Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Pythaula

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

PYTHAU'LA or -LES (πυθαύλης). In its original and proper acceptation signified a musician who played an air upon the pipe (αὐλός), expressive of the combat between Apollo and the Python (Hygin. Fab. 273.); whence the name was afterwards given to a musical performer at the theatre, who played the accompaniment to a single voice, as contradistinguished from the Choraules, who accompanied the entire chorus. Diomed. iii. 489. Varro, ap. Non. s. Ramices, p. 166.