The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2017
In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of h... more In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of harmony, music, and sound propagation in enclosed interior spaces. Among them, Athanasius Kircher was one of the most influential researchers of his time. Born in Geisa, Thuringia (Germany), he became a Jesuit in 1608 and spent a large part of his life in Rome, where he died in 1680. During his lifetime, he wrote several books spanning a wide range of topics, including sound, music, and acoustics. One of these, the Phonurgia Nova, published in 1673, was almost ignored for hundreds of years. Phonurgia Nova was translated from the original Latin. It consists of two different books, the Phonosophia nova and the Phonosophia anacamptica. The former deals with the influence of music on human beings whereas the latter analyses sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this paper, the Authors present new achievements regarding some of the apparatuses that Kircher invented. Among all his marvelous sound machines, the Aut...
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiæ Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or ‘talking statue’, in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This art...
We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basi... more We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, in the context of the contemporary pandemic known as the plague of Justinian. The ordered sequence of reverberant aural encounters at San Vitale is posited as a method of spiritual and physical cleansing. The original metrical verse in the atrium of San Vitale refers to the church as an arcem (stronghold) from the cuntagia mundi (contagions of the world), a sentiment contemporaneous with the continued effects of the plague. An allegorical route-way from Christ’s nativity to resurrection signifies transformation. The resemblance of San Vitale’s interior to Constantinople’s mese processional urban route and the two-story colonnaded frontages enclosing the Forum of Constantine - an intriguing example of an indoor acoustic space designed as a compressed network of recognizable signifiers echoing a specific outdoor urban space elsewhere.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2015
Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored ... more Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored characteristics of visual and aural attributes of historic buildings. In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. The virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. The results of measuring the internal spatial parameters are used to recreate San Vitale’s historical components and to re-sound original music of the little known Ravennate rite.
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiae Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or 'talking statue', in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This article differs from our former work; for example, in this article, an earlier example of Francis Bacon's methods of enquiry into acoustic phenomena illustrates differences with Kircher's own line of inquiry. We show how Kircher accepts and embraces a Baroque fascination for the 'marvellous world' and the allegiance between science and magic, specifically with the mysterious magical affect of sound through the construction of interior listening strategies, or aural espionage, as in the Heidelberg Palace, the Villa Simonetta, and via talking statues such as the Colossus of Memnon.
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiæ Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or ‘talking statue’, in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This article differs from our former work; for example, in this article, an earlier example of Francis Bacon’s methods of enquiry into acoustic phenomena illustrates differences with Kircher’s own line of inquiry. We show how Kircher accepts and embraces a Baroque fascination for the ‘marvellous world’ and the allegiance between science and magic, specifically with the mysterious magical affect of sound through the construction of interior listening strategies, or aural espionage, as in the Heidelberg Palace, the Villa Simonetta, and via talking statues such as the Colossus of Memnon.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 141(5):3935-3935, 2017
In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of h... more In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of harmony, music, and sound propagation in enclosed interior spaces. Among them, Athanasius Kircher was one of the most influential researchers of his time. Born in Geisa, Thüringia (Germany), he became a Jesuit in 1608 and spent a large part of his life in Rome, where he died in 1680. During his lifetime, he wrote several books spanning a wide range of topics, including sound, music, and acoustics. One of these, the Phonurgia Nova, published in 1673, was almost ignored for hundreds of years. Phonurgia Nova was translated from the original Latin. It consists of two different books, the Phonosophia nova and the Phonosophia anacamptica. The former deals with the influence of music on human beings whereas the latter analysessound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this paper, the Authors present new achievements regarding some of the apparatuses that Kircher invented. Among all his marvelous sound machines, the Authors will describe some of Kircher’s items, including the tuba stentorophonica (the “loud trumpet”), the statua citofonica (the “talking statue”), the obiectum phonocampticum (the “phonocentric object”), the Ruota Cembalaria (the “sounding wheel”), the ancient Egyptian singing statue of Memnon, the Aeolian Harp, and the hydraulis (hydraulic organ). Some of these apparatuses were also recently partially realized by the Polish Pavilion during the Biennale of Venice in 2012, achieving a Special Mention from the international jury.
Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored ... more Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored characteristics of visual and aural attributes of historic buildings. The recent development of acoustic methodologies in achieving the spatial sound distribution in enclosed interiors has greatly enhanced the possibilities of recreating past sound atmospheres. When new developments in visual virtual reconstructions of rooms accompany thorough descriptions of the 3D acoustic environment, a fully integrated sensory experience of virtual reality is achieved and can better assist in our understanding of past experience. In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. A proper assessment of the degree of sound spatial accuracy is requested during sound reproduction in 3D listening rooms, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality, but presently also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry (Immsound, Auro-3D, NHK 22.2). The innovative procedure for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information is presented and the description of this new technique is emphasised. The complimentary archaeological visual virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site has also revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. A combination of archaeological and acoustical methodologies were employed to measure and model San Vitale. The modern metric measurements of San Vitale were converted to sixth-century units and significant direct correlations were newly identified with the octagonal Arian baptistery at Ravenna. Hidden intentional symmetries of San Vitale were also identified during the process of virtual modelling and by applying two-dimensional isovist fields. The acoustical survey of 3D Impulse Responses was recorded between the range 20Hz and 20000Hz and from these were calculated acoustical characteristics such as Reverberation Time (RT20 and RT30) and speech and music reception Clarity (C50 and C80). The results of a campaign to measure the internal spatial parameters of San Vitale, employing the new methodology, are utilised to recreate historical components of the church and re-sounding original music of the little known Ravennate rite. A new vocal rendition of the Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit Averni was recorded on the ground floor and in the upper matroneum gallery. A further vocal performance was recorded in a 90Hz anechoic chamber and convolved with the surveyed Impulse Responses of the church. These new observations are presented here with a re-evaluation of San Vitale’s contextual meaning within sixth-century Mediterranean architectural and social history.
The interior space of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna experimentally demonstr... more The interior space of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna experimentally demonstrates immersive reverberation times (T30) between 4.64 and 4.76 seconds. This article posits sensory experiences within this late antique structure, giving attention to the aural, visual and cognitive experience as the sixth century congregation proceeded through a series of semantically meaningful exterior and interior spaces. The route through a created Holy Land and Christological narrative are explored while developing ideas centered on the concept that listening is not simply reactive, but creative auscultation of the sonic textures and details afforded by the immersive acoustic characteristics of an internal space. Sixth century strategies of directing and dampening sound are discussed in relation to San Vitale's design and early furnishings. The social relation between sound sources, such as vocalists speaking or singing, and the audition of congregated attendees can assist in the interpretation of spatial allocations, shifts and interchanges between these producers and receivers of sound.
Music & Ritual: Bridging Material & Living Cultures, 2013
The archaeoacoustics of ceremonial structures has been of interest to a variety of heritage speci... more The archaeoacoustics of ceremonial structures has been of interest to a variety of heritage specialists, including archaeologists, architectural historians and acousticians. The study of the late antique Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna is discussed here in relation to how its acoustic characteristics may have facilitated and enhanced the liturgical function of the building as a congregational church. The experimental results of measuring sound propagation, reverberation and clarity of the interior octagonal space of San Vitale, are set with contemporary 6th century descriptions of vocal musical play with reverberation and echo. A quotation by Cassiodorus of Ravenna is identified as relating to architectural acoustics and musical performance in a ritual setting. An exploration of observations made while performing the late antique Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit averni inside San Vitale is offered in order to understand how this site affords reciprocity between the enclosed sacred space and a ritual sonic performance, specifically musical and oratorical vocalisations. The immersive quality of San Vitale’s long reverberation times and clarity favouring musical rather than spoken vocalisations, are interpreted here as influencing and helping shape the style of musical performance at the 6th century capital of the Western Empire.
