| CODE | LAS2086 | ||||||
| TITLE | Historical Organology: Reconstruction of Ancient Musical Instruments Using Sustainable Materials | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | H - Higher Level | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit explores the history, classification, and cultural significance of ancient musical instruments, combining theoretical study with hands-on reconstruction using sustainable materials. Students investigate archaeological, iconographic, and visual sources to understand how instruments were made, used, and represented in the ancient world. The unit also introduces fundamental acoustic concepts, helping students understand how sound is produced and how different materials shape tonal qualities and instrument performance. Students will consider ethical sourcing and environmentally responsible design, reflecting on the challenges of balancing historical accuracy with sustainable material choices. Through this process, they will develop informed and responsible approaches to instrument reconstruction and will have the opportunity to design and build a replica of an ancient musical instrument. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the unit the student will be able to: • Analyse and interpret archaeological, iconographic, and visual evidence related to ancient musical instruments; • Explain fundamental acoustic principles and assess the influence of materials on sound production; • Evaluate sustainable and ethical approaches to historical instrument reconstruction; • Apply basic design and construction principles in the development of reconstructed instruments. 2. Skills By the end of the unit the student will be able to: • Critically examine primary and secondary sources to inform instrument reconstruction; • Compare material properties and evaluate their acoustic implications; • Identify and justify the selection of sustainable materials for reconstruction projects; • Design and present conceptual or practical models of reconstructed instruments; • Assess and negotiate the relationship between historical authenticity and sustainability in reconstruction processes. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: View reading list |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite knowledge, skills and competences: No prior knowledge is required, but a willingness to engage in experimental and iterative processes is expected. | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lectures, Project and Online Learning | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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