Revival of Ancient Music on Ancient Instruments

Arutz Sheva has a very interesting interview with the new Jewish Band, Agadetah, a group founded several years ago with music enthusiast Amram Amar. The interviewer, Ben Bresky, brings us into the lives of these amazing men who have brought back to our Holy Eretz Yisrael the words and melodies of some of our sages. And the instruments are unique to say the least.

Gentle, soothing melodies played on ancient instruments, creating music to help make the connection with ourselves and with HaShem, to make it real ... lighting all of reality.

The Santur "is the grandfather of the piano that we know today. There are two small sticks and they hit a group of 72 strings."

The Kamancheh (qamanch) is like the grandfather of the violin. It is played different frm the violin, on the knee. It is played with a bow and has 4 strings. The sound is like a drum, but the strings give a special sound. (From Azerbaijan area, near Persia and Far East Asia.

The Tof Miriam is Miriam's drum, and the Pantam, known chutz l'Aretz as the Hang, has become a popular sound in Israel

Yaniv Shamay, Amram Amir, and Yochay Shimon Koen, known as Agadetah bring to their audiences melodies and words from sages, Ibn Ezra, Baba Sali, Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, and from King David's Psalms, music ancient and original.  Yaniv lives just below Mount Meron are 3 villages, one is Meron, one is Or HaGanuz and one is Bar Yochai. There are other graves of sages in the area and visitors come from all over the world.

Ben Bresky is a music journalist and recording engineer living in Jerusalem. He hosts The Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast on Arutz Sheva live every Tuesday interviewing a wide range of Jewish and Israeli musicians from Carlebach to klezmer, from hasidic to trance. For archives and blog visit