VITRUVIUS ON THE VALUE OF MUSIC FOR ENHANCING THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ANTIQUE THEATER’S AUDIENCE SPACE. Part 1

Abstract

Vitruvius' legacy points to the importance of music in architecture for enhancing the acoustics of ancient theaters. In particular, he described in detail the sounding vessels, or ηχεια – “echea”, the effectiveness of which has not been proven. The effect of “echeas” on the acoustic parameters of a small classical Greek theater is investigated using computer modeling methods. The theater models developed take into account Vitruvius' recommendations and published research and measurements of ancient theater acoustic parameters reconstructed in our time. The descriptions of Vitruvius and the musical theories of Aristoxenus and Pythagoras were considered when developing the “echeas” models. Using the standard algorithm of the EASE4.4 program, the parameters of a small theater were calculated and the C50, C80, STI acoustic parameters of the theater’s sound field were found to benefit from the “echeas” or sounding vessels.