Resonant Cavities in the History of Architectural Acoustics

Acoustic vessels as an expression of medieval music tradition in Serbian sacred architecture

“…Because of the complexity of archaeoacoustic questions, it is necessary to develop a holistic approach and team research, which brings together archaeologists, acousticians, architects, musicologists, linguists, etc. Those different disciplines arrived at valuable conclusions concerning the history of the acoustics of sacred spaces in Europe (Baumann 1990;Arns & Crawford 1995;Carvalho et al 2002;Desarnaulds 2002;Cirillo & Martellotta 2007;Zamarreño et al 2008;Martellotta et al 2008;Howard & Moretti 2009;Navarro et al 2009;Crunelle 2009;Suarez et al 2013Suarez et al , 2015Elicio & Martellotta 2015;Alvarez-Morales & Martellotta 2015), and also in Serbia (Mijić 2000;Mijić & Šumarac Pavlović 2004;Пено 2008;Đorđević 2016;Đorđević et al 2016).…”

“…Research into the acoustic vessels in architectural heritage was focused on three periods: (1) Antiquity, with special interest in the recommendations of Marco Pollio Vitruvius and theatre acoustics, (2) medieval times and sacred architecture, and finally (3) the modern period and the use of resonators in auditoriums and sacred spaces (Arns & Crawford 1995).…”

“…Vitruvius stressed that acoustic vessels are more suitable for theatres "built of solid materials like masonry, stone, or marble, which cannot be resonant" (ibid., 145). Although the number of niches and bronze vessels found in ancient theatres is inconclusive (Arns & Crawford 1995), a relation between Vitruvius's description and the medieval practice of installing acoustic vessels may be found in the following recommendation:…”

“…Over the last several decades, research into acoustic vessels has drawn the attention of acousticians. There are two acoustic approaches amongst published multidisciplinary archaeoacoustic studies: (1) laboratory analysis of acoustic vessels (Carvalho et al 2002;Mijić & Šumarac-Pavlović 2004), and (2) in situ acoustic measurements on the localities where acoustic vessels are still in the original positions (Arns & Crawford 1995;Desarnaulds et. al.…”

Soundscapes: Toward a Sounded Anthropology

“…Exploring the ways in which spaces of sonic performance both shape and are shaped by ideologies of proper aural practices and listening, this work covers a range of built, modified, and natural spaces used for sonorous practices, including painted Paleolithic caves (Reznikoff 2006), churches and cathedrals (Wright 1989), concert halls (Thompson 2002), and theater spaces (Arms & Crawford 1995, B. Smith 1999. As Sterne's essay on the Mall of America (1997) shows, even in a material structure distinctly nonsonorous in purpose, we ought not ignore its role as an ambient sounding environment.…”