What is "syrinx"

Syrinx \Syr"inx\, n.; pl. Syringes. [NL., from Gr. ? a pipe.]

1. (Mus.) A wind instrument made of reeds tied together; -- called also pandean pipes.

2. (Anat.) The lower larynx in birds.

   Note: In birds there are two laringes, an upper or true, but voiceless, larynx in the usual position behind the tongue, and a lower one, at or near the junction of the trachea and bronchi, which is the true organ of the voice.

tubular instrument, c.1600, the thing itself known from 14c. in English, from Late Latin syrinx, from Greek syrinx "shepherd's pipe" (see syringe). Used of vocal organs of birds from 1872.

n. 1 A set of panpipes. 2 A narrow channel cut in rock, especially in ancient Egyptian tombs. 3 (context zoology English) The voice organ in birds. 4 (context medicine English) A rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity within the spinal cord or in the brain stem

1. n. a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together [syn: panpipe, pandean pipe]

2. the vocal organ of a bird

3. [also: syringes (pl)]

In classical mythology, Syrinx ( Greek Σύριγξ) was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity. Pursued by the amorous Greek god Pan, she ran to a river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when the god's frustrated breath blew across them. Pan cut the reeds to fashion the first set of pan pipes, which were thenceforth known as syrinx. The word syringe was derived from this word.

Syrinx is a nymph in Greek mythology. Syrinx and syringe both come from the Greek word σῦριγξ meaning "tube". The Latin/Greek-style plural of syrinx is syringes, which is also the plural of the word syringe.

Syrinx may also refer to:

In the sciences:

• Syrinx (bird anatomy) – the avian equivalent to the mammalian larynx
• Syrinx (medicine) – A rare fluid-filled neuroglial cavity within the spinal cord (syringomyelia) or in the brain stem (syringobulbia)
• Syrinx aruanus – an enormous sea snail, the sole species in the genus Syrinx, within the family Turbinellidae
• Acrocephalus syrinx (Carolinian reed warbler) – species of bird, in the Acrocephalidae family
• (3360) Syrinx – an asteroid

In music:

• Syrinx (instrument), a musical instrument also known as pan pipes
• Syrinx (Debussy) – a piece of music for solo flute by Claude Debussy
• Syrinx (band) – a Canadian musical group of the 1970s
• Syrinx synthesizer – analog FM monosynth with seven Curtis CEM chips; made by Dutch firm Synton from 1983–4.
• "The Temples of Syrinx", a song from the album 2112 by Canadian rock band Rush
• Syrinx – stage name of Romanian Pan flautist Simion Stanciu

Syrinx, L. 129, is a piece of music for solo flute which Claude Debussy wrote in 1913. It generally takes three minutes or less to perform. It was the first significant piece for solo flute after the Sonata in A minor composed by C. P. E. Bach 150 years before (1763), and it is the first such solo composition for the modern Böhm flute, perfected in 1847.

Syrinx is commonly considered to be an indispensable part of any flautist's repertoire. Many musical historians believe that "Syrinx", which gives the performer generous room for interpretation and emotion, played a pivotal role in the development of solo flute music in the early twentieth century. Some say Syrinx was originally written by Debussy without barlines or breath marks. The flautist Marcel Moyse may have later added these, and most publishers publish Moyse's edition.

The piece is commonly performed off stage, as it is thought when Debussy dedicated the piece to the flautist Louis Fleury, it was for him to play during the interval of one of Debussy's ballets.

Syrinx was written as incidental music to the uncompleted play Psyché by Gabriel Mourey, and was originally called "Flûte de Pan". Since one of Debussy's Chansons de Bilitis had already been given that title, however, it was given its final name in reference to the myth of the amorous pursuit of the nymph Syrinx by the god Pan, in which Pan falls in love with Syrinx, however, as Syrinx does not return the love to Pan, she turns herself into a water reed and hides in the marshes. Pan cuts the reeds to make his pipes, in turn killing his love.

Syrinx has also been transposed and performed on the saxophone and other instruments. It quickly became a piece of standard literature for the saxophone, and has been recorded on both the alto and soprano saxophones.

A syrinx is a rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity within the spinal cord ( syringomyelia), in the brain stem ( syringobulbia), or in the nerves of the elbow, usually in a young age.

Syrinx was a Canadian electronic music group active from 1970 to 1972. Their song, "Tillicum", received national attention as the theme music for the television series Here Come the Seventies.

Syrinx is a public artwork by German-born American sculptor Adolph Wolter located at the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.

'Syrinx ' is a monospecific genus of large sea snails with a gill and an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turbinellidae.

[[Image:Syrinx.jpg|right|framed|Schematic drawing of an avian syrinx
1: last free cartilaginous tracheal ring,

2: tympanum,
3: first group of syringeal rings,
4: pessulus,
5: membrana tympaniformis lateralis,
6: membrana tympaniformis medialis,
7: second group of syringeal rings,
8: main bronchus,
9: bronchial cartilage]]

Syrinx ( Greek σύριγξ for pan pipes) is the name for the vocal organ of birds. Located at the base of a bird's trachea, it produces sounds without the vocal folds of mammals. The sound is produced by vibrations of some or all of the membrana tympaniformis (the walls of the syrinx) and the pessulus caused by air flowing through the syrinx. This sets up a self-oscillating system which modulates the airflow creating the sound. The muscles modulate the sound shape by changing the tension of the membranes and the bronchial openings. The syrinx enables some species of birds (such as parrots, crows, and mynas) to mimic human speech. Unlike the larynx of mammals, the syrinx is located where the trachea forks into the lungs. Thus, lateralization of bird song is possible and some songbirds can produce more than one sound at a time. Some species of birds, such as New World vultures, lack a syrinx and communicate through throaty hisses.