Fusion of Cultures; Proceedings of CAA 2010. Edited by F. Contreras, M. Farjas and F.J. Melero, 2013
This paper aims to make a conceptual and methodological contribution to the spatial analysis of p... more This paper aims to make a conceptual and methodological contribution to the spatial analysis of past architectural spaces, by suggesting some new methods for the investigation of human sensory engagement with the built environment. The Late Antique church of San Vitale at Ravenna is used as a case study to demonstrate the potential of the proposed techniques to illuminate social aspects of past built spaces.
Hummingbird. University of Southampton Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences Doctoral Research Journal. Issue 1. Pp. 30-34, Apr 2010
Caravaggio’s experimentation with light is known. This paper presents new evidence for his less d... more Caravaggio’s experimentation with light is known. This paper presents new evidence for his less discussed complementary interests in sound. Firstly, his knowledge of the anatomy of the middle ear is identified in his The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) and set within the history of anatomical knowledge and illustration. Secondly, the painters’ interest in acoustics is identified in his Burial of Saint Lucy (1608). The context surrounding Caravaggio’s execution of this painting is considered drawing together influences from Syracuse and the stories of its famous quarry associated with the tyrant Dionysius. By revisiting these two early 17th century canvases a better appreciation is possible for the history of acoustical investigation. The observations and interpretations offered here are hoped to be beneficial also to Art, Literary and Medical Historians alike.
A new edition from Vocamus Editions (David J. Knight) of The Apostate, Or, Atlantis Destroyed (pl... more A new edition from Vocamus Editions (David J. Knight) of The Apostate, Or, Atlantis Destroyed (play: 1814), The New Atlantis, An American Legend (short story: 1833) both by John Galt. Also included is the poem The Captive, by Susanna Strickland (Moodie) (1814). Edited and Introduction by David J. Knight. Foreword by Dr. T. Berto (University of Guelph). Afterword by Nick Ford (Southampton, UK).
This is a new edition of Mary Leslie's 1878 novel "The Cromaboo Mail Carrier" originally publishe... more This is a new edition of Mary Leslie's 1878 novel "The Cromaboo Mail Carrier" originally published by Joseph Hacking in Guelph. The new edition (2016: Vocamus Editions) features a Foreword by Daniel Bratton, and Introduction, Appendices and Footnotes by David J. Knight. Available to order online at Lulu.com
A new edition of John Galt's play The Star of Destiny, and his prose version The German's Tale - ... more A new edition of John Galt's play The Star of Destiny, and his prose version The German's Tale - with a Foreword by Ian McGhee (Secretary of the John Galt Society, Glasgow). Introduction and footnotes by David J. Knight. Published by Vocamus Editions, 2015.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2017
In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of h... more In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of harmony, music, and sound propagation in enclosed interior spaces. Among them, Athanasius Kircher was one of the most influential researchers of his time. Born in Geisa, Thuringia (Germany), he became a Jesuit in 1608 and spent a large part of his life in Rome, where he died in 1680. During his lifetime, he wrote several books spanning a wide range of topics, including sound, music, and acoustics. One of these, the Phonurgia Nova, published in 1673, was almost ignored for hundreds of years. Phonurgia Nova was translated from the original Latin. It consists of two different books, the Phonosophia nova and the Phonosophia anacamptica. The former deals with the influence of music on human beings whereas the latter analyses sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this paper, the Authors present new achievements regarding some of the apparatuses that Kircher invented. Among all his marvelous sound machines, the Aut...
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiæ Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or ‘talking statue’, in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This art...
