Project ‘Sound Cities. Urban Phonospheres of the Mediterranean (1500-1900)’ (FonUrMed) continues the progress made by ‘Sound City’ on the study of music and urban culture in Valencia between 1609 and 1813.
This new approach, led by Andrea Bombi (UV), broadens both chronology and geographical and methodological scope. It focuses on the reconstruction of urban phonospheres in different historic contexts of the Mediterranean.
What makes FonUrMed unique?
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Temporal and spatial expansion
The project covers from 16th to 19th century, examining the evolution of urban sound environments from the consolidation of musical institutions to the sound changes that industrialization caused. Moreover, extends its comparative analysis to Italian cities as Naples, Palermo and Rome. This enriches the perspectives on cultural transfers on the Mediterranean.
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Interdisciplinarity and methodological reflection
FonUrMed is located in the confluence of urban music, history of art and auditory history. It reflects on key concepts such as phonosphere, as an alternative to term soundscape to describe sound experiences from a historical perspective.
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Study of various agents
It is mainly focused on poor explored collectives such as nunneries, children, slave communities and groups linked to Inquisition, highlighting their contribution to cities phonosphere.
- Innovation in research tools
The development of an open access data system will enable registration, management and share the results of the project with the research community and general public.
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Dissemination and knowledge transfer
Through scientific publications, seminars, congresses and documentaries, FonUrMed wants to reach specialists as well as broad public, promoting awareness and appreciation of the sound cultural heritage.
Project team
FonUrMed is formed by a team of researchers and specialists with an outstanding career in urban and interdisciplinary music. Some of the participants are:
- Andrea Bombi (Universitat de València). Lead researcher and project manager.
- Ferran Escrivà-Llorca (Universitat de València).
- Sonia Jiménez Hortelano (Universitat de València).
- Ascensión Mazuela-Anguita (University of Granada).
- Juan José Carreras (University of Zaragoza).
- José María Dóminguez (Complutense University of Madrid)
The team has also the participation of international researchers such as:
- Simone Caputo (Università di Roma La Sapienza, Italy)
- Anna Tedesco (Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy)
