May 2012: Noise and music

On May 18, 2012 were collected at the Sagrada Família 615 singers to sing music of all periods and a brand new piece composed especially to be played at the basilica of Gaudí by Bernat Vivancos. As Cori Casanovas, presenter of the event, wrote: "Antoni Gaudi dreamed of this day that the whole basilica sing music." Indeed, Gaudi designed and carefully studied the acoustic project of the Sagrada Familia. What Gaudi did not foresee is the PA, which had never existed. Since its dedication by Benedict XVI, the PA has preceded on a path of improvement, in every great ceremony, a step. As to the overall sound, is the first time we do a test as Gaudi had planned the building becoming a major musical instrument played by the human voice, in its three distinct variants: masculine, feminine and childish. The architect designed the basilica to hold great ceremonies of Catholic worship, in which the human voice is -particularly Gregorian chant- based music. The organ is only necessary to sustain it, with these large-scale choral masses. On May 18 there were 615 singers, roughly a third of that fit. But first time, they were distributed separately, each in the space provided by Gaudí: children at the presbytery, women and men at the sides and the end. And the effect was dramatic: the three different voices falling and filling up of the church music. We hope to continue testing, with significantly more singers and better every time out.