The Pipe Organ and Antiphonal Choirs

• Musical instruments were forbidden in orthodox ecclesiastical music, and are to this day. In the social settings, however, antiphonal choirs, in which two parts of a choir or orchestra play or sing in semi disharmony to produce a particular musical effect, were often accompanied by musical instruments. One of the most popular was the pipe organ.
  
  

Types of Ensembles

• Instruments were played by both women and men. We know that there were at least two types of ensemble, probably more. The two that we can be sure about were reed, wind and percussion instruments and stringed ensembles. It is also known that instruments similar to modern day horns, flutes, cymbals and drums were also played.
  
  

Wind and Percussion Instruments

• Most of the instruments used by the ancient Byzantines had their origins in Ancient Greece. In that civilization, they were subsidiary to those played with strings. There were, however, a wide range of them. One of the most common reed instruments was the Aulos and the range of varieties included those considered feminine in tone, like the Phyrgian Aulos, and those considered masculine, like the Pythian Aulos. Other instruments from the wind category included the syrinx and salpinx, which was a straight trumpet. There were a number of percussion instruments that included tympana, similar to tambourines, krotola, similar to castanets and kymbala, similar to cymbals.
  
  

Stringed Instruments

• One important stringed instrument was the Barbitos, which has seven strings that were long and produced a low tone. This instrument was particularly popular at drinking parties. Other stringed instruments included the Pektis, which has been described as a triangular harp with two sets of strings that were side by side. Two more were the Trigonon, which was also triangular in shape, and the Iambuke, which was a harp or a lute.