Michael Levy: My Albums...
WHERE TO BUY MY ALBUMS & DOWNLOAD DETAILED ALBUM NOTES
I. WHERE TO BUY MY ALBUMS?
Physical CD's of all my albums (complete with detailed album insert notes) are available, anywhere in the world, from Reverbnation
For all you lovely "Hi Fi Geeks" out there, amazing lossless audio files (WAVs, FLACs etc) or incredible 320kbps Quality MP3s of all my albums are available for instant download, from Bandcamp
My albums also available for download from all the major music digital distributers, all over the world - iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Rhapsody, Emusic, Tradebit, Last FM, Napster, as well as some of the less well-known ones: MediaNet, Lala, Spotify, Verizon, Zune, GreatIndieMusic, ThumbPlay, LimeWire, MySpace Music, Myxer etc
BUY RINGTONES OF ANCIENT LYRE MUSIC FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE !
To further arouse the wrath of the Pantheon of ancient Greek gods, besides physical CDs of all my albums, ancient lyre Ringtones from every single track of every single one of my albums can also be purchased from my Reverbnation Store - get your mobile phone ringing to the Music of Ancient Greece NOW...
For full details on either ordering physical CDs of any of my albums, or "Ancient Lyre Ringtones" from Reverbnation, please contact:
II. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ALL MY ALBUMS & DOWNLOAD LINKS FOR MY DETAILED ALBUM NOTES
Below are brief overviews of all my myriad of albums of ancient lyre & harp music - these overviews feature videos with tracks from each of my albums followed by all the purchase links where my albums can be bought, from either Reverbnation, Bandcamp, iTunes, CD Baby or Amazon.
Please click on the free download links for the fully illustrated PDF booklets of the detailed album notes I have written for each of my albums...
ANCIENT LANDSCAPES - CD ALBUM
"A Beautiful Minimalist Masterpiece
This album will consume you and take you far away. You must at least listen to the samples available, it won't take you long to feel the effects of this music. If you're new to the music of Michael Levy, this is a great place to start, as it contains a taste from his various albums. Highly recommended"
DJG Mike - iTunes Review (Canada)
My 21 Track Compilation Album, this epic LP is my personal selection of only the very best tracks, from of my myriad of ancient lyre albums, available from iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Bandcamp & Reverbnation...
ANCIENT VIBRATIONS - CD ALBUM
King David's Lyre was famously described in the timeless Biblical narrative as soothing the troubled spirit of Saul:
"Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him." (I Samuel 16:23)”
In my album, “Ancient Vibrations”, I have set out to further explore the healing, spiritual & contemplative qualities of my own replica of the 3000 year old Lyre of King David, (the ancient 10-string Biblical "Kinnor").
This album features a selection of original compositions for Lyre, in some of the most hypnotic, mesmerising ancient Middle Eastern musical modes I have so far experimented with. “Ancient Vibrations" is therefore ideal for Reiki, relaxation & spiritual contemplation -
May the soothing sounds of King David’s Lyre bring you Inner Peace...
THE ANCIENT GREEK LYRE - CD ALBUM
"Extremely Talented Artist!
I was fortunate enough to come across Mr. Levy's music as I was conducting research o the music of Ancient Greece. I work for the Teaaching Company, a well-known U.S. production house that specializes in educational video and audio courses. Mr. Levy's rendition of "The First Delphic Hymn to Apollo" expodentially enhanced the academic content and production value of our course "The Great Tours:Greece and Turkey", giving our audience a realistic sense of the music and culture of the ancient world.
Mr Levy's music deserves to be heard and appreciated by all who have a sincere interest in understanding the evolution of music and the sounds of ancient times. Or anyone who simply appreciates good music!"
S.B TGC - iTunes (USA) Review
"Ancient and modern music for an old instrument...
