The Vern Knudsen Lecture: The compleat concert hall: A century of acoustics development and its lessons for the design of concert halls

1999 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 2299-2299
Author(s):  
R. Lawrence Kirkegaard
Keyword(s):  
Concert Hall ◽  
Concert Halls

Interrelation of Architectural Concepts and Principles of Artificial Lighting in the Moscow Concert Hall Zaryadye

2019 ◽  
pp. 4-13
Author(s):  
Maria M. Ilyevskaya
Keyword(s):  
Concert Hall ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Artificial Lighting ◽  
Building Type ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Architectural Language ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Architectural Planning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Formal Features

The article is focused on the analysis of the Zaryadye Concert Hall building in Moscow in terms of the significance of artificial lighting for the creation of the imagery and perception of this facility within the typology of entertainment music-oriented buildings. Through the example of modern places of entertainment, the author reveals a number of formal features (typological attributes), which, being common to buildings of this function, constitute the basis of their image and become obvious due to the realized lighting concept. The interpretation of these attributes in the interaction of architectural planning and lighting concepts in the Zaryadye Concert Hall is traced. In conclusion, the distinctive features of the building under consideration are determined. At the same time, they reflect a new understanding of concert halls as a building type, the changes related to the overall development of architecture, as well as the elements of the individual architectural language.

scholarly journals Developments in Concert Hall Acoustics in the 1960s: Theory and Practice

Acoustics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Barron
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Directional Sensitivity ◽  
Energy Fraction ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Anechoic Chambers ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
The 1960S

After the war, there was a general understanding of reverberation time (RT), including how to measure it and its significance, as well as its link to a state of diffusion. Reverberation refers to a property of late sound; there was an appreciation that early sound must be significant, but in what way? Research had begun in the 1950s using simulation systems in anechoic chambers, with the Haas effect of 1951 being the most prominent result. Thiele’s Deutlichkeit, or early energy fraction, was important from 1953 and indirectly found expression in Beranek’s initial time delay gap (ITDG) from 1962. The 1960s produced a possible explanation for RTs in halls being shorter than calculations predicted, the importance of early sound for the sense of reverberation (EDT), the nature of directional sensitivity, conditions for echo disturbance, and the importance of early lateral reflections. Much of the research in the 1960s laid the foundations for research investigating the relative importance of the various subjective effects for concert hall listening. Important concert halls built during the period include Philharmonic Hall, New York (1962); Fairfield Hall, Croydon, London (1962); the Philharmonie, Berlin (1963); and De Doelen Hall, Rotterdam (1966). The parallel-sided halls of the past were rarely copied, however, due to architectural fashion. These various halls will be discussed as they make a fascinating group.

scholarly journals MODERN TRENDS IN THE DESIGN OF CONCERT HALLS

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (154) ◽  
pp. 192-198
Author(s):  
О. Pekarchuk ◽  
М. Meteliuk
Keyword(s):  
Interior Design ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Interior Space ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Fire Barrier ◽  
Color Scheme ◽  
Aesthetic Characteristics

Changes in the engineering technologies of concert halls and the choice of finishing materials are discussed in this article. The latest developments and technologies help to enhance the acoustic properties and create a creative, contemporary interior. The acoustics of the hall need to be regulated by the degree of diffuse reflection. Finishing materials are one of the main aspects of the formation of the interior space of a concert hall. In order to ensure optimal sound conditions, special attention should be paid to the decoration of the ceiling space and sidewalls of the room. Various types of mid-to-high frequency, low frequency and wide frequency absorbers are used for this purpose. This paper deals with the physical, mechanical and aesthetic characteristics of sound-absorbing materials and trademark designs that are presented in the Ukrainian market. The quality of sound and light equipment and its correct placement will ensure the maximum service life of the concert hall. Depending on the three-dimensional planning solution, as well as the technical and economic characteristics of the room, you can choose the scheme of air distribution: "bottom-up", "top-down" or multi-zone scheme. It is determined that it is advisable to use infrared heaters to heat the auditoriums. When choosing the furniture of concert halls, it is necessary to take into account the general style of the building and the color scheme of the selected finishing materials. For concert halls, it is advisable to select seats made using modern technologies: triplexing, fire barrier, options, mobility systems, sound absorption and more. The main artistic and aesthetic means of shaping the environment of the concert halls are soft and hard decorations, as well as small stuff. The use of innovative technologies and the use of modern finishing materials increases the attendance rate of these objects and provides comfort to the viewers. Keywords: concert hall, decoration materials, interior design, acoustics.

Squeezebox Bach

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Artistic Value ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Physical Construction

This chapter tells of a moment when the artistic value of the accordion came into greater focus. From conservatories to concert halls to competition stages, the absence of the accordion was touted as evidence of injustice. What's more, the improvement of the accordion's repertoire, pedagogy, and physical construction were prescribed as an urgent undertaking—and as vital contributions to the elevation of American cultural sensibilities. This chapter discusses the work of some of the accordion's most outstanding midcentury practitioners and promoters and the importance of innovations such as the free-bass converter system—the accordion's bid to be recognized not only as a legitimate instrument but an artist's instrument, worthy of the concert hall. It then concludes with a profile of Guido Deiro's younger brother Pietro Deiro (1888–1954), the self-described “Daddy of the Accordion.”

scholarly journals Advantages and Disadvantages of Surround-Type Concert Halls

Acoustics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Harris
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Significant Percentage ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Design And Construction

Following the significant number of new shoebox-type halls that opened in the last decades of the 20th century, the first decades of the 21st century have seen large concert hall design and construction dominated by halls in a surround format. This typology is characterised by the audience surrounding the concert platform, with a significant percentage of the audience seated to the sides of or behind the platform. These halls often use vineyard-style terracing. This paper discusses some advantages and disadvantages of surround halls, with respect to both acoustics and wider performance aspects. The perspectives of audiences, performers and hall operators are considered. Factors include acoustical quality, equality of audience experience, multiple performance genre use and ticket revenue. In particular, the implications of locating a high percentage of the audience behind the concert platform are examined. This is because, in most surround halls, a significantly higher percentage of the audience is located behind the platform as compared, for example, to shoebox halls.

