The hydraulis, or water organ, was the first keyboard instrument and was the natural outgrowth of Ctesibius's force pump. It represented a mechanization of a simple musical instrument, the panpipes, which was popular among ancient Greek musicians. More than a mechanized version of a simple wind instrument, however, the hydraulis opened the door to new types of musical instruments, genres of sound, and modes of performance.

The hydraulis displays a developed understanding of the technology of the force pump and pneumatics. While its practical uses were few, the hydraulis exemplified Ctesibius's proclivity, seen at an early age, to transform theoretical ideas and experimental mechanics into functional devices. The instrument consisted of a pair of levers that operated two cylinders. The cylinders forced air into an inverted funnel set in a chamber partially filled with water. From the top of the funnel (that is, the narrow opening), air was circulated through the pipes of the organ via channels. A series of valves connected to the keyboard regulated which channels were open and for how long. The varying size of the channels and organ pipes further dictated the quality of the sound generated. In essence, the force applied to the levers was transferred through the water in the inverted funnel and to the air inside the channels. The added energy increased the air pressure, which was released when the keys were played and a sound generated.

Although its initial value as an instrument was not highly appreciated, by the first century AD it became a popular instrument of entertainment. Representations of the hydraulis have survived in the form of Roman baked-clay models, in mosaics, and in relief sculpture. Parts of two water organs have been found near Acquincum (modern Budapest, Hungary) and Dion, Greece.

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