Echea
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An echea or sounding vase (literally echoer)[1] is a pot, chamber or vessel that is similar in function to a modern-day bass trap. They were originally used in ancient Greek theaters to enhance the voices of performers by resonance.[2][3] They were typically made of bronze, but also more economically from earthenware.[4]
Echea were used with a "due regard to the laws and harmony of physics", according to the Roman writer Vitruvius. The number of echea used and their positioning depended on the size and shape of the theater.[2] The vases operated by resonance, enhancing key frequencies of the performers' voices and absorbing those of the audience, thereby changing the sound in the theater to make voices clearer and more lush.[3]
Both their use in Roman times, and usefulness, have been debated. Thomas Noble Howe wrote in his commentary on Vitruvius' Ten Books on Architecture: "These vessels, bronze or clay, may be another example of Vitruvius singling out a highly technical feature of Greek architecture that was uncommon, but between eight and sixteen potential sites with evidence of echea have been identified. It is debatable whether such vessels amplified or deadened sound."[5]
Similar devices were used in early churches. Some were discovered in the vaulted ceiling of the choir of Strasbourg Cathedral, as well as in mosques dating back to the 11th century.[2][3]
References
- ^ Reed Business Information (21 November 1974). New Scientist. Reed Business Information. pp. 552–. ISSN 0262-4079. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c
John Britton, John Le Keux, George Godwin (1838). A Dictionary of the Architecture and Archaeology of the Middle Ages. Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans. p. 118.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Ready Acoustics, Acoustical Primer". Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ^ Birch, Samuel (1858). History of Ancient Pottery. J Murray. p. 321.
- ^ Vitruvius (1999). Howe, Thomas Noble (ed.). Ten Books on Architecture (9th Printing ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-521-00292-9.
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