We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basi... more We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, in the context of the contemporary pandemic known as the plague of Justinian. The ordered sequence of reverberant aural encounters at San Vitale is posited as a method of spiritual and physical cleansing. The original metrical verse in the atrium of San Vitale refers to the church as an arcem (stronghold) from the cuntagia mundi (contagions of the world), a sentiment contemporaneous with the continued effects of the plague. An allegorical route-way from Christ’s nativity to resurrection signifies transformation. The resemblance of San Vitale’s interior to Constantinople’s mese processional urban route and the two-story colonnaded frontages enclosing the Forum of Constantine - an intriguing example of an indoor acoustic space designed as a compressed network of recognizable signifiers echoing a specific outdoor urban space elsewhere.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2015
Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored ... more Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored characteristics of visual and aural attributes of historic buildings. In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. The virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. The results of measuring the internal spatial parameters are used to recreate San Vitale’s historical components and to re-sound original music of the little known Ravennate rite.
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiae Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or 'talking statue', in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This article differs from our former work; for example, in this article, an earlier example of Francis Bacon's methods of enquiry into acoustic phenomena illustrates differences with Kircher's own line of inquiry. We show how Kircher accepts and embraces a Baroque fascination for the 'marvellous world' and the allegiance between science and magic, specifically with the mysterious magical affect of sound through the construction of interior listening strategies, or aural espionage, as in the Heidelberg Palace, the Villa Simonetta, and via talking statues such as the Colossus of Memnon.
This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kirche... more This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiæ Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvilli and Tarabusi). This book analyzes in particular sound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this work, Kircher also describes the statua citofonica, or ‘talking statue’, in relation to the magical effect created by aural illusion and the famous ancient Egyptian acoustical phenomenon and cultural sound-mark associated with the Colossus of Memnon, the famous lost sound phenomenon of the northern of the two colossi of Amenhotep III in the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor, Egypt, that reportedly emitted a sound with the first and final daily touch of sunlight at dawn and dusk. This article aims to describe, analyse and comment on the 17th century contributions of Athanasius Kircher by understanding his Phonosophia anacamptica and the contemporary intellectual context in which he worked. This article differs from our former work; for example, in this article, an earlier example of Francis Bacon’s methods of enquiry into acoustic phenomena illustrates differences with Kircher’s own line of inquiry. We show how Kircher accepts and embraces a Baroque fascination for the ‘marvellous world’ and the allegiance between science and magic, specifically with the mysterious magical affect of sound through the construction of interior listening strategies, or aural espionage, as in the Heidelberg Palace, the Villa Simonetta, and via talking statues such as the Colossus of Memnon.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 141(5):3935-3935, 2017
In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of h... more In the 17th Century many Physicists, Mathematicians and Musicians dealt with the experiences of harmony, music, and sound propagation in enclosed interior spaces. Among them, Athanasius Kircher was one of the most influential researchers of his time. Born in Geisa, Thüringia (Germany), he became a Jesuit in 1608 and spent a large part of his life in Rome, where he died in 1680. During his lifetime, he wrote several books spanning a wide range of topics, including sound, music, and acoustics. One of these, the Phonurgia Nova, published in 1673, was almost ignored for hundreds of years. Phonurgia Nova was translated from the original Latin. It consists of two different books, the Phonosophia nova and the Phonosophia anacamptica. The former deals with the influence of music on human beings whereas the latter analysessound propagation in enclosed spaces. In this paper, the Authors present new achievements regarding some of the apparatuses that Kircher invented. Among all his marvelous sound machines, the Authors will describe some of Kircher’s items, including the tuba stentorophonica (the “loud trumpet”), the statua citofonica (the “talking statue”), the obiectum phonocampticum (the “phonocentric object”), the Ruota Cembalaria (the “sounding wheel”), the ancient Egyptian singing statue of Memnon, the Aeolian Harp, and the hydraulis (hydraulic organ). Some of these apparatuses were also recently partially realized by the Polish Pavilion during the Biennale of Venice in 2012, achieving a Special Mention from the international jury.
Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored ... more Applying new information technologies to Cultural Heritage enables us to discover the unexplored characteristics of visual and aural attributes of historic buildings. The recent development of acoustic methodologies in achieving the spatial sound distribution in enclosed interiors has greatly enhanced the possibilities of recreating past sound atmospheres. When new developments in visual virtual reconstructions of rooms accompany thorough descriptions of the 3D acoustic environment, a fully integrated sensory experience of virtual reality is achieved and can better assist in our understanding of past experience. In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. A proper assessment of the degree of sound spatial accuracy is requested during sound reproduction in 3D listening rooms, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality, but presently also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry (Immsound, Auro-3D, NHK 22.2). The innovative procedure for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information is presented and the description of this new technique is emphasised. The complimentary archaeological visual virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site has also revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. A combination of archaeological and acoustical methodologies were employed to measure and model San Vitale. The modern metric measurements of San Vitale were converted to sixth-century units and significant direct correlations were newly identified with the octagonal Arian baptistery at Ravenna. Hidden intentional symmetries of San Vitale were also identified during the process of virtual modelling and by applying two-dimensional isovist fields. The acoustical survey of 3D Impulse Responses was recorded between the range 20Hz and 20000Hz and from these were calculated acoustical characteristics such as Reverberation Time (RT20 and RT30) and speech and music reception Clarity (C50 and C80). The results of a campaign to measure the internal spatial parameters of San Vitale, employing the new methodology, are utilised to recreate historical components of the church and re-sounding original music of the little known Ravennate rite. A new vocal rendition of the Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit Averni was recorded on the ground floor and in the upper matroneum gallery. A further vocal performance was recorded in a 90Hz anechoic chamber and convolved with the surveyed Impulse Responses of the church. These new observations are presented here with a re-evaluation of San Vitale’s contextual meaning within sixth-century Mediterranean architectural and social history.
The interior space of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna experimentally demonstr... more The interior space of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna experimentally demonstrates immersive reverberation times (T30) between 4.64 and 4.76 seconds. This article posits sensory experiences within this late antique structure, giving attention to the aural, visual and cognitive experience as the sixth century congregation proceeded through a series of semantically meaningful exterior and interior spaces. The route through a created Holy Land and Christological narrative are explored while developing ideas centered on the concept that listening is not simply reactive, but creative auscultation of the sonic textures and details afforded by the immersive acoustic characteristics of an internal space. Sixth century strategies of directing and dampening sound are discussed in relation to San Vitale's design and early furnishings. The social relation between sound sources, such as vocalists speaking or singing, and the audition of congregated attendees can assist in the interpretation of spatial allocations, shifts and interchanges between these producers and receivers of sound.
Music & Ritual: Bridging Material & Living Cultures, 2013
The archaeoacoustics of ceremonial structures has been of interest to a variety of heritage speci... more The archaeoacoustics of ceremonial structures has been of interest to a variety of heritage specialists, including archaeologists, architectural historians and acousticians. The study of the late antique Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna is discussed here in relation to how its acoustic characteristics may have facilitated and enhanced the liturgical function of the building as a congregational church. The experimental results of measuring sound propagation, reverberation and clarity of the interior octagonal space of San Vitale, are set with contemporary 6th century descriptions of vocal musical play with reverberation and echo. A quotation by Cassiodorus of Ravenna is identified as relating to architectural acoustics and musical performance in a ritual setting. An exploration of observations made while performing the late antique Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit averni inside San Vitale is offered in order to understand how this site affords reciprocity between the enclosed sacred space and a ritual sonic performance, specifically musical and oratorical vocalisations. The immersive quality of San Vitale’s long reverberation times and clarity favouring musical rather than spoken vocalisations, are interpreted here as influencing and helping shape the style of musical performance at the 6th century capital of the Western Empire.
