The persistence of sound in an enclosed space after the original sound source has stopped, created by multiple reflections from surfaces. This acoustic phenomenon significantly affects how music is perceived and performed in different spaces.
From Latin reverberare 'to beat back,' from re- 'back' and verberare 'to beat.' The term originally described the beating back of light or heat, then extended to sound waves in the 17th century.
Reverberation is architecture's contribution to music - the same piece sounds completely different in a Gothic cathedral versus a modern concert hall, which is why composers like Giovanni Gabrieli specifically wrote music to exploit the long reverberation times of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice!
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