing technique may actually have migrated to ancient Rome? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whether the lyre players depicted on the Paphos Mosaics represent either native Cypriot or Roman lyre players is virtually impossible to tell, but I think the pictorial evidence suggests that this unusual ancient lyre-playing technique may have migrated from Ancient Mesopotamia to both Ancient Rome & Ancient Cyprus - and by implication, the Mosaics may be just one crucial strand of evidence, to also infer that the musical culture of ancient Mesopotamia may to have radiated throughout almost the entire Ancient Mediterranean? Another fascinating possibility!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>HAMMERED LYRE PLAYING TECHNIQUES IN ANICENT PALESTINE?</strong> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Indeed, this same hammered lyre playing technique appears to have migrated to Israel as well, as can be seen in this famous mosaic from a synagogue in Gaza dating to the 6th century CE. The lyre player is clearly named in Hebrew as representing King David:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://ancientlyre.com/images/David-Mosaic.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="David-Mosaic.jpg" /> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the Gaza mosaic, the small wooden baton, almost identical to the baton depicted in the Paphos Mosaics in Cyprus, can clearly be seen - yet more evidence of this almost completely forgotten percussive style of lyre playing, which seems to have originated in ancient Mesopotamia... </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here is a video featuring short clips from my tracks <em>"Lyres of Nineveh"</em> & <a title="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_mesompotamian_themed_album/ancient_visions___new_compositions_for_an_ancient_lyre/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/ancient_mesompotamian_themed_album/ancient_visions___new_compositions_for_an_ancient_lyre/" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>"Shadow of the Zigurrat"</em></a> from my album, "Ancient Visions - New Compositions For An Ancient Lyre", which both feature experimental performances of this 2700 year old Assyrian percussive lyre playing technique:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7WaMypaqAbQ" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Below are 2 <em>"live"</em> videos of my experimentation with this rare, lost lyre playing technique:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C0bSFCJr5dk" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/95uqw_ixZPc" width="640" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Further circumstantial evidence in support of this unique percussive lyre playing technique can actually be found in the existence of the same technique still practiced today on the lyre-like <a title="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chicot%C3%A9n" href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chicot%C3%A9n" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"chicotén"</a>, or "<a title="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambor_de_cuerdas" href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambor_de_cuerdas" target="_blank" data-imported="1">tambor de cuerdas</a>"(drum of strings) used in several places in the Iberian Peninsula - whose playing position and general appearance certainly suggests an original lyre-like ancestor of this fascinating instrument:<br><br><br></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u98QBdJxCug" width="560" allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The <em>ultimate</em> origin of this hammered lyre-playing technique actually seems to have its roots in the deepest depths of antiquity. The same percussive style of hitting a string with a wooden baton can be seen today in the Neolithic ancestor of both the harp & lyre - <em>the archaic Africa Musical Bow, played continually in Africa, for over 30,000 years:</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RfjuVgBVqRI" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<hr>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417742013-09-11T12:00:00-12:002016-12-01T16:16:51-12:00Irish Poetry - Recited To My Lyre Music
<p>I am pleased to announce a new project, in collaboration with the Irish poet, <a title="http://thescumgentry.com/scumgentPeterONeill.html" href="http://thescumgentry.com/scumgentPeterONeill.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Peter O'Neill</a>. Created by <a title="https://www.youtube.com/user/CiaranLeahy17" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CiaranLeahy17" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ciaran Leahy</a>, this new animation features my composition, <em><a title="Buy This Single From Amazon!" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DVUKBIM/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1383915863&sr=8-1" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Orpheus's Lyre: Lament For Solo Lyre in the Just Intonation of Antiquity"</a></em>:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fysd5cT31bg" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The animation, a joint collaboration project between Ciaran Leahy and the Dublin poet Peter O'Neill, is based on his poem 'The Execution of Orpheus at Ephesus'. This animation was developed to to feature on an Irish Arts & Media online magazine called <em><a title="http://www.thescumgentry.com/" href="http://www.thescumgentry.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Scum Gentry"<br><br></a></em></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/680b81db191419085a22c44df0a5be51fb38c70e/original/scum-gentry-140x210.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTQweDIxMCJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="210" width="140" /></em></p>
<p><br>Here is a description of the poem on the <a title="https://www.facebook.com/TheScumGentry" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheScumGentry" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Scum Gentry Facebook Page</a>:<br><br></p>
<p><em>" 'Out on the Road to Ephesus' Peter O'Neill hops a one-footed metaphysical journey across all time and knowledge, bounding his way towards art and exile alike. Read his poem "THE ROAD TO EPHESUS" now, positively effulging from the depths of The Scum Gentry Poetry Hole" <br><br></em></p>
<p>Here is the text of O'Neill's poem, "The Execution of Orpheus at Ephesus":<br><br></p>
<p><em>When the maenads came in their hordes,<br>Looking for Orpheus on the streets of Ephesus.<br>They searched high and low, and when passing<br>Statue of the virgin, which they tore down,<br>They quickly replaced them with figures of Dionysus.<br>Though cockless, as this time they wanted<br>To have his effeminacy assured.<br>They found Orpheus dining in The Shelbourne Hotel,<br>Where a phalanx of Amazon<br>Quickly frog-marched him across Saint<br>Stephen's Green, and before the bust of<br>James Joyce they presented him to the Muse.<br>There, she decapitated him.<br>See his head rolling on down to Chatham!<br><br></em></p>
<hr>
<p><em> </em></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417652013-09-10T12:00:00-12:002015-05-07T20:13:16-12:00Ancient Latin Poetry - Recited to My Lyre Music
<p>I recently had the pleasure of being contacted by the Swedish Latin scholar, <a title="Visit Martina's Youtube Channel!" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/martinaillingostlund" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Martina Illing-Östlund</a>, who wanted to use a track from my album <a title="Buy This Album on iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/an-ancient-lyre/id338195640" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"An Ancient Lyre"</a> as the background music to her video, featuring a recitation of the timeless ancient Roman poem by <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Virgil</a>, <em>"Publii Vergilii Maronis Ecloga Decima"</em>...<br><br></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/6557e2e3cb00025fbfbf711bdae75b65941fef63/original/virgil.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDI3OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="278" width="200" /> </p>
<p><br>She decided to use one of my more rhythmic tracks on this album (my arrangement for solo lyre of the traditional Egyptian folk song <a title="Buy This Track From iTunes!" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-heart-was-burnt-by-love/id338195640?i=338195708" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"My Heart Was Burnt By Love"</a>) to fit better, the rhythm of the <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexameter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexameter" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Hexameter</a> of the original Latin text:<br><br></p>