Fusion of Cultures; Proceedings of CAA 2010. Edited by F. Contreras, M. Farjas and F.J. Melero, 2013
This paper aims to make a conceptual and methodological contribution to the spatial analysis of p... more This paper aims to make a conceptual and methodological contribution to the spatial analysis of past architectural spaces, by suggesting some new methods for the investigation of human sensory engagement with the built environment. The Late Antique church of San Vitale at Ravenna is used as a case study to demonstrate the potential of the proposed techniques to illuminate social aspects of past built spaces.
Hummingbird. University of Southampton Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences Doctoral Research Journal. Issue 1. Pp. 30-34, Apr 2010
Caravaggio’s experimentation with light is known. This paper presents new evidence for his less d... more Caravaggio’s experimentation with light is known. This paper presents new evidence for his less discussed complementary interests in sound. Firstly, his knowledge of the anatomy of the middle ear is identified in his The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) and set within the history of anatomical knowledge and illustration. Secondly, the painters’ interest in acoustics is identified in his Burial of Saint Lucy (1608). The context surrounding Caravaggio’s execution of this painting is considered drawing together influences from Syracuse and the stories of its famous quarry associated with the tyrant Dionysius. By revisiting these two early 17th century canvases a better appreciation is possible for the history of acoustical investigation. The observations and interpretations offered here are hoped to be beneficial also to Art, Literary and Medical Historians alike.
A new edition from Vocamus Editions (David J. Knight) of The Apostate, Or, Atlantis Destroyed (pl... more A new edition from Vocamus Editions (David J. Knight) of The Apostate, Or, Atlantis Destroyed (play: 1814), The New Atlantis, An American Legend (short story: 1833) both by John Galt. Also included is the poem The Captive, by Susanna Strickland (Moodie) (1814). Edited and Introduction by David J. Knight. Foreword by Dr. T. Berto (University of Guelph). Afterword by Nick Ford (Southampton, UK).
This is a new edition of Mary Leslie's 1878 novel "The Cromaboo Mail Carrier" originally publishe... more This is a new edition of Mary Leslie's 1878 novel "The Cromaboo Mail Carrier" originally published by Joseph Hacking in Guelph. The new edition (2016: Vocamus Editions) features a Foreword by Daniel Bratton, and Introduction, Appendices and Footnotes by David J. Knight. Available to order online at Lulu.com
A new edition of John Galt's play The Star of Destiny, and his prose version The German's Tale - ... more A new edition of John Galt's play The Star of Destiny, and his prose version The German's Tale - with a Foreword by Ian McGhee (Secretary of the John Galt Society, Glasgow). Introduction and footnotes by David J. Knight. Published by Vocamus Editions, 2015.
This research tests and assesses whether sixth-century social and cultural dynamics can be archae... more This research tests and assesses whether sixth-century social and cultural dynamics can be archaeologically identified by including the study of acoustics in the context of extant Late Antique Christian architecture, namely the centrally planned domed octagonal church of San Vitale at Ravenna. Implementing a holistic archaeological research strategy that includes human sensory perception of acoustical phenomena is the best approach to unravelling the complexities of social and cultural mechanisms operating in the sixth-century Mediterranean basin. The methods and issues of Archaeoacoustics are critiqued and developed in order to comment on the intentionality of acoustic attributes in sixth-century ecclesiastical architecture. The space syntax of San Vitale has been considered for isovists at key locations during the liturgical procession and sequence of the Mass celebration. These are compared with mapped areas of perceiving the acoustic characteristics of Clarity and Reverberation Time. Combining the visual and acoustic analysis of San Vitale,
XAGGERA is the new Fenylalazine (magazine of art), from Fenylalanine Publishing. This initial iss... more XAGGERA is the new Fenylalazine (magazine of art), from Fenylalanine Publishing. This initial issue celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Ed Video Media Arts Centre. Over the course of the past many months, Fenylalanine has identified the desire for an art magazine of Guelph. This then transformed (as is always welcome at Fenylalanine) into a magazine of art with contributions from writers, poets, graphic artists, painters, doodlers and asemic conceptualists – twenty-two contributions from the local, national and international scenes.
