And dusty light filters into the windows in the massive dome above. HARNETT: So imagine - it's the early 13th century. HARNETT: And it's only really been possible for the last 10 years or so because of advancements in our understanding of how sound works in a space. And it is a mechanism by which the acoustics of Hagia Sophia can be imprinted on any sound we desire. HARNETT: Abel used the acoustic information in the balloon pops to create a digital filter that can make anything sound like it's inside the Hagia Sophia.ĪBEL: This process is called convolution. HARNETT: Here is what Pentcheva recorded inside the Hagia Sophia. The sound echoes and reverberates through the space and is captured at Bissera's head. And I spent five days in the space.ĪBEL: The guard pops the balloon while Bissera's wearing little clip-on microphones right near her ears. She flew to Istanbul and convinced the museum to let her in after hours. HARNETT: Pentcheva volunteered for the balloon-popping mission at the Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum. So when a balloon pops, you're really hearing the acoustics of the space itself, says Abel.ĪBEL: The space interacts with the sound, bringing back to listeners information about the geometry, the size, the materials present, that sort of thing. HARNETT: When a balloon pops, it makes an impulse, a sharp, quick sound that takes on the character of whatever space it's in. If only they could get in the Hagia Sophia and pop a balloon. They could recreate what that music would sound like. And as she talked, Abel started to feel a prickling of excitement. HARNETT: When they met, Pentcheva started telling Abel about the Hagia Sophia - how we couldn't really understand the experience of worshipers there unless we could hear the music the way they did. JONATHAN ABEL: I study the analysis, synthesis and processing of sound. HARNETT: Jonathan Abel is in the computer music department. Bissera Pentcheva is a professor of art history.īISSERA PENTCHEVA: A lot of my work is focused on reanimating medieval art and architecture. HARNETT: This transformation is possible because of two scholars at Stanford University in two very different fields. And this is how you might hear Cappella Romana. Dusty light filters into the windows in the massive dome above. HARNETT: Now imagine - it's the early 13th century.

ROMANA: (Singing in non-English language). This is what they sound like in a studio. SAM HARNETT, BYLINE: This 13th century Byzantine chant is being sung by Cappella Romana, a choir from Portland, Ore. Sam Harnett of The World According to Sound podcast has the story.ĬAPPELLA ROMANA: (Singing in non-English language). And the sound of the Hagia Sophia was forgotten until now. Choral music was banned, even the music of BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music. Then the Ottoman Empire invaded in 1453, and the Hagia Sophia became a mosque. And the unique acoustics inside inspired composers to write 10 centuries worth of religious music specifically to be sung there. When the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built in the 6th century, it was the largest building in the world, an engineering marvel.

Npr echoes music