<p><em>"Extre|mum-hunc, Are|thusa, mi|hi con|cede la|borem:</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>pauca me|o Gal|lo, sed| quae legat |ipsa Ly|coris,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>carmina| sunt di|cenda: ne|get quis | carmina | Gallo?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Sic tibi,| cum fluc|tus sub|terla|bere Si|canos,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Doris a|mara su|am non | inter|misceat | undam; 5</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>incipe; | sollici|tos Gal|li di|camus a|mores,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>dum tene|ra-atton|dent si|mae uir|gulta ca|pellae.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Non cani|mus sur|dis: re|spondent | omnia | siluae.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Quae nemor|a-aut qui | uos sal|tus habu|ere, pu|ellae</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Naides, | indig|no cum | Gallus a|more per|ibat? 10</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Nam neque | Parna|si uo|bis iuga, | nam neque | Pindi</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>ulla mo|ram fe|cere, ne|que-Ao|nie-Aga|nippe.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Illum-eti|am lau|ri, eti|am fle|uere my|ricae;</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>pinifer | illum-eti|am so|la sub | rupe ia|centem</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Maenalus | et geli|di fle|uerunt | saxa Ly|caei. 15</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Stant et o|ues cir|cum (nos|tri nec | paenitet | illas,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>nec te | paenite|at peco|ris, di|uine po|eta:</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>et for|mosus o|uis ad | flumina | pauit A|donis);</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>uenit et | upili|o; tar|di uen|ere sub|ulci;</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>uuidus | hiber|na ue|nit de | glande Me|nalcas. 20</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Omnes | "Vnde-amor | iste" ro|gant "tibi?" | Venit A|pollo:</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"Galle, quid | insa|nis?" in|quit; "tua | cura Ly|coris</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>perque ni|ues ali|um per|que-horrida | castra se|cuta-est."</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Venit et | agres|ti capi|tis Sil|uanus ho|nore,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>floren|tis feru|las et | grandia | lilia | quassans. 25</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Pan deus | Arcadi|ae ue|nit, quem | uidimus | ipsi</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>sanguine|is ebu|li ba|cis mini|oque ru|bentem:</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"Ecquis e|rit modus?" | inquit "A|mor non | talia | curat,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>nec lacri|mis cru|delis A|mor nec | gramina | riuis</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>nec cyti|so satu|rantur a|pes nec | fronde ca|pellae." 30</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Tristis at | ille: "Ta|men can|tabitis, | Arcades, | inquit,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>montibus | haec ues|tris, so|li can|tare per|iti</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Arcades. | O mihi | tum quam | molliter | ossa qui|escant,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>uestra me|os o|lim si | fistula | dicat a|mores!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Atque-uti|nam-ex uo|bis u|nus ues|trisque fu|issem 35</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>aut cus|tos gregis | aut ma|turae | uinitor | uuae!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Certe | siue mi|hi Phyl|lis si|ue-esset A|myntas,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>seu qui|cumque fu|ror (quid | tum, si | fuscus A|myntas?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>et nig|rae uio|lae sunt | et uac|cinia | nigra),</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>mecum-in|ter sali|ces len|ta sub | uite ia|ceret: 40</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>serta mi|hi Phyl|lis lege|ret, can|taret A|myntas.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Hic geli|di fon|tes, hic | mollia | prata, Ly|cori;</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>hic nemus; | hic ip|so te|cum con|sumerer | aeuo.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Nunc in|sanus a|mor du|ri me | Martis in | armis</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>tela-in|ter medi|a-atque-ad|uersos | detinet | hostis. 45</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Tu procul | a patri|a (nec | sit mihi | credere | tantum)</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Alpi|nas, a, | dura, ni|ues et | frigora | Rheni</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>me sine | sola ui|des. A, | te ne | frigora | laedant!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>a, tibi | ne tene|ras glaci|es secet | aspera | plantas!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Ibo-et Chal|cidi|co quae | sunt mihi | condita | uersu 50</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>carmina | pasto|ris Sicu|li modu|labor a|uena.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Certum-est | in sil|uis in|ter spe|laea fe|rarum</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>malle pa|ti tene|risque me|os in|cidere-A|mores</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>arbori|bus: cres|cent il|lae, cre|scetis, A|mores.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Intere|a mix|tis lus|trabo | Maenala | Nymphis, 55</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>aut a|cris uen|abor a|pros; non | me-ulla ue|tabunt</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>frigora | Partheni|os cani|bus cir|cumdare | saltus.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Iam mihi | per ru|pes uide|or lu|cosque so|nantis</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>ire; li|bet Par|tho tor|quere Cy|donia | cornu</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>spicula; | tamquam-haec | sit nos|tri medi|cina fu|roris, 60</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>aut deus | ille ma|lis homi|num mi|tescere |discat!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Iam neque-Ha|madrya|des rur|sus nec | carmina | nobis</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>ipsa pla|cent; ip|sae rur|sus con|cedite, | siluae.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Non il|lum nos|tri pos|sunt mu|tare la|bores,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>nec si | frigori|bus medi|is He|brumque bi|bamus, 65</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Sithoni|asque ni|ues hie|mis sube|amus a|quosae,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>nec si, | cum mori|ens al|ta liber | aret in | ulmo,</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Aethio|pum uer|semus o|uis sub | sidere | Cancri.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Omnia | uincit A|mor: et | nos ce|damus A|mori."</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> Below is the finished video:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pem8pr_uet0" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> <br>The English translation of this ancient Roman poem is as follows:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"GALLUS</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This now, the very latest of my toils,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>vouchsafe me, Arethusa! needs must I</p>
<p> </p>
<p>sing a brief song to Gallus—brief, but yet</p>
<p> </p>
<p>such as Lycoris' self may fitly read.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Who would not sing for Gallus? So, when thou</p>
<p> </p>
<p>beneath Sicanian billows glidest on,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>may Doris blend no bitter wave with thine,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>begin! The love of Gallus be our theme,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and the shrewd pangs he suffered, while, hard by,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>the flat-nosed she-goats browse the tender brush.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We sing not to deaf ears; no word of ours</p>
<p> </p>
<p>but the woods echo it. What groves or lawns</p>
<p> </p>
<p>held you, ye Dryad-maidens, when for love—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>love all unworthy of a loss so dear—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gallus lay dying? for neither did the slopes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of Pindus or Parnassus stay you then,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>no, nor Aonian Aganippe. Him</p>
<p> </p>
