St. Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava: Historico-cultural contexts and spatial-acoustic characteristics

Abstract

This study focuses on the context of historiographical and acoustic research in St. Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava, as it also serves as a concert hall. The aim of the study is to offer an innovative perspective on the interpretation of exact acoustic results in the context of concert productions. By applying heuristic research and acoustic field research according to the latest methodologies, it details the stages in the construction of the cathedral and characterizes its acoustic properties. The main contribution of the study lies in its detailed evaluation of the historico-cultural contexts and selected spatial acoustic parameters of the cathedral (T₃₀, T₂₀, EDT, C₈₀, IACC, BR), together with recommendations for sound when concerts are held in it. Our acoustic research has revealed that St. Martin’s Cathedral is a suitable concert hall for specific instruments (organ, choral singing, wind and strings solo instruments). As for speech intelligibility without the use of sound reinforcement equipment (STI), it was found to be an unsatisfactory space.