Pipeworks set to be a festival of big sounds

Organist Daniel Moult, who will be giving masterclasses as part of the Pipeworks Organ and Choral Festival

I wonder how many music lovers realise how much we owe to that famous Greek engineer, Ctesibius of Alexandria? Ctesibius invented an instrument called the hydraulis, which took off in popularity in the third century BC for its entertainment value.

Fast-forward a couple of centuries and updated models proved a hit in the Roman Empire, particularly when stirring up baying mobs in amphitheatres. By then, the hydraulis – which basically sent wind through ...