Egyptian acoustic fundamentals

Temple of Isis

Egyptian arts and architecture are part of a whole. In the eagerness to achieve certain phenomena led the Egyptians to discover certain technical elements that perfected their arts. Such is the case of the nexus between architecture and music.

The place where Egyptian culture developed three predominant materials were abundant: sand, desert, clay and limestone. While with the mixture of sand and clay they formed adobe and with this bricks to build houses, palaces, fortresses, walls and buildings; the stone was used only for temples and tombs.

The temples and stone tombs generate sound reverberation, which is a phenomenon that by reflection the sound continues to be heard after having stopped emitting it. It differs from the echo in that by the same phenomenon the sound does not remain but returns to the emitter after it has been emitted.

The reverberation is not accidental but purposely imitating the reflection of sound in the prehistoric cavern. While in the tombs it was a question of generating that the deceased listened to himself and did not feel alone, in the temples he produced the reflection of the priestly songs and the instruments destined to accompany such songs to worship the gods (as was the Egyptian harp whose sound is quickly extinguished in environments made with adobe).

Up to now, temples and churches of all religions are constructed of reflective materials of sound that generate reverberation for the same reason that the Egyptians used the stone to build them: achieve an omnipresence effect of sound in the whole environment as it is in his belief the omnipresent god.

Reverberation is a basic effect for the construction of auditoriums and concert halls.

About the Author:

My name is Gabriel Beguerie, I'm a Music Teacher and Piano Teacher in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Currently I work at the Luis Gianneo Provincial Conservatory and the Art No. 1 High School.
Passionate about History in general and the History of Music in particular.

Contact: gabriel.arturo.beguerie@gmail.com