Concert Hall Acoustics

The acoustic quality of a concert hall has frequently posed a mysterious puzzle, namely, what physical aspects of the sound field can produce superior sound for the listener. The author has been probing for more than adecade into the subjective qualities preferred for musical and speech sounds. The result of his extensive investigations - the discovery that four and only four independent parameters contribute effectively to good acoustics - is summarized in the present book. The capability of calculating acoustical quality at any seat in a proposed concert hall is a unique and quite useful aspect of Ando's design method. Alternative architectural schemes can be compared based on the number of seats which exceeds a previously accepted minimum standard of acoustical quality.

This visually stunning and data rich text catalogs the design of 32 concert halls by world-renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota and his team at Nagata Acoustics, the firm behind the celebrated Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and numerous others. Alongside architectural drawings and photographs, commentary on the design process and challenges of each hall provides insight for the dedicated listener to appreciate a wide range of internationally beloved concert venues. Summarized acoustical and architectural data for each of the halls will provide valuable reference information to architects and acousticians alike. Following the project anthology is an overview of the history, development, and acoustical features of vineyard- and surround-style concert halls. A broader discussion of design philosophy reveals the methods by which Toyota has guided architects to create world renowned halls. These technical and general discussions give architects the foundation to design for the performing arts, and provide audiences a new insight and perspective to consider the next time they attend a concert.

This illustrated guide to 100 of the world's most important concert halls and opera houses examines their architecture and engineering and discusses their acoustical quality as judged by conductors and music critics. The descriptions and photographs will serve as a valuable guide for today's peripatetic performers and music lovers. With technical discussions relegated to appendices, the book can be read with pleasure by anyone interested in musical performance. The photographs (specially commissioned for this book) and architectural drawings (all to the same scale) together with modern acoustical data on each of the halls provide a rich and unmatched resource on the design of halls for presenting musical performances. Together with the technical appendices, the data and drawings will serve as an invaluable reference for architects and engineers involved in the design of spaces for the performance of music.

An acclaimed acoustician presents a proven methodology for designing successful venues for concert performance in a variety of building types. Of all the problems posed by the art and science of acoustics, the design of concert halls is the most mysterious. Listeners, from music lovers to musicians, hear performances in halls of comparable dimensions and find differences in the quality of their listening experiences. Why do so many concert halls fail to live up to expectations? In The Acoustics of Performance Halls J. Christopher Jaffe, an acclaimed acoustician known for his innovative design concepts, describes the common misconceptions about what makes a successful classical concert space, explains that sound reflections rather than geometry are the key to developing an outstanding hall, and shows how a series of simple principles related to how humans perceive musical quality can provide the ideal environment for classical music performances. Jaffe presents a proven methodology for designing successful venues for symphonic performance in a variety of building types, including concert halls, music pavilions, multiuse theaters, and amphitheaters, using a fact-based approach that relies on matching subjective values to quantitative measurements, an awareness of a community’s musical memory, and extensive practical experience working with orchestras. Case studies illustrate the acoustic design of facilities designed for the presentation of symphonic music as well as those that were designed for other activities but through necessity or innovation are used for this purpose. An invaluable resource as a large-scale troubleshooting manual, this book should be required reading not only for acousticians but also for concert administrators, concert division directors, and operations managers, as well as theater consultants, architectural firms, and construction companies.

From the design and construction of the concert hall itself to individual and global subjective evaluations of sound fields, "Music and Concert Hall Acoustics" details exactly how each variable in a concert hall can affect a live musical performance. The contributions to this book will be of interest to civil engineers, physicists, music lovers, and anyone else working in a field concerned with architectural acoustics.

Modern concert halls and opera houses are now very specialized buildings with special acoustical characteristics. With new contemporary case-studies, this updated book explores these characteristics as an important resource for architects, engineers and auditorium technicians. Supported by over 40 detailed case studies and architectural drawings of 75 auditoria at a scale of 1:500, the survey of each auditorium type is completed with a discussion of current best practice to achieve optimum acoustics.

Modern concert halls and opera houses are now very specialized buildings with special acoustical characteristics. This book is an important resource for architects, engineers and auditorium technicians.