Acoustics in ancient church, Hagia Sophia

The byzantine church Hagia Sophia was modelled as part of the CAHRISMA project. Hagia Sophia’s central dome is placed more than 50 metres above the floor, has a diameter of more than 31 m and is embraced by two half domes. The reverberation time is approximately 10 sec (1000 Hz).

The ‘Alleluia’ was sung in Hagia Sophia first Sunday after Easter (‘Antipascha’) according to the Typikon of the Great Church, dating back to around 950, which is the oldest document with precise information on the cathedral liturgy in Hagia Sophia. The music is transcribed from two manuscripts from the Vatican Library (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), namely Vat. gr. 1606 (intro + refrain), and Vat. gr. 345 (verse). The transcription is made by Christian Troelsgård, Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Theology, Dept. for Church History, Denmark.

Measurements were simulated with three sources in 12 receiver positions – here we are having a look around the room.

Wireframe of the Hagia Sophia church, displaying source and receiver positions (for the simulated parameters).

Source 1 active. Examples of simulated room acoustic parameters compared to the real measured values.

Source 2 active. Examples of simulated room acoustic parameters compared to the real measured values.

Source 3 active. Examples of simulated room acoustic parameters compared to the real measured values.

Source and receiver positions (for the auralization).

Anechoic recording
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Alleluia
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Demo sounds
View from receiver
Demo sound
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Receiver position 1
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View from receiver
R1
Demo sound
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Receiver position 2
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View from receiver
R2
Demo sound
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Receiver position 3
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View from receiver
R3
Demo sound
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Receiver position 4
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View from receiver
R4

Below are additional examples with chants from the CAHRISMA project.

Source and receiver positions (for the auralization).

Anechoic recordings
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Bahir
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play_circle_filled
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Ic Ezan
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play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Mimber Duasi
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Salà
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tekbir
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tevsih
volume_down
volume_up
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Demo sounds, source position 1
View from receiver
Demo sounds, source position 1
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Bahir
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Ic Ezan
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volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Mimber Duasi
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Salà
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tekbir
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tevsih
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volume_up
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View from receiver
S1
Demo sounds, source position 2
View from receiver
Demo sounds, source position 2
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pause_circle_filled
Bahir
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volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Ic Ezan
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Mimber Duasi
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Salà
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tekbir
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tevsih
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volume_up
volume_off
View from receiver
S2
Demo sounds, source position 3
View from receiver
Demo sounds, source position 3
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Bahir
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volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Ic Ezan
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Mimber Duasi
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Salà
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tekbir
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
play_circle_filled
pause_circle_filled
Tevsih
volume_down
volume_up
volume_off
View from receiver
S3

Below you may download an ODEON Zip Archive of this example, which is a packaged ODEON model (for ODEON Auditorium or Combined, 15.15 or newer) containing all the necessary files to run it: room geometry, assigned materials, source and receiver placements, anechoic recordings, etc. The extracted anechoic recordings can then be used for auralizations on any other room model. 

To unzip an ODEON Zip Archive:

  1. Launch ODEON
  2. Go to File > Zip > Unzip archive
  3. Select your downloaded ODEON Zip Archive
  4. Select a folder to extract the files 
 

ODEON will then automatically load the room.

ODEON Zip Archive downloads

Room: Hagia Sophia, Anechoic recording: Alleluia

Room: Hagia Sophia, Anechoic recordings: Bahir, Ic Ezan, Mimber Duasi, Salà, Tekbir, Tevsih, produced by the CAHRISMA project

We have more ODEON Zip Archives available for download, which include different room models and anechoic recordings.