The clarity of sound within Greek or Roman theatres (without any form of enhancement) will be impressive to any visitor. The seats arranged in curved rows around the circular orchestra form large horizontal reflecting surfaces. The paths of sound waves travel from the source (the actor or singer) to each of the listeners in a direct path (i.e. without obstruction or reflection). Vitruvius, however, claimed further enhancements could be made.

In theatres, also, are copper vases and these are placed in chambers under the rows of seats in accordance with mathematical reckoning. The Greeks call them Echeia. The differences of the sounds which arise are combined into musical symphonies...

... it becomes fuller, and reaches the audience with a richer and sweeter note.

Vitruvius, on Architecture, Book I, – on training of architects, Loeb

Vessel tunings (large theatres)

Over the past ten years, many of my compositions have been inspired by the notion of resonance in physical and artificial spaces.  Without ‘space’ (physical, virtual, psychological), music cannot exist.  My paper ‘THE ENIGMA OF VITRUVIAN RESONATING VASES AND THE RELEVANCE OF THE CONCEPT FOR TODAY’ has been published widely (including the ICMC 2009, Belfast) and is available from various sites online.  However, click here for access to all of my papers, including the paper mentioned.

I’m still not sure if the echeia principle could have worked... (but I want it to!)

STOP PRESS!

Rob has been requested to write an 8000 word chapter detailing the use of Echeia for 'A Companion to the Reception of Vitruvius'. This project is under contract with Brill and is being co-edited by Prof. Rowland and Dr Sinclair Bell.

Prof. Ingrid Rowland is responsible for the definitive edition of Vitruvius' The Ten Books on Architecture (Cambridge University Press). A treatise written in Latin on architecture, dedicated to the emperor Augustus, much more than a book on buildings and machines, the contents of De Architectura reveal a greater meaning of 'architecture', combining science, mathematics, geometry, astronomy; and not least the arts, sound, acoustics and music.

The research will update the authors initial findings into the concept (The Enigma of Vitruvian Resonating Vases and the Relevance of the Concept for Today) by exploring further scientific findings with computer modelling.

Publication is due for December 2018.