 "Odysseus and the Sirens" - a clip of track 1 from my new album, in progress, "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity"...

Regarding the story of Odysseus and the Sirens in Homer’s “Odyssey”, quoting from Wikipedia:

“In Greek mythology, the Sirens (Greek singular: Σειρήν Seirēn;Greek plural: Σειρῆνες Seirēnes) were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island…Odysseus was curious as to what the Sirens sang to him, and so, on the advice of Circe, he had all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast. He ordered his men to leave him tied tightly to the mast, no matter how much he would beg. When he heard their beautiful song, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they bound him tighter. When they had passed out of earshot, Odysseus demonstrated with his frowns to be released”

This piece is an evocation of the sort of melody which may once have accompanied a recitation of this tale. I use the distinctively poignant and luring ancient Greek Phrygian mode (misnamed the ‘Dorian’ mode in the Middle Ages), featuring an atmospheric background of ocean sounds, with the sound of the kithara enhanced by a subtle reverb, sampled from Belgian monasteries…

The album will on all of the major digital music stores and streaming sites real soon - keep an eye on my new bulletins!!

The album features the wonderfully recreated Kithara of the Golden Age of Classical Greece - hand-made in modern Greece by Lutherios:

http://en.luthieros.com/

Since late 2014, I have been collaborating with Lutherios in their inspirational "Lyre 2.0 Project" - dedicated to reintroducing the wonderful lyres of antiquity back into the modern world, to make these beautiful instruments accessible to each and every modern musician:

http://etc.ancient.eu/2016/01/11/luthieros-lyre-2-0-project/

This recording hopefully demonstrate why the kithara was so venerated in antiquity, as the instrument of the professional musician - perfect for both accompanying the human voice and for as an incredibly versatile solo instrument.

In particular, I attempt to demonstrate the wonderfully reconstructed 2500 year old vibrato mechanism, for which there is an almost overwhelming body of visual evidence to support this theory. All original illustrations of the ancient Greek kithara clearly show what appear to be curved springs beneath the yoke to which the strings are attached, with the top of the arms carved almost wafer thin, which almost certainly was to allow for lateral movement of the yoke and the attached strings, creating an eerie vocal vibrato effect - some 2500 years before the invention of the 'whammy bar' of the Fender electric guitar! 

The vibrato mechanism can be operated either by light lateral movement of either of the vertical wooden levers at each end of the yoke, or a more subtle vibrato can be achieved by pushing the discs either side of the yoke.

This piece is in the poignant and enchanting ancient Greek Phrygian Mode (misnamed the 'Dorian' mode in the Middle Ages).

My kithara is also tuned in lovely pure sounding just intonation, with A tuned at 432 Hz - although I do not believe in all the 'New Age' nonsense clogging the Net about 432 Hz, the subtly lower pitch does enhance the overall richness of the timbre of my gut strings in the lower registers.

Here is my blog on the whole 432 Hz thing:

http://ancientlyre.com/blogs/is_432_hz_new_age_schmertz/

For full details on all my research into the kithara of ancient Greece and Rome, please also see my blog:

http://ancientlyre.com/the_kithara_of_ancient_greece__rome

Many thanks for listening!

http://www.ancientlyre.com/
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http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MichaelLevy
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michael-levy/id4324920

"Odysseus and the Sirens" - Clip of Track 1, "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity"

JOHNNY DYNELL is the New York City DJ, producer, songwriter, remixer and impresario who has been practicing his art and craft for over three decades. His DJ style is infectious and inclusive, and he is a long-time favorite of New York's art and fashion crowds as well as generations of Club Kids. He is equally at home spinning black tie galas like the annual Elton John Academy Awards Viewing Party and the AMFAR party at the Cannes Film Festival or underground club events like the Saint at Large Black Party.

His NYC DJ residencies read like a nightclub history of the 1980s, 1990s and beyond. They include The Mudd Club, Danceteria, The Pyramid Club, Area, BoyBar, Susanne Bartsch parties, The Palladium, The Tunnel, The Limelight, The Roxy, Jackie 60, Crobar, Mr. Black, Greenhouse, Le Bain and The Ice Palace, Fire Island.

Known for his quirky records like the 1983 classic "Jam Hot" and his 1989 pioneering Vogue (dance) anthem "Elements Of Vogue" he brings an impressive knowledge of diverse musical genres to everything he does. He has collaborated with artists including Malcolm MacLaren and Pink Martini and is a frequent commentator on NYC music and cultural subjects. A founding producer of the NYC performing arts collective The Jackie Factory, he also serves as the Musical Director for the fashion house Max Mara World.

ems - bi
fav songs: weekend, fight the feeling, best day ever, demons x im god, pyro, take da charge, violent nights

fav artists: mother mother, gorrillaz, tv girl, cigarettes after sex🫶, the garden, mac demarco, lana del rey, lil peep, MF DOOM, ice cube, earl sweatshirt, mac miller!!!!, fleetwood mac, tyler the creator, domo genesis

mediocre blog + sporadic mix series 🙃

www.structuresfromsilence.com

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.

"Odysseus and the Sirens" - Clip of Track 1, "The Ancient Greek Kithara of Classical Antiquity"

Michael Levy Lyre Music