<p>even the laurels and the tamarisks wept;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>for him, outstretched beneath a lonely rock,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>wept pine-clad Maenalus, and the flinty crags</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of cold Lycaeus. The sheep too stood around—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of us they feel no shame, poet divine;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>nor of the flock be thou ashamed: even fair</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Adonis by the rivers fed his sheep—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>came shepherd too, and swine-herd footing slow,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and, from the winter-acorns dripping-wet</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Menalcas. All with one accord exclaim:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“From whence this love of thine?” Apollo came;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gallus, art mad?” he cried, “thy bosom's care</p>
<p> </p>
<p>another love is following.” Therewithal</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Silvanus came, with rural honours crowned;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>the flowering fennels and tall lilies shook</p>
<p> </p>
<p>before him. Yea, and our own eyes beheld</p>
<p> </p>
<p>pan, god of Arcady, with blood-red juice</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of the elder-berry, and with vermilion, dyed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wilt ever make an end?” quoth he, “behold</p>
<p> </p>
<p>love recks not aught of it: his heart no more</p>
<p> </p>
<p>with tears is sated than with streams the grass,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>bees with the cytisus, or goats with leaves.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yet will ye sing, Arcadians, of my woes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>upon your mountains,” sadly he replied—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Arcadians, that alone have skill to sing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>O then how softly would my ashes rest,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>if of my love, one day, your flutes should tell!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And would that I, of your own fellowship,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>or dresser of the ripening grape had been,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>or guardian of the flock! for surely then,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>let Phyllis, or Amyntas, or who else,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>bewitch me—what if swart Amyntas be?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dark is the violet, dark the hyacinth—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>among the willows, 'neath the limber vine,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>reclining would my love have lain with me,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Phyllis plucked garlands, or Amyntas sung.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here are cool springs, soft mead and grove, Lycoris;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>here might our lives with time have worn away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But me mad love of the stern war-god holds</p>
<p> </p>
<p>armed amid weapons and opposing foes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whilst thou—Ah! might I but believe it not!—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>alone without me, and from home afar,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>look'st upon Alpine snows and frozen Rhine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ah! may the frost not hurt thee, may the sharp</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and jagged ice not wound thy tender feet!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I will depart, re-tune the songs I framed</p>
<p> </p>
<p>in verse Chalcidian to the oaten reed</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of the Sicilian swain. Resolved am I</p>
<p> </p>
<p>in the woods, rather, with wild beasts to couch,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and bear my doom, and character my love</p>
<p> </p>
<p>upon the tender tree-trunks: they will grow,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and you, my love, grow with them. And meanwhile</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I with the Nymphs will haunt Mount Maenalus,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>or hunt the keen wild boar. No frost so cold</p>
<p> </p>
<p>but I will hem with hounds thy forest-glades,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>parthenius. Even now, methinks, I range</p>
<p> </p>
<p>o'er rocks, through echoing groves, and joy to launch</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cydonian arrows from a Parthian bow.—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>as if my madness could find healing thus,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>or that god soften at a mortal's grief!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now neither Hamadryads, no, nor songs</p>
<p> </p>
<p>delight me more: ye woods, away with you!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No pangs of ours can change him; not though we</p>
<p> </p>
<p>in the mid-frost should drink of Hebrus' stream,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and in wet winters face Sithonian snows,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>or, when the bark of the tall elm-tree bole</p>
<p> </p>
<p>of drought is dying, should, under Cancer's Sign,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>in Aethiopian deserts drive our flocks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Love conquers all things; yield we too to love!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These songs, Pierian Maids, shall it suffice</p>
<p> </p>
<p>your poet to have sung, the while he sat,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>and of slim mallow wove a basket fine:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>to Gallus ye will magnify their worth,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gallus, for whom my love grows hour by hour,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>as the green alder shoots in early Spring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Come, let us rise: the shade is wont to be</p>
<p> </p>
<p>baneful to singers; baneful is the shade</p>
<p> </p>
<p>cast by the juniper, crops sicken too</p>
<p> </p>
<p>in shade. Now homeward, having fed your fill—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>eve's star is rising—go, my she-goats, go." </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It has been a real honour to have my music used in order to bring new life to the wonderful poetry of the Classical World! <br><br></p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417762013-09-08T12:00:00-12:002021-06-25T15:32:54-12:00Use of My Lyre Music in Amateur Dramatics
<p>I was pleased to recently collaborate in a delightful new children's amateur dramatics video! <a title="http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/sisyphus.html" href="http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/sisyphus.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The ancient Greek legend of Sisyphus</a> featured in an extremely well-produced amateur video in which I gave permission to use clips from my album <a title="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greek-Lyre-Michael-Levy/dp/B004EN1FQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=Michael+Levy" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greek-Lyre-Michael-Levy/dp/B004EN1FQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=Michael+Levy" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Ancient Greek Lyre"</a>. Sisyphus was condemned to push a rock up hill for all eternity, then see it roll back down again...<br><br></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/84bfffba3fbf7de89a8ea58b0608d18ea6258c66/original/sisyphus.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzM1eDI4MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="281" width="335" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mq2irB7zWb0" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><br>NB!</strong> I always offer the licensing of my music in any non-profit making, non-commercial project for <em>free</em> - the only terms I usually include in the licensing agreement for such projects,<em> is that a brief review of the album from which the track or tracks are selected, is posted on a prominent digital music store such as iTunes or Amazon.<br><br></em></p>
<p>If anyone out there wishes to use any tracks from any of my album releases for similar purposes, please don't hesitate to get in touch!<br><br></p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<p><em> </em></p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417732012-11-06T12:00:00-12:002016-12-01T16:28:26-12:00The Ultimate Ancestor of the Modern Banjo?