Michael Levy has given us a musical treat. Of the 12 items on the album, 6 are reconstructions of what ancient Greek music played on the lyre might be like, and the other 6 are his original compositions for the instrument. General listeners might find the latter more accessible, as they are influenced by modern musical tastes, but if you have an interest in historical pieces the other six are well worth listening to. Mr. Levy, though not a formally trained musician, is passionate about the instrument and the music that went with it. His website, ancientlyre.com, has ample evidence of his scholarship. If you listen to the samples, you'll find that his mastery of the instrument is clear and his musical sensitivity and talent are also evident. In terms of his technique as well as sense of melody and rhythm, the pieces are intriguing. I hope you find them as enjoyable as I have"
This unique album features 6 examples of some of the actual music of ancient Greece & 6 original compositions for replica ancient Greek Kithara lyre, in some of the original ancient Greek Modes (as described in the writings of Plato & Aristotle, some 2400 years ago) The concept of this album & my previous album, "The Ancient Greek Modes", is to recreate the both the sounds of the musical modes once used in Ancient Greece & to restore the lost sounds of the ancient Greek Kithara - the large wooden lyre once favoured by the professional musicians of Ancient Greece...
KING DAVID'S HARP - CD ALBUM
"This is good, whatever's next will be fantastic ...
From afar I've watched Michael Levy, klezmer musician, struggle to master the ten-stringed Hebrew lyre (kinnor) and several other instruments evoking biblical antiquity - even a modern African descendent of an ancient Egyptian harp. Not long ago I discovered by far the best modern kinnor I've ever encountered and recommended it to Michael. And once he got one, all his hard work on instruments much harder to play paid off. The tone color of his lyre is splendid, bright and balanced, and his playing technique is at the top of his considerable game. This is also his most serious attempt yet to master the tuning of antiquity. The cyclical or "Pythagorean" tuning he used for most of the songs is ideal for plainchant and melody accompanied by drones, not for music that uses any kind of harmony, polyphony or even heterophony as he uses. One needs divisive tuning, what most people call "just" tuning (as on a mountain dulcimer), for that. And that's why I say "this is good, whatever's next will be fantastic". I tune my own lyre and my Celtic harp divisively, and I know that when Michael masters that part of his craft, the results will make people's hair stand on end for sheer "music of the spheres" beauty. I'm quite sure it will anyway and that other reviewers will say so"
John Wheeler - iTunes (USA) Review
This album features the beautiful hand-made evocation of the Davidic Harp, made by Marini Made Harps - the 10-string Biblical lyre known in ancient Hebrew as the "Kinnor".
This album is a compilation of some of the best tracks from my albums "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel", "Lyre of the Levites" & "The Ancient Biblical Lyre", with a new delicate, haunting harp-like tone.
In this album, I finally break free of the dull constraints of modern equal temperament and instead, I tune my lyre just as King David did, some 3000 years ago - by ear, cyclically, in perfect intervals, then fine tuning the 3rds & 6ths. The tuning methods of the harps & lyres of antiquity are discussed in my detailed Blog on this website entitled: "Ancient Tuning Systems"
KING DAVID'S LYRE; ECHOES OF ANCIENT ISRAEL - CD ALBUM
"Like a Time Machine...
Michael Levy is a contemporary man with a psalmist's touch, and best of all, he's conversant with a historical instrument. There's no longer a need to imagine the soothing music young David might played in the courts of King Saul. It's here. Michael Levy's hard-won ability to channel musical history is uncanny and goes beyond the obvious scales and period melodies. His work is the kind of magic that happens when the right kind of musician immerses him of herself into a cultural or spiritual music"
Phil Christensen - iTunes (USA) Review
My debut album, "King David's Lyre" explores my recreation of the lost sound of the ancient 10-string Biblical Lyre known in ancient Hebrew as the "Kinnor" - once played over 2000 years ago in the Temple of Jersualem, by my very own, very ancient Levites ancestors, to accompany the singing of the Levitical Choir. There are 22 tracks, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet...
THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HARP - CD ALBUM
"Incredible...
This was my favorite performance from Michael Levy thus far. Not only is the performance immaculate, but the recording quality is pristine. I love the space that you feel while listenting to this album. I like the way he experimented with creating a fret by using the pick, just like you create a fret on the birimbau with a stone you create an infinite number of tones on a fixed tone instrument. My only complaint is it is a short album, and I wanted more"
DJG Mike - Amazon (USA) Review
This unique EP is my attempt to recreate the sound of the archaic arched harp - playing in ancient Egypt from as long ago as the Old Kingdom, some 4500 years ago...
