AUDIO
NAVIGATING CHURCH TERMINOLOGY : KNOW YOUR NARTHEX FROM YOUR NAVE | Jeff Hawley
One of my first touring gigs came about when I was still in high school as I had the chance to play bass guitar with a vocal music and missions group called the Celebrant Singers . As I trekked across the United States and throughout Central America I performed in churches of all shapes and sizes across multiple denominations . I still can recall my confusion during a setup at a Catholic church somewhere in the South when I asked where I might find a stash of music stands for the band . One of our local hosts who knew the venue well answered , “ There are some stands in the storage area off to the side of the ambo and even more stands in the narthex .” Ummm … “ And where is the ambo and the narthex ?” I asked . “ Oh , the ambo is just through the nave and before you get to the altar and the apse . The narthex is just before you reach the vestibule ” he replied . Needless to say , his further clarifications were of little use to me . for everything !” What you might know as the foyer or the entryway or ‘ Welcome Area ’ in your home church might commonly be referred to as the narthex in Catholic or more ‘ historic ’ church building across town . The spaces within various churches often have highly similar functions but may be called something totally different . Just as audio engineers have our own language and terminology ( can you cut 3dB at around 1kHz and ground lift the DI ?), so do the congregants and technicians in different sorts of churches .
Here is a quick primer to help you with the basics .
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME :
This first point of reference was an eye-opening one for me . Coming from a small rectangular church lined with simple pews and a small altar ( which we usually just called the stage ), I was blown away when I learned that many churches are cruciform — cross-shaped . If you looked down on the church from above , you ’ d note a central space running vertically and a horizontal crossing just below the altar . Whoa ! Cool ! While not the sort of architectural design we ’ d likely incorporate today if uniform and accurate reproduction of audio was our
For audio engineers or musicians who pick up gigs at churches outside of the 370,000 or so contemporary Christian Assemblies of God / Pentecostal style locations around the world , it will be important to learn some new terminology just to get your directional bearings . My early experience with the ambo and narthex reminds me of a Steve Martin joke , “ It ’ s like those French have a different word
110 May 2024 Subscribe for Free ...