Historical And Theological Perspectives On Acoustics For The Worship Space

One of the most important aspects of the worship space is its acoustical properties. This is so because of the importance of sounds in worship, the sound of verbal proclamation and musical prayer and praise. "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9-10). On a visit to the city of Meissen, Saxony, in early May of 1985, I was given an opportunity to tour the magnificent Gothic cathedral, the construction of which was begun in the year 1260 and largely completed late in the 15th century when the lower portions of the west towers were built by Arnold of Westfaha (Cf. Paul Liebe and Hermann Klemm, Meissen: Der Dom und seine Geschichte [Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, n. d. ], pp. 1136). The woman who guided us through the cathedral began the tour by saying,"We would not build a building for the church like this today because we have a different understanding o…