In the tracks "Ancient Harps of Kemet" (an improvisation on an ancient 3500 year old Egyptian minor pentatonic scale) & "Hymn To Osiris", I explore ancient Egyptian harp-playing techniques, such as creating accidentals on the strings by shortening the virbating portion of the string with a finger of the left hand...
AN ANCIENT LYRE - CD ALBUM
"Amazing, Wonderful, Beautiful...
Not only is this historically significant,the music is really soulful & moving. I consider this one of my best musical discoveries in 2010. Highly recommended!"
Steven Goodheart - iTunes Review (USA)
My ultimate "Musical Adventure in Time Travel", this epic album features an improvisation on an ancient Indian scale, an improvisation on an ancient Egyptian scale, a selection of Egyptian folk melodies & the actual music of ancient Greece...
This album also features the music of ancient Mesopotamia - my performance of the oldest fragment of written melody so far discovered in History, in my arrangement for solo lyre, of Dr. Richard Dumbrill's interpretation of the 3400 year old Hurrian Hymn (Text H6) from Ancient Ugarit...
LYRE OF THE LEVITES - CD ALBUM
"Absolutely a joy to listen to. Michael Levy has resurrected an ancient music form that brings such joy to the spirit and warmth to the heart. Levy is a scholar, historian, and a fabulous artist"
Jeffrey Friedman - CD Baby Review
My sequel album to "King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel", this album is also dedicated to recreating the sound of the Biblical "Kinnor" - the lyre of my very own, very ancient Levite ancestors.
Featuring my arrangement for replica Biblical Kinnor of primarily traditional Klezmer music from the Jewish Klezmer repertorie, there are 12 tracks, corresponding to the 12 gems once adorded in the breastplate of the Levitical Priests of the Temple of Jerusalem...
THE ANCIENT BIBLICAL LYRE - CD ALBUM
"I bought this album and I am very pleased with it. Thank you Michael Levy for sharing your talents with us. I am very blessed by this music and I feel it creates an atmosphere where I can draw near to God in holiness. The music is very special to me and I know that God has written the very chords of these melodies for the angels of God and man to enjoy. I recommend this album for anyone who wishes to create a peaceful and holy environment in the home but also to those who appreciate world music from the ancient Middle East"
Yakov Israel - iTunes (UK) Review
This album is my attempt to recreate the sound of the Biblical "Nevel" - one of the ancient Biblical lyres played over 2000 years ago in the Temple of Jerusalem to accompany the singing of the Levitical Choir...
APOLLOS LYRE - CD ALBUM
"Transport your imagination...
Let Michael Levy be your tour guide. Transport your imagination into the ancient past. Visit the temples of ancient Greece. The sea breeze tugs gently at your toga as the wind whistles through empty temple ruins. The sound of a replica lyre brings to life the history of a thousand years and you find yourself revisiting a past life. You are mute witness on the courts of the ancient past to what passed for everyday entertainment and inspirational sounds. Cherish this peek into a life with the ancients"
DarkDayRobin - iTunes (USA) Review
Apollo was the Ancient Greek god of music, and above all, a Master of the Lyre. In this album, both the the Lyres & Musical Modes of Antiquity can be heard, once again...
Here is the fascinating background to this ancient Greek mythology...
“Hermes was born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. The story is told in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. His mother, Maia, had been secretly impregnated by Zeus. Maia wrapped the infant in blankets but Hermes escaped while she was asleep. Hermes ran to Thessaly, where Apollo was grazing his cattle. The infant Hermes stole a number of his cows and took them to a cave in the woods near Pylos, covering their tracks. In the cave, he found a tortoise and killed it, then removed the insides. He used one of the cow's intestines and the tortoise shell and made the first lyre. Apollo complained to Maia that her son had stolen his cattle, but Hermes had already replaced himself in the blankets she had wrapped him in, so Maia refused to believe Apollo's claim. Zeus intervened and, claiming to have seen the events, sided with Apollo. Hermes then began to play music on the lyre he had invented. Apollo, a god of music, fell in love with the instrument and offered to allow exchange of the cattle for the lyre. Hence, Apollo became a master of the lyre” (quoted from Wikipedia).
