SYRINX (ovpryE)

This article appears in Volume V26, Page 317 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: SUS-TAV

SYRINX (ovpryE) , the Greek name for the pan-pipes. The principle on which it works is that of the stopped pipe, but it is blown in the same manner as the ancient Egyptian nay or oblique

flute

FLUTE

. The pipes composing it were stopped at one end, so that the sound waves had to travel twice the length of the pipe, giving out a note nearly an octave lower than that produced by an open pipe of equal length. The breath directed horizontally across the open end, impinged against the

sharp

SHARP,
GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE, GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE, JOHN
  CARTERET
  - CARTERET, SIR GEORGE (c. 1610-1680)
  , EARL (1690-1763)
(1735-1813)
SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

inner edge of the pipes, creating the regular

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of pulses which generate the sound waves within the tubes. The syrinx consisted of a varying number of reeds, having their open ends or embouchures in a

horizontal

HORIZONTAL

line and their stopped ends, formed by the knots in the reed, gradually decreasing in length from left to right. Each pipe gave out one note, but by overblowing, i.e. increased pressure of breath and tension of lips, harmonies could be obtained.
The syrinx or pan pipes owes its

double

name to ancient Greek tradition, ascribing its invention to Pan in connection with a well-known legend of the Arcadian water-nymph " Syrinx." 2 The exact form of the

instrument

INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

and the number of pipes (1o) at the beginning of the third century s.c. is shown in one of
1 The Syriac versions made by him and his successors have unfortunately perished (see

Wright

, p. 213).
2 See Serv. ad Virgil, Ecloga, ii. 31 ; and Ovid, Metam. i. 691, &c.the Idyllia figurata,3 in which the legend is repeated. The pan-dean pipes continued in favour with the rustic populations of the West long after the organ evolved from it had eclipsed this humble prototype. The syrinx was in use during the middle ages, and was known in France as frestel or freetiau, in medieval Latin as

fistula

FISTULA (Lat. for a pipe or tube)

pans, and in Germany as Pansflote or Hirtenpfeife (now Papagenoflote). At the beginning of the 19th century a revival of the popularity of this

instrument

INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

took place, and quartets were played on four sets of pipes of different sizes and pitch. The modern mouth-organ is the representative of the syrinx, although blown by means of a free reed.

End of Article: SYRINX (ovpryE)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/SUS_TAV/SYRINX_ovpryE_.html">
SYRINX (ovpryE)
</a>

(Previous)
SYRINGE (Gr. ovpryE, reed, pipe)

(Next)
SYRUP (0. Fr. ysserop, mod. sirop, Span. xarope...

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email