If I Forget Thee: The Sonorities of Jerusalem Soundscapes 

Authors

  • Karel Volniansky  Author

Keywords:

Jerusalem soundscapes, Jewish synagogue, church bells, muezzin, urban sonoric identity, sonor, soundmark, urban aleatorism, urban sonoric polyphony, heterophony, siren sonority, coronavirus pandemic

Abstract

This article focuses on an analysis of the peculiarities of the Jerusalem sonic panorama. The flavor of the urban sonorities of Jerusalem soundscapes is a unique one, and it is revealed and discussed here in detail. Jerusalem’s historical heritage and the diversity of its soundmarked locations are of great significance and influence the city’s sonoric image. Significantly, the unique sonorities belonging to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religious communities’ lives, emanating from various sources in Jerusalem, have a great impact. Their quantity and physical proximity, in combination with the specificity of the landscape, create a unique interaction in the audible space, which includes various sonic phenomena that are unique to Jerusalem. The changes in the Jerusalem soundscape during the coronavirus pandemic are also discussed. 

Author Biography

  • Karel Volniansky 

    Karel Volniansky is a composer and musicologist. He holds a PhD in Musicology from the Herzen State Pedagogical University (RGPU), St. Petersburg, Russia. Senior lecturer at the Department of Music Theory, Composition & Conducting, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Visiting professor at the Music Faculty, University of Toronto (2017–18). Research areas: music theory, contemporary music, composition theory. 

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Published

2024-07-18

Issue

Vol. 17 (2020)

Section

Articles