The concept of this album is to restore the sound once more, the Lyres of Apollo – both the large wooden lyre, known in ancient Greece as the Kithara, once favoured by the professional musicians of ancient Greece, and the skin-membrane lyre, known in ancient Greece as the Lyra – the lyre made from a tortoise shell resonator, over which was stretched a soundboard of taut leather.
The album features original compositions for replica lyres, in a selection of ancient musical modes, used throughout the ancient world...
THE ANCIENT GREEK MODES - CD ALBUM
"Excellent album! As close as you can get to the music of ancient Greece. Very beautiful & peaceful music. "
Theodore The Great - iTunes (Canada) Review
The concept of this album, is to recreate the both the sounds of the musical modes once used in Ancient Greece (as described in the writings of Plato & Aristotle some 2400 years ago) & to restore the lost sounds of the ancient Greek Kithara - the large wooden lyre once favoured by the professional musicians of Ancient Greece...
ANCIENT VISIONS - NEW COMPOSITIONS FOR AN ANCIENT LYRE - CD ALBUM
"The ancient past through the looking glass...
This album is probably the best means to artfully and authentically connect with those ancient civilizations like the artist seeks to connect us with. Michael Levy performs the Lyre, the musical instrument of Ancient Mesopotamia, in an honest and authentic way. Just a little reverb is added to the recording, other than that you can only hear an occasional breathing of the artist. It feels like sitting in one of their ancient temples; my mind begins wandering around and I begin to fantasize I am listening to sounds more than 4000 years old. Amazing!"
Von Idris Riahi - iTunes (Germany) Review
A mystical, Middle Eastern "Musical Adventure in Time Travel" - new compositions for a replica Ancient Lyre! This unique album features original compositions for replica ancient lyre, in a selection of some of the ancient Middle Eastern Modes, and ancient lyre-playing techniques, not heard for almost 3000 years.
The lyre I play, is a replica of the type of portable wooden lyres played throughout the Middle East, over 3500 years ago. I experiement with a unique style of percussive lyre playing in two of the tracks, "Shadow of the Ziggurat" & "Lyres of Nineveh". This technique entails hitting the strings with a wooden baton 9as opposed to plucking the strings with a plectrum). This ancient technique can clearly be seen in the famous Bas Reliefs of lyre players & musicians in the ruins of the Palace at Nineveh, c.700BCE...
ECHOES OF ANCIENT ROME - CD ALBUM
"Time Travelling in the 21st Century...
Step into the Tardis, or Mr. Peabody's wayback machine and travel to ancient Rome. Visit the balmy courts where slaves attend Kings and Queens with fans, food and finery, while the court musician plays in a quiet corner for their quiet contemplation. These ancient-inspired tunes will take you there, with just a pinch of your imagination to fuel your time machine, Michael Levy will be your tour guide to help you relive the past in glorious splendor"
DarkDayRobin - iTunes (USA) Review
This album comprises of a series of new compositions for an ancient lyre, to evoke once more, the lost music of ancient Rome! These set of compositions for my replica Kithara-style lyre is my attempt to restore a precious remnant of the music of ancient Rome, which for the most part, is now forever lost. The compositions use authentic ancient musical modes, and are inspired mainly by the Temples of ancient Rome...
ODE TO ANCIENT ROME - CD ALBUM
This album is the sequel to my album “Echoes of Ancient Rome” – like the first album in this series, “Ode To Ancient Rome” comprises of a series of new compositions for an ancient lyre in authentic ancient musical modes, to evoke once more, the lost music of ancient Rome. These set of compositions for my replica Kithara-style lyre is my attempt to restore a precious remnant of the music of ancient Rome, which for the most part, is now forever lost.
I have used the authentic divisive tuning for my lyre throughout this album, in my attempt to recreate the purity of the just intonation used in antiquity, which like the music of ancient Rome, has now sadly been forgotten...
"Ode To Ancient Rome" will be released by mid February 2012 -
WATCH THIS SPACE!!!