<p>Having discovered the extreme antiquity of fretted lutes with skin-membrane soundboards in my research, which first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, from c.3000 BCE & later in the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt, from c.1500 BCE, it occurred to me just how ancient the basic principle behind the modern banjo actually is!<br><br></p>
<p>Firstly, I will discuss the fascinating similarity between the ancient Egyptian fretted lute (c.1500 BCE) & the modern banjo...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LUTE - STILL BEING PLAYED IN AFRICA TODAY!</strong> </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/Egyptian_20Lute_20Player__20Thebes__20c_1420_20BCE__20300_20DPI.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Egyptian_20Lute_20Player__20Thebes__20c_1420_20BCE__20300_20DPI.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong><br><span style="text-decoration:underline"><br>THE HISTORY OF THE LONG-NECKED LUTE</span></strong><br><br><br>The long-necked lute has a history even more ancient than that of the lyre! It seems to have first appeared in Sumer, in ancient Mesopotamia, as early as 3500 BCE... <br><br></p>
<p><em>"When I fix the frets on the lute, which enraptures my heart, I never damage its neck; I have devised rules for raising and lowering its intervals." </em></p>
<p>(<a title="http://www.piney.com/BabShulgiB.html" href="http://www.piney.com/BabShulgiB.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">King Culgi, king of Urim, c.3000 BCE</a>)</p>
<p><br>Below is a carving of an early Mesopotamian lute player, as preserved in the Oriental Museum in Chicago: <br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/d2494d73-808a-4f6e-b623-d039165fad97_resized.jpeg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="d2494d73-808a-4f6e-b623-d039165fad97.jpeg_resized" /> </p>
<p><br>Bringing the haunting sound of the ancient Mesopotamian lute back to life, here is a remarkable video by <a title="http://www.peterpringle.com" href="http://www.peterpringle.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Peter Pringle</a>, featuring his rendition of <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh" target="_blank" data-imported="1">the Epic of Gilgamesh</a>, accompanied by a replica ancient Mesopotamian lute which he created, complete with authentic-sounding silk strings:<br><br><br></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QUcTsFe1PVs" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div><br><br><br>More fascinating details on the history of the fretted lutes of antiquity can be found <a title="The History of the Fretted Lute" href="http://strumcity.com/history/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a>
<p><br>Biblical Musicologist, John Wheeler also recently provided me with the following fascinating details about the origins of the long-necked lute in the Middle East, over 5000 years ago:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"Professor Dumbrill has a "BOOK III Organology III - Lutes" as a sizeable section in his book. Lutes appeared as art of the process of the straightening of the musical bow (in fact harps and lutes both appear as derivatives of the musical bow). </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em>There are many illustrations of lutes given from archaeological material in Mesopotamia (such as seals), dating as far back as Period I (pre-3000 BC). I think you'll find this interesting (p. 325, with an illustration I can't give here). The lute discussed is from an Akkadian seal cylinder, Period III (2334-2000 BC) 218:</em><br><br><em>"We notice two tassels hanging from the top of the neck of the instrument, from this we deduce it was fitted with two tuneable strings. It is highly probably that the fastening of the tuned string was similar to that in Ancient Egypt, the same as used in Niger today as well as in many other African and Near-Eastern countries" (p. 325).</em><br><br><em>Finally I'll refer to a lute on seal 255 from Uruk (Period II, 3000-2334 BC): "The possible representation of a tuning peg at the side of the neck may indicate that another was placed at 90 degrees from the first and is therefore not visible. A third is just seen as a small protuberance at the other side of the first. This technique is still used on the Morrocan genbri to this day" (p. 322). </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em>On the other hand, since the long and the short extension are perfectly aligned, I think it much more probable that we are seeing a single tuning stick, a device which likewise is very old (it was very frequently used on harps and lyres) and which likewise endures in practice in Africa"</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>From its origins in Sumeria, it then appeared in Canaan, and presumably during the Canaanite rule of Egypt under the Hyksos, the long-necked lute finally became established in ancient Egypt 3500 or so years ago, at the beginning of the New Kingdom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here is a detailed description of the Ancient Egyptian Lute, I found on this fascinating website:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <a href="http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_egypt.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_egypt.htm</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"Classed as long necked lutes, the ancient Egyptian instruments generally had 2 - 3 strings, a semi-spike stick neck, and a drum-like body with an animal skin head. As seen in the period depiction above, the lutes' sound boxes came in two basic types: </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><em>A wooden, elongated-oval, boat-shaped body.</em></p>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<p><em> </em></p>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><em>A semi-round body made from the whole shell of a tortoise.</em></p>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em>The stick neck was round and generally depicted both with frets and without. The handful of extant examples reveal that the frets on the fretted variants might have been thin leather strips that were tied on to the neck or a single piece of leather or rope wrapped around the length of the neck with its protrusions serving as frets. In any case, they were not permanently fixed to the neck as integral components."<br><br></em></p>
<p>One of the most amazing discoveries I have found in my investigations into ancient cross-cultural exchanges of musical ideas, is the survival of this ancient 3500 year old Egyptian lute in modern day Gambia, where the instrument is known as the <em>"Xhalam"</em>: <br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyBqKuaVts4" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The instrument heard above, is literally identical to the ancient Egyptian lute...once played in the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt - almost 3500 years ago, at the dawn of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are a few differences between the ancient Egyptian lute and the Xhalam, as kindly clarified for me here here, by <a title="https://www.youtube.com/user/UlfJagfors" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/UlfJagfors" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ulf Jagfors</a>: </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"There is a direct link between the today existing West African lutes and the Ancient Egyptien lutes. Court bard Har-Moses lute (about 1500 B.C) which is on display in the Cairo Museum is in many ways very similar in construction. I have examine that lute on spot. There are a few differences. The Egyptian lutes were mostly played with a wooden plectrum. They had no short thumb string as on nearly all Griot/Jali lutes. They also had frets made of a twisted rope around the neck"</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another direct ancestor of the ancient Egyptian lute still surviving in Africa, is called the <em>"Ngoni"</em>, & it still can be heard today in Malia:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/ngoni_0009.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="ngoni_0009.jpg" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>My YouTube subscriber, <em>"Leftyseargent"</em> kindly shared this amazing little gem of information with me about this other fascinating "living relic" of the ancient Egyptian lute, which also seems to be related to the African <em>"Kora"</em> lyre-harp...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"After I had commented on a Malian popular music video on YT, asking whether the instrumentation included the kora, another poster informed me that the instrument I heard was called "ngoni." <br><br></em> I Googled that term and found that it applies to several quite different-looking instruments. The four-stringed version is clearly related to the xalam. The seven-stringed version closely resembles the kora, differing mostly in the shape of the bridge:<br><br><br><a title="This external link will open in a new window" href="http://www.mandinkamagic.com/pages/ngoni.