Echo problems in ancient theatres and
a comment to the ‘sounding vessels’
described by Vitruvius
Jens Holger Rindel
Odeon A/S, Denmark
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
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Sound reflections in a theatre
Echo positions in a Roman theatre
Vitruvius and his background
Theatre design in the 1st century BC
The sounding vessels - Aristoxenus
Conclusion
Echo problems and sounding vessels
2
Sound reflections in the theatre
Vitruvius (Book V,viii,1) describes four different
kinds of sound reflections:
• ‘dissonant’
– disturbing reflection from above
• ‘circumsonant’
– focusing (sound is forced into the middle)
• ‘resonant’
– echo (word endings sound double)
• ‘consonant’
– supporting reflection from below
Echo problems and sounding vessels
3
‘Circumsonance’ in a Roman theatre
0
20
40
60
80
100 metres
60 metres
40
20
26
P1
0
Source:
1
Surface:
*Receiver*
Refl.:
2
Path <m>: 102,57
Time <ms>: 299
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
0
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
20
40
60
80
100 metres
60 metres
40
Aspendos theatre, virtual reconstruction
20
25
0
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
Echo problems and sounding vessels
P1
Source:
1
Surface:
*Receiver*
Refl.:
1
Path <m>: 93,85
Time <ms>: 273
4
Echo (Dietsch) parameter
Dietsch echo curves
1,5
g
c
d
e
f
b
c
d
e
f
g
b
c
d
e
f
g
b
c
d
e
f
g
b
c
d
e
f
g
b
c
d
e
f
g
100
c
d
e
f
g
50
c
d
e
f
g
b0
c
d
e
f
g
-50
b
c
d
e
f
g
-100
b
c
d
e
f
g
b
c
d
e
f
g
1,4
1,3
1,2
1,1
0,9
0,8
Echo(Dietsch)=1,15 at 125 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=1,14 at 250 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=1,12 at 500 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=1,12 at 1000 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=1,11 Left
at ear
2000 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=1,10 at 4000 Hz
Echo(Dietsch)=0,99 at 8000 Hz
p (%)
Echo strength
1
Echo(Dietsch)=1,15 at 63 Hz
0,7
0,6
0,5
Echo time limit
10 % annoyed
50 % annoyed
0
0,1 90
0,3
%0,2annoyed
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1
0,7
0,8
0,9
1
time (seconds incl. filter delay)
0,4
Right ear
0,2
50
p (%)
0,3
100
0,1
0
-50
0
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
Time (seconds rel. direct sound)
1
-100
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
time (seconds incl. filter delay)
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
Impulse response
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Echo (Dietsch) parameter
0
20
40
60
80
100 metres
Echo(Dietsch) at 1000 Hz >= 1,09
1,00
0,93
0,86
60 metres
0,79
0,72
0,65
40
0,58
0,51
0,44
20
0,37
0,30
P1
0
0,23
0,16
Odeon©1985-2011 Licensed to: Odeon A/S
Echo problems and sounding vessels
<= 0,11
6
Vitruvius and his background
• Born around 80 BC
• ‘Ten books on architecture’ probably finished
around 16-13 BC [Bieber]
• Draws extensively on older, mainly Greek writings
(Book VII, introduction, 14):
– From their commentaries I have gathered what I saw
was useful for the present subject, and formed it into
one complete treatise, and this principally, because I
saw that many books in this field had been published
by the Greeks, but very few indeed by our countrymen.
