The Acoustics of the Choir in Spanish Cathedrals

Abstract

One of the most significant enclosures in worship spaces is that of the choir. Generally, from a historical point of view, the choir is a semi-enclosed and privileged area reserved for the clergy, whose position and configuration gives it a private character. Regarding the generation and transformation of ecclesial interior spaces, the choir commands a role of the first magnitude. Its shape and location produce, on occasions, major modifications that significantly affect the acoustics of these indoor spaces. In the case of Spanish cathedrals, whose design responds to the so-called “Spanish type”, the central position of the choir, enclosed by high stonework walls on three of its sides and with numerous wooden stalls inside, breaks up the space in the main nave, thereby generating other new spaces, such as the trascoro. The aim of this work was to analyse the acoustic evolution of the choir as one of the main elements that configure the sound space of Spanish cathedrals. By means of in situ measurements and simulation models, the main acoustic parameters were evaluated, both in their current state and in their original configurations that have since disappeared. This analysis enabled the various acoustic conditions existing between the choir itself and the area of the faithful to be verified, and the significant improvement of the acoustic quality in the choir space to become apparent. The effect on the acoustic parameters is highly significant, with slight differences in the choir, where the values are appropriate for Gregorian chants, and suitable intelligibility of sung text. High values are also obtained in the area of the faithful, which lacked specific acoustic requirements at the time of construction.

Historically Based Room Acoustic Analysis and Auralization of a Church in the 1470s

“…Pedrero et al [7] presents such research regarding the cathedral in Toledo, which indicates that the acoustical properties in the subspaces supported the activities performed there. Similar results regarding the choir have been seen in several research projects [31][32][33].…”

“…The monks' choir and the gallery may both be interpreted as choirs. As the choir often has an important role in the acoustics of a church [32,33], a deep acoustic analysis is motivated both by religious and acoustic considerations. However, only traces of the structures remain in the church today, and a historically based digital reconstruction is the only practical option to evaluate the historical sound field of the space.…”

Archaeoacoustic Examination of Lazarica Church

“…To designate himself as a carrier of the Nemanjić state sovereignty, it is hypothesised that prince Lazar especially looked up to the triconch church of St. Arhangeli monastery near Prizren, as an endowment of the emperor Dušan (the Mighty) Nemanjić [4]. There was also a more functional explanation as the rounded apses provided an additional chanting space on the northern and southern sides of the altar barrier, which was needed for the increased number of chanters coming to Morava Serbia from Mount Athos [8].…”

“…The comprehensive literature overview of historical church acoustics [4] considers the acoustic analysis of mostly occidental Christian churches in Europe, Asia and South America, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach that also includes perceptual and cultural aspects of the aural experience. Besides the examination of the effect of occupancy [5], speech intelligibility [6,7], and the effect of interior architectural forms and materials [8][9][10], it is also important to acknowledge the multidisciplinary research of acoustic vessels inbuilt in some of the historic churches [11,12], as an equally valid expression of the acoustical intentions of the builders. Archaeoacoustic research of Orthodox churches also covers a wide spectre of approaches.…”

Acoustic Enhancement of a Modern Church

“…Churches are generally acoustically reverberant places due to both being large and being full of acoustically reflective materials. Many studies have shown that the room acoustic models in these large reverberant spaces are often unique, given the non-homogenous distribution of diffusing and absorbing materials [1][2][3]. Over the centuries, the long reverberation of churches has proved to enhance the listening of organ music emitted as well as hymns, thus increasing the sense of participation of the congregation [4,5].…”