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.mandinkamagic.com/pages/ngoni.html</a><br> <br><br>The Malian musician/producer Salif Keita, arguably one of the greatest African stars, makes extensive use of it in his band, right along with modern stringed instruments. Generally, it is the most noticeable in the mix.<br> <br><br>That the bow-harp appears in areas surrounding Mali in something closely resembling the Egyptian form (with pegs) and the kora and ngoni are tuned with leather bands, suggests that they arrived in the area from different sources. This suggests to me that the lute arrived there from a Mesopotamian source, rather than from Egypt, but the various forms of bow-harp (almost exclusively tuned with pegs) arrive by way of Egypt.<br> <br>In researching the Asian forms of bow-harp, I find frequent assertions that it originated in Africa, yet it arrived in Burma and China without tuning pegs. I must, therefore, question that theory"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet more evidence of ancient cross-cultural musical exchanges of ideas, which can still be seen and heard today!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>IS THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LUTE THE ANCESTOR OF THE BANJO?</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another interesting point gleaned from the ancient Egyptian lute, is the use of a taut leather soundboard - could the ancient Egyptians have been the first to invent the ultimate ancestor of the modern banjo? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Indeed, the Egyptian lute could be the ultimate ancestor of the "banjar" (a primitive banjo made from gourd over which leather was stretched), which first introduced to America by African slaves at the beginning of the 19th century.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC PERFORMED ON THE MODERN BANJO?</span><br><br></strong></p>
<p> Having discovered the extreme antiquity of fretted lutes with skin-membrane soundboards, it occurred to me just how ancient the basic principle behind the modern banjo actually is. Therefore, being obsessed by musical experimentation ino the unknown, I recently tried performing some of the actual music of ancient Greece - on the banjo! <br><br></p>
<p>Actually, this is not as bizarre a concept as it first seems - the ancient Greek "Lyra", was quite literally, in principle, "a banjo without a fingerboard"! The "Lyra" was the ancient Greek lyre favoured for domestic use, which had a tortoise shell resonator, over which a skin membrane was stretched, just like the soundboard of a modern banjo! Also, just as on a modern banjo, the 7 strings of the Lyra passed over a bridge to transmit their vibration to the skin soundboard:<br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/hsc12a11.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="hsc12a11.jpg" /> </p>
<p><br>So, for quite literally the first time in 2000 year, below is a video featuring my arrangement of "The First Delphic Hymn To Apollo" (c.138BCE - 128BCE) & "Epitaph of Seikilos" (c.200 BCE - 100CE), <em>played on a modern 5-string banjo...</em> <br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-eCTJrhmO5Y" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Below is one of my earlier experiments of "Archaemusicology meets the Moonshine" fusions, featuring my arrangement on banjo, of "Hymn To The Muse" by Mesomedes of Crete (2nd century CE):</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-fu4-Qo236w" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline"><br>MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC MEETS MOONSHINE?</span></strong></span></p>
<p><br>Having first discovered the amazing potential the modern 5-string banjo has, for playing ancient music, in my countless fiendish musical experiments, I also discovered the potential of the banjo for playing traditional Turkish music!<br><br></p>
<p>First, below is my arrangement for 5-string banjo, of the Turkish folk melody <em>"Uskudar'a Gideriken":</em><br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgBtQHAyitM" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>This same melody was also adapted & adopted by Jewish Klezmer musicians, where it is now known as <em>"The Terk in America"..</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">"JEWGRASS" BANJO MUSIC?</span></strong></span></p>
<p><br>On the theme of my first love, Klezmer music, a few years ago I put up a "Semitically Surreal" series on my YouTube Channel of <em>"Jewgrass Banjo" Klezmer/clawhammer banjo fusions! </em><br> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i8HV6b-9eL0" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline">MUSIC FROM THE TIME OF THE CRUSADES - ON A BANJO?<br><br></span></strong></span></p>
<p>Not only does ancient Greek music, Middle Eastern music & Klezmer work on the incredibly versatile banjo...the myriad of "Moonshine Fusions" works the same for Medieval music! Here is my arrangement of the 800 year old song "Ja Nus Hons Pris" ,composed by none other than King Richard I, (alias "Richard The Lionheart), whilst imprisoned for a ridiculous random in a selection of suitably stereotypically dank, dire Medieval castle dungeons by Duke Leopold V of Austria, who imprisoned him in his castle at Dürnstein on the Danube and later handed him over to Heinrich VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, who kept him at various other castles until the English finally paid a decent chunk of the humungously huge amount demanded for his ransom :<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YuBfK6F6ypU" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The original lyrics & English translation of this 800 year old song is as follows:<br><br></p>
<p>"<em>Ja nus hons pris ne dira sa raison</em><br><em> Adroitement, se dolantement non;</em><br><em> Mais par effort puet il faire chançon.</em><br><em> Mout ai amis, mais povre sont li don;</em><br><em> Honte i avront se por ma reançon</em><br><em>— Sui ça deus yvers pris.</em><br><br><em>II</em><br><em> Ce sevent bien mi home et mi baron–</em><br><em> Ynglois, Normant, Poitevin et Gascon–</em><br><em> Que je n'ai nul si povre compaignon</em><br><em> Que je lessaisse por avoir en prison;</em><br><em> Je nou di mie por nule retraçon,</em><br><em>—Mais encor sui [je] pris.</em><br><br><em>III</em><br><em> Or sai je bien de voir certeinnement</em><br><em> Que morz ne pris n'a ami ne parent,</em><br><em> Quant on me faut por or ne por argent.</em><br><em> Mout m'est de moi, mes plus m'est de ma gent,</em><br><em> Qu'aprés ma mort avront reprochement</em><br><em>—Se longuement sui pris.</em><br><br><em>IV</em><br><em> N'est pas mervoille se j'ai le cuer dolant,</em><br><em> Quant mes sires met ma terre en torment.</em><br><em> S'il li membrast de nostre soirement</em><br><em> Quo nos feïsmes andui communement,</em><br><em> Je sai de voir que ja trop longuement</em><br><em>—Ne seroie ça pris.</em><br><br><em>V</em><br><em> Ce sevent bien Angevin et Torain–</em><br><em> Cil bacheler qui or sont riche et sain–</em><br><em> Qu'encombrez sui loing d'aus en autre main.</em><br><em> Forment m'amoient, mais or ne m'ainment grain.</em><br><em> De beles armes sont ore vuit li plain,</em><br><em>—Por ce que je sui pris</em><br><br><em>VI</em><br><em> Mes compaignons que j'amoie et que j'ain–</em><br><em> Ces de Cahen et ces de Percherain–</em><br><em> Di lor, chançon, qu'il ne sunt pas certain,</em><br><em> C'onques vers aus ne oi faus cuer ne vain;</em><br><em> S'il me guerroient, il feront que vilain</em><br><em>—Tant con je serai pris.</em><br><br><em>VII</em><br><em> Contesse suer, vostre pris soverain</em><br><em> Vos saut et gart cil a cui je m'en clain</em><br><em>—Et por cui je sui pris.</em><br><br><em>VIII</em><br><em> Je ne di mie a cele de Chartain,</em><br><em>—La mere Loës.</em><br><br><br><em> I</em><br><em>No prisoner can tell his honest thought</em><br><em> Unless he speaks as one who suffers wrong;</em><br><em> But for his comfort as he may make a song.</em><br><em> My friends are many, but their gifts are naught.</em><br><em> Shame will be theirs, if, for my ransom, here</em><br><em>—I lie another year.</em><br><br><em>II</em><br><em> They know this well, my barons and my men,</em><br><em> Normandy, England, Gascony, Poitou,</em><br><em> That I had never follower so low</em><br><em> Whom I would leave in prison to my gain.</em><br><em> I say it not for a reproach to them,</em><br><em>—But prisoner I am!</em><br><br><em>III</em><br><em> The ancient proverb now I know for sure;</em><br><em> Death and a prison know nor kind nor tie,</em><br><em> Since for mere lack of gold they let me lie.