AULOS

plural Auloi, Roman tibia, plural tibiae in ancient Greek music, a single- or double-reed pipe, classically played in pairs (auloi), postclassically played singly. Under a variety of names it was the principal wind instrument of most ancient Middle Eastern peoples and lasted in Europe up to the early Middle Ages. When played in pairs, the two pipes, of cane, wood, or metal, were held one in each hand and sounded simultaneously. In classical times the pipes were equal in length, each having three or four finger holes. Later, lengths became unequal and the number of holes increased. The Greeks characteristically used double reeds of cane that were held in the pipes by bulbous sockets. A leather strap (phorbeia; Latin: capistrum) was often tied across the cheeks to support them in the powerful blowing necessary to sound the pipes. The technical details mentioned by classical authors are too few and too obscure in meaning to explain further how the instrument was played or for what musical purpose it was designed. Typologically similar are the modern Sardinian launeddas, a triple pipe sounded by single reeds, and a host of double pipes, played as folk instruments in the Mediterranean area and the Middle East.