The bifora or ''pifara'' was a Sicilian

double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and ...

instrument of the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

family, related to the ancient

shawm The shawm () is a Bore (wind instruments)#Conical bore, conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 13th or possibly 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissanc ...

and particularly to the piffero of the northern Italian

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

. Much larger than the piffero, and made in one piece, it was employed together with drums in ceremonial processions, particularly in the town of

San Marco d'Alunzio San Marco d'Alunzio (, Ancient Greek: (Ptolemy, Ptol.) or (Dio Cassius, Dion.), Latin: ''Aluntium'' or ''Haluntium'') is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, near the north ...

in the

province of Messina The province of Messina (; ) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Messina. It was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Messina. Geography Territory It had an area of , ...

. Its use seems to have died out during the twentieth century.

References

* Mario Sarica, ''Strumenti Musicali Popolari in Sicilia'', Assessorato alla cultura, Provincia di Messina 1994. Excerpted i
Il Flauto in Sicilia

, from AESS: Archivio di Etnografia e Storia Sociale, RegioneLombardia Sicilian musical instruments Single oboes with conical bore {{DoubleReed-instrument-stub