</em><br><em> Much for myself I grieve; for them still more.</em><br><em> After my death they will have grievous wrong</em><br><em>—If I am a prisoner long.</em><br><br><em>IV</em><br><em> What marvel that my heart is sad and sore</em><br><em> When my own lord torments my helpless lands!</em><br><em> Well do I know that, if he held his hands,</em><br><em> Remembering the common oath we swore,</em><br><em> I should not here imprisoned with my song,</em><br><em>—Remain a prisoner long.</em><br><br><em>V</em><br><em> They know this well who now are rich and strong</em><br><em> Young gentlemen of Anjou and Touraine,</em><br><em> That far from them, on hostile bonds I strain.</em><br><em> They loved me much, but have not loved me long.</em><br><em> Their plans will see no more fair lists arrayed</em><br><em>—While I lie here betrayed.</em><br><br><em>VI</em><br><em> Companions whom I love, and still do love,</em><br><em> Geoffroi du Perche and Ansel de Caieux,</em><br><em> Tell them, my song, that they are friends untrue.</em><br><em> Never to them did I false-hearted prove;</em><br><em> But they do villainy if they war on me,</em><br><em>—While I lie here, unfree.</em><br><br><em>VII</em><br><em> Countess sister! Your sovereign fame</em><br><em> May he preserve whose help I claim,</em><br><em>—Victim for whom am I!</em><br><br><em>VIII</em><br><em> I say not this of Chartres' dame,</em><br><em>—Mother of Louis! "</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>13th CENTURY FRENCH DANCE MUSIC - BARN DANCE STYLE?</strong></span><br></p>
<p><br>Here is a quaint little 13th century French Dance "La Quinte Estampie Real" preserved in the Manuscrit du Roi...BARN DANCE STYLE!<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mtcXyU84MbI" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>ELIZABETHAN DANCE MUSIC - BARNDANCE STYLE?!?</strong></span></p>
<p><br>Moving forward in time to the 16th century, even Elizabethan Dance Music works surprisingly well in my "Barn Dance" style thematic interpretation...fueled by MOONSHINE instead of Mead!!<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XR1u17K-vx0" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></span></p>
<p><br>As my research into the ultimate origins of the instruments of antiquity grows, more and more do I find evidence of there being fascinating cross-cultural exchanges of musical ideas, between cultures as diverse as Mesopotamia, Sumeria, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece...and surviving today, in not only Africa, but maybe even as far as the Appalachian Mountains!</p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417642012-08-11T12:00:00-12:002019-12-27T09:28:18-12:00The Myth of the Origin of the Celtic Harp & the Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://ancientlyre.com/images/h_brian_boru.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="CLETIC" /> </p>
<p><br>I would like to explore a little-known, fascinating Irish folk legend, that the Celtic Harp is, in fact, a direct ancestor of the Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews, which was apparently introduced to Ireland 2600 years ago by Israelites who fled there in exile, after the Fall the of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE...<br><br></p>
<p>This is a quote from John Wheeler's fascinating website on music from the time of the Hebrew Bible...<br><br></p>
<p><a href="http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/instruments.htm" data-imported="1">http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/instruments.htm<br><br></a></p>
<p><em>"...The "harp of Tara", symbol of Ireland, is linked by Irish traditional history to the "harp of David". This last was said to have been brought to Ireland (among other artefacts) by "Ollamh Fodhla" (identified with the prophet Jeremiah), his scribe "Simon Brach" (identified with Baruch the scribe of Jeremiah), and "Tea Tephi" (identified with the daughter of King Zedekiah of Judah). Was this connection merely mythical, or could it have had a basis in truth?"<br><br> </em></p>
<p>The Celts had lyres too; they also brought some kind of harp from the Middle East; and Jeremiah is said by Irish tradition to have brought a "harp". There is also a tantalizing ancient Greek source, which may well be referring to the lyre being played in Ireland: for full details, <a title="http://ancientlyre.com/the_earliest_historical_evidence_of_the_northern_european_lyre_yet_discovered/" href="http://ancientlyre.com/the_earliest_historical_evidence_of_the_northern_european_lyre_yet_discovered/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">see the bottom of the section of my website blog on the Northern European lyres, in the details about the 1st century BC ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus's description of the musical practices of the people from the island of "Hyperboria"</a> <br><br></p>
<p>In all likelihood, there was confusion in the transmission of historical facts in this little-known Gem of Irish Folk-Lore. However, in order to give this legend some of basis in truth, I have arranged several of the Irish musical gems featured on this album, on my actual replica of the Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews (the Biblical “Kinnor”), which King David himself once played, some 3000 years ago, and which was later played by my very own, very ancient Levite ancestors in the Temple of Jerusalem, to accompany the legendary singing of the Levitical Choir.<br><br></p>
<p>I am not attempting to be "controversial" in trying to re-write history, and my intention is certainly not to offend any person's particular religious beliefs or traditions! It is merely a fascinating, harmless myth...but just maybe, with some hint of truth behind it?<br><br> </p>
<p>To test the myth of the of the Levitical origin the Celtic harp in Ireland, in this track, I have arranged the haunting ancient Irish Air, <em>"Spancil Hill"</em>...for my evocation of the 3000 year old Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews: <br><br></p>
<p> </p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cjYP-CPup8E" width="320" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Irish music really does work, when played on the Lyre of the Ancient Hebrews; the original "Harp of David" - maybe there is some truth in the fascinating legend of the Jewish origin of the Celtic Harp after all? A fascinating possibility!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HOW TO TUNE AN ANCIENT IRISH HARP ?<br><br></strong></span></p>
<p>To round off this little article on a less mythological and on a mercifully more factual musicological level, below is a link to a fascinating article, kindly sent to me by Joseph Ennis, on how to tune an ancient Irish Harp:<br><br></p>
<p><a title="How To Tue An Ancient Irish Harp" href="http://www.ancientlyre.com/publicfiles/Tuning_an_Ancient_Irish_Harp.rtf" data-imported="1">How To Tune an Ancient Irish Harp</a> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417632012-05-21T12:00:00-12:002016-12-01T16:32:13-12:00Live Lyre Music at the Roman Baths
<p>On 19th May 2012, I had the immense honour of being invited to play my lyre at the world famous Roman Baths at Bath Spa, UK! My performance was part of a truly fabulous event at the Roman Baths organized by Bath Spa University students, which was called <a title="http://www.facebook.com/romansensations?ref=ts" href="http://www.facebook.com/romansensations?ref=ts" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Roman Sensations"</a></p>
<p><br>The event, held between 8.15pm - 11pm, evocatively lit by the flickering flames of torches, was part of the <a title="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/may_museums_at_night.aspx" href="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/may_museums_at_night.aspx" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Museums at Night"</a> initiative...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ea228d2b07aef0da6e326cc782e8ea4e964a6bdd/original/dsc00429-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The event was based around 3 themes: Muses (music and literature), The Senses, and Appetite. I provided live background music on my lyre, as well as giving a series of short talks on my lyre, its history and the ancient lyre-playing techniques I use in my albums...<br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/DSC00433_resized.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Live at the Roman Baths at Bath Spa 19th May 2012!_resized" height="400" width="533" /> </p>
