Projects / Programmes
Acoustemology of bell ringing
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.04.00 |
Humanities |
Ethnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H000 |
Humanities |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
bell ringing, soundscape, acoustemology, noise, music
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
26012 |
PhD Mojca Kovačič |
Ethnology |
Head |
2014 - 2016 |
303 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The project will not only focus on music as a result of “humanly organized sound” (Blacking 1973:3), but will delve deeper into the understanding of the sound itself, the sonic environment and its impact upon individuals and society. The research will build on already established studies, mainly on acoustic ecology, soundscapes studies, and anthropology of sound.
The basic object of the research will be bell ringing and bell chiming and their contemporary impact on society and the environment, but, conversely, neither will the effect of individuals, society and politics upon bells and their sonority be overlooked. Both aspects are closely linked, since human intervention in sonority is the consequence of our perception of sonority.
The questions raised will be the understanding of bells sonority as a form of music or the source of noise. When (in the morning, evening, at night, by day, on weekdays, weekends) and in what environment (rural, urban, residential area close to churches, housing away from the source of ringing) the same sound creates meanings as unwanted sound (noise) and as the desired sound. The musical structure parameters that affect the perception of sound are also important: volume of sound, rhythmic order, sound quality, tuning of bells, bells sound spectrum, etc. The perception of sound exists not only at the physical level, but also includes the experiential level, so the question will also be what role does bell ringing in Slovenia have, particularly in the social and political context.
The aim of the research is to question the boundaries between noise and music through the prism of bell ringing in contemporary social, cultural and political contexts. The first of its kind in Slovenian humanities (and ethnomusicology), the research will deal with the study of sound in space and unveil its relation to society, human behavior and the environment. Touching upon various fields of research (especially ethnology, sociology and anthropology, and acoustics), it will thus provide opportunities for these research fields to begin to deal with the acoustic dimension of the world and its role in society.
Significance for science
This is the first project in the Slovenian scientific research space that deals with sound from the perspective of soundscape studies, acoustemology and acoustic ecology that study the sound mediated relationship between living beings and their environment. While music is in the forefront interest of ethnomusicology and musical anthropology, the project moves the focus towards sound detract from the understanding of music as an aesthetic or structural categories as well as places the music on a par with other sounds in the space (public, private, urban ...). An important contribution is the inclusion of terminology from the field of sound studies into the terminology dictionary on bell ringing and bell chiming, that is being prepared by the author with the cooperation of other experts from the field of lexicography, campanology and church history, and automation of bell ringing. Dictionary will contribute significantly to the implementation of the terminology in the Slovenian terminology. With the presentation on a number of international conferences the project has entered the international research area, thereby contributing a model that can be useful for research on religious soundscapes or urban spaces of identity in a global context. In the national contexts of ethnomusicology it presents an innovative approach to the research of sociocultural phenomena. The research result - sound map of bell ringing in Ljubljana is a contribution to the mapping of Europe's urban spaces; it can also serve as the presentation of a particular segment of the heritage of the city of Ljubljana. Data are also open source and available for further campanological and and art historical studies and contribute to informing the general public about the historical and artistic value of the bells and thus to the preservation of cultural heritage. The results of the project that are publicly available in the form of interactive sound map may also be useful in teaching process within the framework of courses at different levels of education - from primary school to university.
Significance for the country
With the study on the relationship between human and specific sound - the ringing of bells, the project offers the possibility of regulating environmental issues, which are related to sound aspects of urban areas. It is important to realize that it is not sufficient to understand the relation of human to sound from the acoustic perspective, but the study requires a holistic approach that could be offered by humanities and social science in the international context. The project joins the appeal of medical profession, which emphasize the importance to take into account the agitation of people because of the certain sound, while this effects the quality of life, health and wellbeing. It also urges that environmental and ecclesiastical legalisation should take this into account in future acoustic politics. In this light, the project results provide a basis for communication between political, academic and ecclesiastical institutions and in this way indirectly contribute to the understanding and tolerance of conflict actors. On the other hand, the survey also reveals attitudes and intolerance of Slovenian society to certain religious sounds; it is representing the relationship of religious and political power in the space and at the same time supports the already well-known and researched broader socio-political discourses on contemporary pluralistic society. More specifically, the project also emphasizes importance of bells and bell ringing in cultural heritage perspective (eg. sound map of bell ringing and bells) and it interprets the relation of Slovenians to bell ringing and religious sonority on scientific research level, taking into account national specifics of the space ( eg. the tradition of bell ringing in Slovenia, political history, urban design).
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2014,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
