Up until the 1900s there were no strict rules as to how the cound would behave in a given room. All efforts to have good acoustics in a new building were often the game of chance. But — quite often — the church acoustics were good. Here are a couple of examples from Russia and Germany, and both are from the choir rehearsals.
In Russia it’s the kids choir at Peter and Paul cathedral in Vyborg
In Germany it’s the adult choir at the Christianskirche, Ottensen, Hamburg
Recorded January 8, 2016 and April 2013