<p><br>There follows a series of videos, featuring live footage of this unique gig. Here is a video of my performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/epitaph-seikilos-complete/id393321464?i=393321469" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Epitaph of Seikilos"</a> (c.100 BCE) from my album <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ancient-greek-lyre/id393321464" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Ancient Greek Lyre"</a>: <br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/67nmpm-seao" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Next, is my live performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flight-mercury-original-composition/id504920372?i=504920451" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Flight of Mercury"</a>, from my new album, <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ode To Ancient Rome"</a>:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iai_tK39BQo" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The video below is of my live performance at the Roman Baths, of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/first-delphic-hymn-to-apollo/id393321464?i=393321470" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The First Delphic Hymn To Apollo"</a> (c.128 BCE):<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/patCtLAKVrw" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Rather appropriately, the next video features my live performance by the Great Bath, of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome-original/id504920372?i=504920390" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ode To Ancient Rome"</a> - track 1 from my album, <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ode-to-ancient-rome/id504920372" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ode To Ancient Rome"</a>:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LrjDC-ybXMY" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The next video features live performances by the eerie <a title="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough/5_temple/the_gorgons_head.aspx" href="http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough/5_temple/the_gorgons_head.aspx" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> Gorgon's Head</a> amphitheater section of the Roman Baths, of a selection of music by <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesomedes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesomedes" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Mesomedes of Crete</a>, including <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-muse-mesomedes-crete/id393321464?i=393321471" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Hymn to the Muse"</a> (composed c.130 CE) :<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bM_MTjIQ54" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The next video, also filmed at the Gorgon's Head amphitheatre, features a live performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sacred-reverie-original-composition/id522215403?i=522215405" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Sacred Reverie"</a> - track 1 of my album <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-vibrations/id522215403" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ancient Vibrations"</a>. This performance demonstrates the ancient lyre playing techniques of string stopping to play accidentals on the lyre, as well as the unique Mesopotamian percussive lyre-playing technique:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C0bSFCJr5dk" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The next video, also performed at the Gorgon's Head amphitheater, features a live performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-visions-original-composition/id522215403?i=522215499" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ancient Visions"</a>, from the same album:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4Dl4PHOPj4" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The next video features a clip of my performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-ur/id395045792?i=395045849" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Echoes of Ancient Ur"</a>, from my album <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ancient-visions-new-compositions/id395045792" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Ancient Visions - New Compositions For An Ancient Lyre"</a>:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0IfmAPctsKk" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The following video features my performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-ancient-rome-original/id413189409?i=413189472" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Echoes of Ancient Rome"</a> - track 1 from my album, <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/echoes-of-ancient-rome/id413189409" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Echoes of Ancient Rome"</a>. Sat here, beneath the eerie "Gorgon's Head" at the ruins of the Temple of Minerva, I almost felt as if I was in some scene from "The Wicker Man"!<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZVb4_9jyYS8" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>The final video features my performance of <a title="Download This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hymn-to-zeus-composition-in/id368158420?i=368158423" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Hymn to Zeus" </a>from my album <a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/apollos-lyre/id368158420" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Apollo's Lyre"</a>:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/On8MHKLGNVA" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><br>The most amazing practical discovery I made during this gig, was just how well the sound of my little unamplified lyre carried throughout this awesome, ancient historical building. This to me, demonstrates that the lyres of antiquity were no doubt designed to be played in such spaces. It was a truly haunting experience... <br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/DSC00437.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Live at the Roman Baths at Bath Spa 19th May 2012!" height="400" width="533" /><br></p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417662012-05-02T12:00:00-12:002016-12-01T16:34:25-12:00Roman-Themed Music For Television & Film
<p>In May 2012, I was delighted to be invited to collaborate with Maryanne & Michael Tedstone of <a title="http://www.manikemusic.com/www.manikemusic.com/manike-ancient.html" href="http://www.manikemusic.com/www.manikemusic.com/manike-ancient.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Manike Music </a> who are signed composers with Felt Music. I provided the lyre parts in the production of their epic Roman-themed album "SPQR" - which as well as being released on iTunes, this unique album will be licensed by <a title="http://www.feltmusic.com/" href="http://www.feltmusic.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Felt Music</a> for use in television & film...<br><br><br></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/ff35dfdf74c132642bc8b409770dde3c3c77604c/original/levyglenn1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTgweDI0NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="246" width="580" /><br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hEIpN4nWTq4" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> <br><br></p>
<p><a title="Buy This Album From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/spqr/id532562932" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/38661ca3e3063cc9629118264d3596d33609cbda/original/416618-10150933169261723-663906722-9964144-768486206-o-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SPQR_resized" /></a><a title="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/spqr/id532562932" href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/spqr/id532562932" data-imported="1"> </a></p>
<p>Maryanne & Michael got together a group of other musicians with a speciality in all things ancient, in the formation of <a title="http://theorpheusproject.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/the-orpheus-project/" href="http://theorpheusproject.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/the-orpheus-project/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"The Orpheus Project"</a>, as described here by Maryanne:<br><br></p>
