Sound cover
A sound cover , also known as the pulpit canopy , pulpit hood or pulpit cover , is used in church buildings to throw the preacher's words back in the direction of the believers. The sound cover is located over the pulpit and ensures that the sermon can be heard throughout the church.
With the development of electroacoustics and the installation of microphones and loudspeakers in churches, sound covers lost their importance. Modern pulpits no longer have a sound cover, as the reflections from the cover can interfere with the electroacoustic transmission of a microphone.
A special type of sound cover can be found in the Bayreuth Festival Hall . There, the orchestra, which is invisible to the audience, is covered with a wooden semicircular screen that initially throws the sound generated in the orchestra room towards the stage, where it mixes with the sound of the voices coming from there.
Pulpit with sound cover in the St. Jakobi Church in Stralsund
Pulpit with sound cover in Kalmar Cathedral
Sound cover in the church of Voigdehagen
Pulpit with a square sound cover in the St. Nikolai Church in Altefähr
Outer pulpit at Prato Cathedral in Italy