Donatello, musical sculpture, and the shock of sound

Donatello s art demonstrates his interest in the performance of music and the power of sound. It is here argued that the children in the cantoria for Florence Cathedral represent the passage of air through organ pipes and that its bronze elements were perhaps intended to resonate. In addition, the clash of the debating gures on the doors for the Old Sacristy in S. Lorenzo, Florence, may be evoked by the clang of their swivelling handles.