miraclewhip2000's definitions

muscolo

Foghorn, from Italian mus- (Greek 'mus-ic' ) colo (Latin 'neck'). Originally an instrument made from the neck and lungs of a bull, operated by two men, each applying their full weight to a lung. The resulting expulsion of air through the neck caused a powerful low-frequency tone that could be heard for many miles and carried especially well over water. The 'muscolo' required strong support and was usually affixed amidship to the main mast. Recharging was difficult as each 'muscolier' took turns inflating the lungs by exhaling back into the neck. Commonly found on Adriatic ship traffic until the 4th century AD, when they began to be replaced by mechanically driven ram horns.

Tales of the muscolo and its legendary muscoliers survive to this day in many southern Italian folk songs.

by miraclewhip2000 March 4, 2019