Michael Levy: Blogs

HOW THE STRINGS WERE ATTACHED TO THE LYRES & HARPS OF ANTIQUITY
 
The use of harp-like metal friction pegs for the strings on my own evocation of the 10-string Biblical Kinnor is certainly a concession to modernity...which certainly helps for acurate & stable tuning for studio work! The use of friction tuning pegs on harps & lyres is a relatively modern innovation - the harps & lyres of antiquity originally had their strings attached & tuned by a quite elaborate sytem of leather wraps, knots & quite often, tuning levers.
The same ancient sytem can still be seen today in the many types of lyres still being played throughout Africa, as can be clearly seen in this illustration of the leather wraps holding the strings on the Ethiopian Begena:
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The harpist Andy Lowings, has been involved with the fascinating project to recreate the fabulous 4600 year old Golden Lyre of Ur, the original reconstruction which was tragically destroyed in 2003 during the Gulf War:
 
Andy [...]

REMARKABLE MUSICAL DISCOVERY ON THE ISLE OF SKYE!
 I was amazed to learn that the incredibly preserved bridge of a lyre has recently been discovered on the Isle of Skye...dating back to to at least 300 BCE! 

This incredible find, completely re-writes the history of how the lyre ended up in Europe & could place the ultimate origin of the lyre back in time thousands more years than previously thought:
"Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the remains of the earliest stringed instrument to be found so far in western Europe.The small burnt and broken piece of carved piece of wood was found during an excavation in a cave on Skye.Archaeologists said it was likely to be part of the bridge of a lyre dating to more than 2,300 years ago.Music archaeologist Dr Graeme Lawson said the discovery marked a "step change" in music history.The Cambridge-based expert said: "It pushes the history of complex music back more than a thousand years, into our darkest pre-history. And not only [...]

A UNIQUE DUET OF HARP & LYRE!
I recently had the pleasure of recording some seriously spontaneous improvisations with the talented folk harpist, Rebecca Penkett...

Please visit Rebecca's own fascinating website, on the history of the harp & it's ancient connection with healing:
www.harpconnections.net 
Below is a "live" video of one of our first jamming sessions:
 
However, one of our most interesting spontaneous improvisations, was a harp & lyre duet, featuring Rebecca's harp & my lyre, in the enchanting ancient Greek Dorian Mode. The original ancient Greek Dorian mode was the equivalent intervals as E-E on the white notes of the piano - which we now call the "Phrygian" mode...due to a massive Medieval mix-up, all the original ancient Greek modes were given the wrong Greek names!
I sampled a 9 minute clip of this serene spontaneity & after sending the raw audio file for mastering by my "Audio Mixing Magician", Dominik Johnson, who added an almost ethereal, [...]

 
FROM KLEZMER FIDDLER TO LYRE PLAYER EXTRAORDINAIRE!
 
My multitude of "Musical Adventures in Time Travel" first hit the unsuspecting world on 31st August 2006, from my very first tentative uploads on the then new-fangled Youtube! My "Klezfiddle1" Youtube Channel was so named, as it was originally set up for my bold experiments at thrashing traditional Jewish Klezmer music on "Semitically Surreal", psychedelic electric fiddle! 
 


For many years, my main interest was tradition Jewish Klezmer music. Indeed, when I used to live in Manchester, I was involved a band known as  "The Klezmer Kollective" - here is a photo taken of one of our more "Semitically Surreal" gigs, on the infamous "Edale Folk Train"...which entailed playing the music of the lost Shtetls of old Eastern Europe, to a packed train of utterly bemused commuters, on the train from Manchester Piccadilly to Edale:
 
I first become fascinated by ancient music (during my time as as a somewhat geeky [...]

MAKERS OF BIBLICAL LYRES
Below are some links to the sites of specialist musical instrument makers who manufacture quality replicas of the Biblical Kinnor and Nevel.
For the beginner, I personally reccomend the incredibly affordable models by Mid East Ethnic Instruments. For the more accomplished player, nothing beats the outstanding quality of the hand-made Marini Made Davidic Harp

MID EAST ETHNIC INSTRUMENTS
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!
These lyres are ideal for beginners, thanks to sheer affordability... 
For the absolute beginner, they make a mini version of their full size Kinnor, for a mere $72.90!!!
Buy This Kinnor From Mid East Ethnic Instruments!

Mid East Ethnic Instruments manufacture a replica Biblical Kinnor based on the illustrations of the Kinnor based upon contemporary illustrations [...]