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Development of theatre design
in the first century BC
• In the capital Rome only theatres of wood were
allowed
– However, Pompejus built a theatre in Rome 61 – 55
BC (claiming it was a temple)
– The Marcellus theatre in Rome finished 13 or 11 BC,
but used already from 17 BC
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Development of theatre design
in the first century BC
• Pompeii became a Colony in 80 BC. The city
was rich and new theatre types were created:
– Hellenistic theatre from 3rd – 2nd century
– Odeion – “Teatrum tectum” (the first of its kind) ca. 75
BC
– Amphitheatre (the first of its kind) ca. 70 BC – in Italy
the traditional gladiator fights had been held in the
Agora (Vitruvius, Book V,i,1)
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Pompeii, city plan
Amphitheatre
Theatre
Odeion
Theatre and Odeion in Pompeii
Inscription on Theatrum tectum
The first amphitheatre and
odeion in Rome
• In 29 BC the gladiator fights in Rome were
moved to an amphitheatre built from wood
• The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum) was built
AD 75 – 80
• Only one odeion was built in Rome by Domitian
in AD 86
• So, Vitruvius was not familiar with these theatre
types, although they existed outside Rome
Echo problems and sounding vessels
13
Vitruvius and theatres
• Vitruvius gives design guides in Book V of the
Greek theatre (which was a type not being build
any more) and the Roman theatre, but he says
nothing about the new types, the amphitheatre
and the odeion.
• Was Vitruvius up-to-date in theatre design?
– No, obviously not. He was never involved in building a
theatre himself.
• He relies heavily on older, mainly Greek
descriptions.
Echo problems and sounding vessels
14
The sounding vessels
• Vitruvius (Book I,i,9):
• In theatres, likewise, there are the bronze vessels (in
Greek ηχεια) which are placed in niches under the seats
in accordance with the musical intervals on mathematical
principles. These vessels are arranged with a view to
musical concords or harmony, and apportioned in the
compass of the fourth, the fifth, and the octave, and so
on up to the double octave, in such a way that when the
voice of an actor falls in unison with any of them its
power is increased, and it reaches the ears of the
audience with greater clearness and sweetness.
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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The sounding vessels
• Vitruvius (Book V,v,3):
• By the adoption of this plan, the voice which issues from
the scene, expanding as from a centre, and striking
against the cavity of each vase, will sound with
increased clearness and harmony, from its unison with
one or other of them. (Bill Thayer, translation)
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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The sounding vessels
• Vitruvius (Book V,v,7):
• - there is no need for the sounding vessels in the
wooden theatres that were built every year in Rome,
because the boarding itself is resonant –
• But when theatres are build of solid materials like
masonry, stone or marble, which cannot be resonant,
then the principle of the “echea” must be applied.
– (echea – sounders)
Echo problems and sounding vessels
17
Aristoxenus
• The idea and theory behind the sounding
vessels goes back to the ancient Greek music
theoretician and philosopher Aristoxenus
[Vitruvius, Book V.v.6].
• Aristoxenus lived in Athens around 350 BC, was
a pupil of Aristoteles, and wrote a large number
of treatises on topics within music, ethics and
philosophy.
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Existence of sounding vessels (1)
• Obviously Vitruvius has never seen them himself; but he
gives one specific reference (Book V.v.8):
• “We have also the evidence of Lucius Mummius, who,
after destroying the theatre in Corinth, brought its bronze
vessels to Rome.”
• It is a fact that Lucius Mummius was a Roman general
who conquered Corinth in 146 BC, demolished the city
and brought lots of treasures to Rome.
• The theatre was a Hellenistic theatre from the 3rd century
BC. The time and location fit with Aristoxenus
Echo problems and sounding vessels
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Existence of sounding vessels (2)
• Izenour (1977) described
the existence of cavities
in the a Roman theatre in
Beth Shean, Israel.
• The cavities may have
accommodated sounding
vessels.
• The number is not correct
(only nine, should be 13)
Echo problems and sounding vessels
20
Existence of sounding vessels (3)
• Clay vases found in a theatre at Nora, Sardinia in 1958
(Brüel, 2005).
Echo problems and sounding vessels
21
Conclusion
• The idea and the guidelines for the sounding vessels
goes back to Aristoxinus in the 4th century BC, i.e. about
300 years before Vitruvius
• The purpose might have been to attenuate sound
reflections from a concave surface that could create a
focused echo, ‘circumsonance’
• In theory it makes sense to use resonators tuned to
different frequencies, together covering a range of two
octaves (220 – 880 Hz)
• The sounding vessels could not possible make any
improvement to the acoustics in practice,
Echo problems and sounding vessels
22