Marsyas was the greatest aulos virtuoso the world has ever known, and possibly the greatest musician of ancient times. Marsyas was a satyr, a man with the legs, tail, horns, and pointed ears of a goat. Satyrs were known for their wild, pleasure-seeking lifestyle, forever in pursuit of nymphs. Unpredictable and even dangerous, satyrs were creatures best avoided. However, Marsyas was not a typical satyr; he was very wise and talented, and possessed an admirable self-restraint. In fact Socrates was often compared to Marsyas because of these virtues. And it was these very attributes that would ultimately lead to his cruel, agonized death...

When he was quite young, Marsyas studied the bagpipes. It was not long before his mastery over the instrument was unrivaled, yet Marsyas grew weary of its limitations and harsh tone, and eventually gave it up completely.

Several years passed. One day as Marsyas was wandering down an unfamiliar path, he stopped to rest by the side of a stream. As he sat staring off into the gentle waters, he noticed an unusual shape drift by. Sitting up he saw what appeared to be two finely polished pieces of wood floating downstream. Stepping into the cool water he reached out, retrieving the object. He was astonished to find himself holding some sort of exquisitely crafted musical pipe. This was the first aulos.

Unknown to Marsyas, Athena herself had only recently created the instrument. The aulos was a double reed instrument, similar to the oboe, but instead of a single hollow wooden pipe, two pipes were joined together at a slight angle. Where the pipes met, they were fitted to the double reeds. Each pipe was bored with a set of finger holes, so with a single breath not one, but two notes could be made to sound in harmony. This was an amazing design, for really it was two instruments in one, and took considerable skill to play. Athena was very pleased with its excellent tone and capability, but when she showed it off to the other gods they only laughed at her because of how she puffed her checks while playing. Enraged, she cursed the instrument and cast it away.

After carefully drying it, Marsyas lifted the aulos to his lips and with the first breath it sounded as if he had practiced a lifetime- as if this instrument and he had been carved from the same material. He was instantly mesmerized by the aulos, and spend many months in solitude, enraptured with the instrument, practicing endlessly.

When he finally emerged, word quickly spread of Marsyas and the transcendental beauty of his new music. It was not long before every satyr and nymph had fallen in love with his serenades..... Continue reading