Acoustical study of Toledo Cathedral according to its liturgical uses

• Acoustical measurements were made in the cathedral, according to its liturgical uses.
• The various parts of the cathedral have different acoustic characteristics.
• Relationship between architectural, liturgical and aural spaces has been studied.
• Acoustics of the spaces meet the aural needs of the participants in the liturgy.
• The choir in Toledo Cathedral has excellent acoustic characteristics.

Throughout their history, cathedrals have been called on to host a vast number of different types of rites with varied and specific liturgical needs, each of which takes place in a specific architectural space. The acoustic study of this type of building cannot therefore be limited to the analysis of a single space, but requires an individualized analysis of the different areas used in each liturgical act. An extensive campaign of acoustic measurement has been made based on the relationship between architectural space and liturgical–functional aspects in Toledo Cathedral (Spain). The values of the main room acoustic parameters allow the delimitation, within the overall architectural space of the church, of acoustic spaces with clearly different acoustical characteristics which are generally particularly suited to their function.