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Science in the Church: The Sacred Spaces of Sonorous Experiment and the Formation of Modern Acoustics

Gillin, EJ; Gribenski, F; (2023) Science in the Church: The Sacred Spaces of Sonorous Experiment and the Formation of Modern Acoustics. Isis , 114 (3) pp. 537-558. 10.1086/726205. Green open access

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Abstract

Until the twentieth century, the interiors of churches and cathedrals constituted the largest enclosed spaces accessible to natural philosophers. Such immense volumes of air provided unique opportunities for the examination of sonorous phenomena and, from the seventeenth century, featured centrally in the production of acoustic knowledge. During the nineteenth century, however, these ecclesiastical buildings took on increasing scientific significance following the publication of Ernst Chladni’s acoustic research and amid intense Anglo-French church-building programs. Focusing on France and Britain, this essay unpacks nineteenth-century churches as experimental sites and argues that these locations were crucial to the formation of new philosophical understandings of sound. From the design of church organs and the use of acoustic pots to the observation of ech-oes and resonance, these were places where understanding sonorous phenomena was extremely urgent. As the essay demonstrates, elite scientists were keen to draw on practical and architectural experiences in their own scientific works.

Type: Article
Title: Science in the Church: The Sacred Spaces of Sonorous Experiment and the Formation of Modern Acoustics
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1086/726205
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1086/726205
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Arts & Humanities, History & Philosophy Of Science, History & Philosophy of Science
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10177499
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