pan-pipes

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pan-pipes (Pandean Pipes, Syrinx). Instr. of classical antiquity, ancestor of the fl. Series (4 to 12 or more) of short vertical pipes of wood, cane, or pottery fixed side by side and graduated in length to give the pitches of the different notes. The player blows across the open ends. The ancient Greeks credited the god Pan with its invention. Used by Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.