Coupled Volumes: Secondary Room Reverberance and the Double-Sloped Decay of Concert Halls

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Ermann
Keyword(s):  
Volume Form ◽  
Aperture Size ◽  
Reverberation Time ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Concert Halls

The coupled volume concert hall and its signature double sloped sound decay aim to partially reconcile the often-competing qualities of clarity and reverberance. A concert hall is conceived with a fixed geometric volume, form, and aperture size. A coupled volume is attached and its materiality is established as variable. Both statistical and geometric relative analyses suggest a highly sensitive relationship between the coupled volume reverberation time and the double-sloped condition.

scholarly journals Shoe Box: An Analysis of the Concert Hall and its Adaption to Small-Scale Music Performance Space

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Mauvan
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Acoustic Performance ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Performance Space ◽  
Concert Halls

<p>In the first 150 years after 1600, western music was traditionally performed in palace ballrooms which were mostly rectangular in shape. In the following two centuries a change in social conditions led to the first halls especially built for public concerts. Although the audience capacity of these halls had increased exponentially, those that derived from the rectangular plans and dimensions of the ballrooms in the century before proved to have particularly favourable acoustics. The proportions of which are roughly that of a double cube, 1:1:2. Today this rectangular form is widely ascribed throughout acoustic literature as the shoebox. Although the shoebox has proven a popular paradigm in all time periods, until the late nineteenth century little was known of the scientific reasoning for its acoustic success. Therefore much of the contemporary literature regarding the model has focused on the large-scale designs of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Comparatively, less is written about the adaption of these design concepts to smaller-scaled concert facilities with audience capacities up to 400 persons. This thesis analyses a number of highly celebrated large-scale concert halls, with audience capacities between 1,500-3,000, and tests the application of their design principles to small-scale concert spaces with capacities ranging between 100-350 persons. The aims of this thesis are applied to a design project, which seeks to adapt the traditional shoebox archetype to a series of small-scale concert spaces, initiated by a design brief for the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM). The design project relocates the NZSM to an existing building on a disused site in central Wellington. Acknowledging the programmatic need for acoustic performance in conjunction with the social component inherent to the occupation of an urban territory, this thesis investigates two strands of design logic: technical and contextual. One strand investigates the acoustic performance of the concert hall; the other investigates its response to site context. The findings from this thesis are substantiated through a method of proportionate variation whereby the acoustic principles of large-scale concert halls are adopted to small-scale music halls. In addition, the findings established from a site analysis of contemporary large-scale concert halls are then downscaled to inform the integration of the NZSM programme with the proposed inner city site.</p>

scholarly journals Shoe Box: An Analysis of the Concert Hall and its Adaption to Small-Scale Music Performance Space

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Mauvan
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Acoustic Performance ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Performance Space ◽  
Concert Halls

<p>In the first 150 years after 1600, western music was traditionally performed in palace ballrooms which were mostly rectangular in shape. In the following two centuries a change in social conditions led to the first halls especially built for public concerts. Although the audience capacity of these halls had increased exponentially, those that derived from the rectangular plans and dimensions of the ballrooms in the century before proved to have particularly favourable acoustics. The proportions of which are roughly that of a double cube, 1:1:2. Today this rectangular form is widely ascribed throughout acoustic literature as the shoebox. Although the shoebox has proven a popular paradigm in all time periods, until the late nineteenth century little was known of the scientific reasoning for its acoustic success. Therefore much of the contemporary literature regarding the model has focused on the large-scale designs of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Comparatively, less is written about the adaption of these design concepts to smaller-scaled concert facilities with audience capacities up to 400 persons. This thesis analyses a number of highly celebrated large-scale concert halls, with audience capacities between 1,500-3,000, and tests the application of their design principles to small-scale concert spaces with capacities ranging between 100-350 persons. The aims of this thesis are applied to a design project, which seeks to adapt the traditional shoebox archetype to a series of small-scale concert spaces, initiated by a design brief for the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM). The design project relocates the NZSM to an existing building on a disused site in central Wellington. Acknowledging the programmatic need for acoustic performance in conjunction with the social component inherent to the occupation of an urban territory, this thesis investigates two strands of design logic: technical and contextual. One strand investigates the acoustic performance of the concert hall; the other investigates its response to site context. The findings from this thesis are substantiated through a method of proportionate variation whereby the acoustic principles of large-scale concert halls are adopted to small-scale music halls. In addition, the findings established from a site analysis of contemporary large-scale concert halls are then downscaled to inform the integration of the NZSM programme with the proposed inner city site.</p>

Beacons of Sound

2019 ◽  
pp. 700-716
Author(s):  
Martin Knakkergaard
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Concert Hall ◽  
Musical Sound ◽  
Cultural Processes ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Private Investors

Martin Knakkergaard discusses expectations and imaginations vis-à-vis the concert hall of the twenty-first century. The chapter outlines some of the central historical implications of Western culture’s haven for sounding music and its impact on the understanding of the musical phenomenon as an element in societal and cultural processes. Based on his case study of the Icelandic concert house Harpa, Knakkergaard considers how these implications, together with the prime mover’s visions, have been transformed as private investors and politicians take over. Throughout, Knakkergaard investigates the objectives required of musical sound and the far-reaching demands of the acoustics that modern concert halls must necessarily meet.

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