<p><em>"The Orpheus Project was created in 2012 to bring together expert musicians to try to recreate music of ancient Greece and Rome. We wanted compose beautiful and yet believable soundscapes that the ancient civilizations could have listened to.</em><br><br><em><br>In May 2012 we recorded the album S.P.Q.R at top London Studio Air-Edel where we were also filmed by Orion Television for an upcoming pilot." </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Below is a photo taken of myself & some of the the musicians which formed "The Orpheus Project" as we arrived at the Air Edel Studio:<br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/469632_10150901018986723_663906722_9864985_142057749_o_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Air Edel 4_resized" /> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I had the pleasure of co-writing track 8 of the album, <a title="Buy This Track From iTunes!" href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/tristitas/id532562932?i=532563099" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"Tristitas"</a> with Lutenist, Glenn Sharp. Below is a list of the tracks on the album:<br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/cd-cover-reverse-jpeg_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SPQR tracks_resized" /> </p>
<p><br>Below are some photos take at the awesome George Martin Air Edel Studio in London during the recording session on 3rd May, 2012...<br><br><br></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/levy1_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Air Edel 1_resized" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong><br>THE CHESTER ROMAN FESTIVAL <br><br></strong></span></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/252758_10150873522396172_1992642112_n_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="The Chester Roman Festival 2012!_resized" /> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Following the recording of the album, myself & the some of the musicians and singers which formed "The Orpheus Project" performed live tracks from the album, at the Chester Roman Festival, in June 2012. </p>
<p>A link to the video footage of the event as filmed by Pukaar News can be viewed <a title="http://www.pukaarnews.com/leicester-musicians-perform-roman-festival/1753/" href="http://www.pukaarnews.com/leicester-musicians-perform-roman-festival/1753/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a> <br></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/601656_10150873521426172_1591274732_n.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Live at the Chester Roman Festival, June 2012!" /> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/412734_10150876199056172_1319267946_o_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="The Chester Roman Festival_resized" /></p>
<p><br>Despite a promising start, our live gigs during the festival were unfortunately cut short by the most typical of all things truly British - the weather! Sadly, the scheduled gig at the beautifully preserved Roman Amphitheater had to be cancelled due to the said Amphitheater becoming totally flooded by the dismal deluge of rain, during the course of the weekend - I now know another possible reason why the Romans eventually decided to leave Britain!<br><br></p>
<p>Some of these live performances at Chester & the recording of the album were televised by Orion Television, for a new BBC4 documentary, which will showcase some of the compositions of Manike Music, featuring their composition of music through the ages. Below is a photo of Maryanne & Michael being interviewed for the documentary during the recording day at Air Edel...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/464226_10150900398401723_663906722_9863945_1851765006_o1_resized.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Orion Television crew filming the recording by " /> </p>
<p>Further details on the documentary to follow - keep a eye on my news bulletins! </p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417622012-04-18T12:00:00-12:002019-12-23T07:14:15-12:00A Harp & Lyre Duet
<p>In February 2012, I had the pleasure of recording some seriously spontaneous improvisations with the talented folk harpist, Rebecca Penkett...<br><br> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/02db5e46442d6d07ce0e7b7a71e9d80e74446e22/original/rebecca-penkett-harp3.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Rebecca Penkett" /></p>
<p><br>Please visit Rebecca's own fascinating website, on the history of the harp & it's ancient connection with healing:<br><br></p>
<p><a title="http://www.harpconnections.net/Welcome.html" href="http://www.harpconnections.net/Welcome.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.harpconnections.net</a> </p>
<p><br>Below is a "live" video of one of our first jamming sessions:<br><br></p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MWYJ1ItF390" width="420" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Rebecca has also recently released 2 of her own albums:<br><br></p>
<p><em>"Harp Connections"</em></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/harpconnections.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Harp Connections" /> </p>
<p><a title="Buy This Album From CD Baby!" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/harpconnections" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> Buy This Album From CD Baby!</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"Beyond The Sea"</em></p>
<p><img src="http://www.ancientlyre.com/images/rebeccapenkett.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Beyond The Sea" /> </p>
<p><a title="Buy This Album From CD Baby!" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rebeccapenkett" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Buy This Album From CD Baby! </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It has been my genuine pleasure to finally hook up with another UK-based, like-minded improvisatory musician! Thank you, Rebecca...</p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyretag:ancientlyre.com,2005:Post/60417592010-07-08T12:00:00-12:002023-11-10T21:42:59-12:00How To Build Your Own Lyre
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>HOW TO CONSTRUCT YOUR OWN EVOCATION OF THE LYRE OF THE ANCIENT HEBREWS!<br><br></strong></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392904/0568a2b2493128ed378d8f28b95250110502f027/original/lyre-1-resized.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="lyre 1_resized" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here are the dimensions of my first lyre, which can be used by anyone wishing to also attempt to build their own instrument:<br><br><br>Length - 61cm (Bottom to top of bar in which tuning pegs are set)<br>Depth of the sound box - 5cm<br>Width at narrowest point - 8cm<br>Width at widest point - 33 cm (middle of lyre)<br>Length of Bar where tuning pegs are set - 8cm<br>Length of Bridge over which strings are stretched - 6.5cm<br>Height of bridge - 1.5cm<br><br><br>Bridge is tilted at the following angle, so that the highest string is<br>short, and the lowest string is long (giving a more equal string tension<br>on all the 10 strings):<br><br><br>Length between bridge and tuning peg for lowest string:51cm<br>Length between bridge and tuning peg for highest string:41cm<br><br></p>
<p>For any would-be "ancient lyre luthiers" out there, wishing to build your own lyre of the ancient Hebrews from these measurements & dimensions, you may wish to get in touch with Mitch Vire, who runs the <a title="https://www.youtube.com/user/YoppyKyabetsu" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/YoppyKyabetsu" target="_blank" data-imported="1">"YoppyKyabetsu" Youtube Channel</a> - a few years ago, he built a Kinnor based on the dimensions I gave him! Here is a video he posed of the result of his amazing work:<br><br></p>
<p> <object width="480" height="385" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="data" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/FXtOhK0Bl-M&hl=en_GB&fs=1&">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<param name="src" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/FXtOhK0Bl-M&hl=en_GB&fs=1&">
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true">
<embed width="480" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/FXtOhK0Bl-M&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" data="https://www.youtube.com/v/FXtOhK0Bl-M&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed> </object> <br><br><br>The strings are regular nylon harp strings - a set can be bought either from Mid East Ethnic Instruments, or any set of Celtic Harp Strings. Mitch managed with nylon fishing line for his lyre!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>WHERE TO CONTACT PROFESSIONAL LYRE LUTHIERS <br><br></strong></span></p>
<p>For all those interested in building a lyre of their own, it is now possible to seek advice - direct from the experts! The new Facebook Group, "The Lyre", has many members who professionally manufacture awesome quality replica lyres - simply click on the link below:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a title="" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/189117621210658/" data-imported="1">JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP "THE LYRE"! </a></p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
Michael Levy - Composer for Lyre