My first ever demonstration of the incredible musical possibilities of a replica of the ancient Greek kithara/cithara (κιθάρα) - the favoured lyre of the true professional musicians of ancient Greece, and from which word the modern guitar actually acquired its name!

Actually mastered from a rough mobile phone recording of a Luthieros replica kithara whilst I was in Thessaloniki for my first ever series of international live lyre gigs, this video presentation attempts to demonstrate the incredible reconstructed old vibrato mechanism, invented by the ancient Greeks, some 2500 years before the first Fender electric guitar! When light lateral pressure is applied to either of the vertical wooden beams rising directly from the cross-bar (yoke), lateral movement of the yoke and the strings is made possible, the the combination of curved wooden springs and the adjustable metal objects seated directly above them.

The combination of the vibrato mechanism with the almost endless combinations of either finger plucked, plectrum plucked or plectrum strummed tones made this magnificent instrument one of the icons of the Golden Age of ancient Greece!

This beautifully hand-made, replica ancient Greek kithara can be ordered, from anywhere in the world, direct from Lutherios:

http://en.luthieros.com/lyre2project

My next professionally mastered recording project will be featuring this beautiful replica kithara - the best things in life are worth waiting for!

http://www.ancientlyre.com/
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Kithara of the Golden Age

Michael Levy is a UK-based composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, whose musical mission is to create an entirely new musical genre, which could best be described as a 'New Ancestral Music' - dedicated to creating new music for the recreated ancient lyre, featuring an exotic palette of ancient musical modes and intonations not heard for almost 2000 years.

Michael has collaborated with the Grammy award winning Canadian composer, Rufus Wainwright - Rufus musically incorporated one of Michael's "Hymn to Zeus"  in two scenes of his second opera, "Hadrian" - which premiered in Toronto on 13th October 2018.

In 2022, Michael collaborated with the iconic American artist, Jeff Koons – his music for recreated ancient Greek kithara is currently the main soundscape of Koon’s animatronic sculpture, “Apollo Kithara” (2020-2022) on view at DESTE’s Project Space on the Greek island of Hydra.

Kithara of the Golden Age

Michael Levy Lyre Music