We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basi... more We wish to offer a survey of our published work on the Archaeoacoustics of the sixth century basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, in the context of the contemporary pandemic known as the plague of Justinian. The ordered sequence of reverberant aural encounters at San Vitale is posited as a method of spiritual and physical cleansing. The original metrical verse in the atrium of San Vitale refers to the church as an arcem (stronghold) from the cuntagia mundi (contagions of the world), a sentiment contemporaneous with the continued effects of the plague. An allegorical route-way from Christ's nativity to resurrection signifies transformation. The resemblance of San Vitale's interior to Constantinople's mese processional urban route and the two-story colonnaded frontages enclosing the Forum of Constantine-an intriguing example of an indoor acoustic space designed as a compressed network of recognizable signifiers echoing a specific outdoor urban space elsewhere.
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Papers by David J Knight
In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. A proper assessment of the degree of sound spatial accuracy is requested during sound reproduction in 3D listening rooms, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality, but presently also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry (Immsound, Auro-3D, NHK 22.2). The innovative procedure for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information is presented and the description of this new technique is emphasised.
The complimentary archaeological visual virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site has also revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. A combination of archaeological and acoustical methodologies were employed to measure and model San Vitale. The modern metric measurements of San Vitale were converted to sixth-century units and significant direct correlations were newly identified with the octagonal Arian baptistery at Ravenna. Hidden intentional symmetries of San Vitale were also identified during the process of virtual modelling and by applying two-dimensional isovist fields.
The acoustical survey of 3D Impulse Responses was recorded between the range 20Hz and 20000Hz and from these were calculated acoustical characteristics such as Reverberation Time (RT20 and RT30) and speech and music reception Clarity (C50 and C80). The results of a campaign to measure the internal spatial parameters of San Vitale, employing the new methodology, are utilised to recreate historical components of the church and re-sounding original music of the little known Ravennate rite. A new vocal rendition of the Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit Averni was recorded on the ground floor and in the upper matroneum gallery. A further vocal performance was recorded in a 90Hz anechoic chamber and convolved with the surveyed Impulse Responses of the church. These new observations are presented here with a re-evaluation of San Vitale’s contextual meaning within sixth-century Mediterranean architectural and social history.
Books by David J Knight
In this article a new technology to measure acoustic 3D Impulse Responses in historic interiors is described and applied to the sixth-century church of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy. A proper assessment of the degree of sound spatial accuracy is requested during sound reproduction in 3D listening rooms, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality, but presently also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry (Immsound, Auro-3D, NHK 22.2). The innovative procedure for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information is presented and the description of this new technique is emphasised.
The complimentary archaeological visual virtual reconstruction of this important UNESCO World Heritage Site has also revealed otherwise obscured yet intentional details of its architectural design. A combination of archaeological and acoustical methodologies were employed to measure and model San Vitale. The modern metric measurements of San Vitale were converted to sixth-century units and significant direct correlations were newly identified with the octagonal Arian baptistery at Ravenna. Hidden intentional symmetries of San Vitale were also identified during the process of virtual modelling and by applying two-dimensional isovist fields.
The acoustical survey of 3D Impulse Responses was recorded between the range 20Hz and 20000Hz and from these were calculated acoustical characteristics such as Reverberation Time (RT20 and RT30) and speech and music reception Clarity (C50 and C80). The results of a campaign to measure the internal spatial parameters of San Vitale, employing the new methodology, are utilised to recreate historical components of the church and re-sounding original music of the little known Ravennate rite. A new vocal rendition of the Ravennate chant Lux de luce Deus tenebris illuxit Averni was recorded on the ground floor and in the upper matroneum gallery. A further vocal performance was recorded in a 90Hz anechoic chamber and convolved with the surveyed Impulse Responses of the church. These new observations are presented here with a re-evaluation of San Vitale’s contextual meaning within sixth-century Mediterranean architectural and social history.