Chapter 6 Conclusions

GOLCONDA FORT, HYDERABAD:

The fort is essentially a pure example of military architecture. Hence any architectural embellishment, be it visual or aural has a technological advancement intended to serve its purpose i.e. security of the fort. The technology behind a clap being heard a kilometer away is not very well comprehended. However the need behind the construction is understood as a signaling device for guards below to announce enemy attack to the king or the top most station without alarming the inmates of the fort. A gong may have been appropriate, otherwise if they wanted to alarm and panic the other residents of the fort. If one stands at the center of the entrance portal and claps, the sound is deflected by the opposite building, which is constructed at an angle to the entrance. Similarly if clapping sound is made from the opposite building, it will be carried to the hilltop, although at the other close points it may not be heard. This aural embellishment is the best, most unique and most planned military tactic of the Golconda which makes it different from other forts.

BOSTON SYMPHONY HALL:

In the study, we see that Sabine’s applications of science and engineering to the design process allowed the essential aural architecture of one space i.e. The Neues Gewandhaus in Leipzig to be transferred to another. The sponsors had chosen a good reference model and Sabine successfully replicated its aural personality.

As time went on, everyone came to appreciate the aural beauty of the new concert hall. The analysis has speculated as to how this change in attitude came about? Just as musicians require practice to become familiar with a new musical instrument, they also requires practice to become familiar with a new space. For the same reason, visiting orchestras often do not perform as well as a resident orchestra. Every space and every instrument has a unique personality. Orchestra arrangement must also be adapted to a space in fact, Beranek, a researcher suggested that the Boston Symphony Hall gained acoustic maturity only when the orchestra size was increased to over a hundred performers: a large orchestra was required to fill the larger new space. This is an example that describes musical spatiality and experiential psychology of the aural architecture of a space.

GOL GUMBAZ, BIJAPUR:

Here, we see the culture and contextual filters that gave rise to marvelous technology in the acoustics at the Gol Gumbaz. In the cultural setting of India, the king and his wife do not converse in public. Also, traditionally especially in the Muslim community, the women never showed themselves in public nor did they come out from the inner chambers of their room in order to express their views. The technological advancement of the whispering gallery whereby even the tiniest whisper was heard only at a single point which is diagonally opposite is a result of this cultural setting. The whispering gallery hence provided an ideal setting for the royal couple to converse in private, from a huge distance away such that even the queens maid nearby wouldn’t able to hear what the queen hears with clarity.

Similarly the excessive reverberation of the hall suits the needs of Durbar below. The durbar is the place where musicians and dancers entertained the king and his counters, another culture custom prevalent at the king court during the time. The numerous internal surfaces of the dome provide the optimum reverberation to create a musical impact with drums and flutes in the large hall. Here, we see the dominance of social and musical aspects of aural spatiality.

NAPIER MUSEUM BAND STAND

Fig 31: Band Stand Dome

Till the end of the 1980s, a police band from the nearby Nandavanam Police Armed Reserve Camp performed on the band-stand between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on all Saturdays. The Zoo authorities would reciprocate their gesture by issuing them an allowance for breakfast.

K. Udaya Varman, Director Museum and Zoo, said as a first step, a modern audio system linked to an elaborate network of high end speakers would be put in place to ensure that the regular All India Radio broadcast between 6 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., currently amplified by concealed speakers on the band stand, could be heard in a soft tone all around the garden.

He said public opinion seemed to be in favor of having police and army bands perform on the band stand on special days. If popular will prevailed, the band stand would perhaps reverberate once again to the gong of drums, drone of bagpipes, call of bugles, and the inspiring fanfare of the brass band.