The Mouthpiece of the Aulos Revisited

Abstract

The precise nature of the aulos mouthpiece, especially in the Classical period and before, has been disputed: above all, was it a single or a double reed? A definitive answer to this question has the greatest consequences for the nature of aulos music regarding not only timbre but more importantly control of dynamics, phrasing, and microtonal adjustments. From a survey of iconographical, literary and archaeological evidence, it is argued that the instruments of higher cultural esteem were universally equipped with double reeds. Single reeds were known as well, but are almost completely eclipsed in our sources.