CONCERT

HALLS AND
OPERA
HOUSES


 CONCERT
HALLS AND
OPERA
HOUSES
Music, Acoustics, and Architecture

LEO L. BERANEK
 LEO BERANEK
975 Memorial Drive
Suite 804
Cambridge, MA 02138-5755
USA
beranekleo@comcast.net
beranekleo@ieee.org.net

L I B R A R Y O F C O N G R E S S C AT A L O G I N G - I N - P U B L I C AT I O N DAT A
Beranek, Leo Leroy, 1914–
Concert halls and opera houses : music, acoustics, and architecture / Leo Beranek.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Concert and opera halls, 1996.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Architectural acoustics. 2. Music halls. 3. Theaters. I. Beranek, Leo Leroy, 1914–
NA2800.B39 2002
725⬘.81-dc21 2002070734

ISBN 0-387-95524-0 Printed on acid-free paper.

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 Contents

Preface xv

CHAPTER ONE

MU S I C A N D A C O U S T I C S 1

What Are Good Acoustics? 1

Acoustics and the Performers 3
Conductors 3
Performers 7

Acoustics and Musical Periods 8

Baroque Period 8
Classical Period 10
Romantic Period 12
Twentieth-Century Music 13
European Opera 14

Acoustics and Listeners 15

CHAPTER TWO

TH E L A N G U A G E O F
MUSICAL ACOUSTICS 19
vi CONTENTS

Definitions and Explanations of Selected Terms 19

Reverberation and Fullness of Tone 20
Direct Sound, Early Sound, Reverberant Sound 23
Early Decay Time (EDT) (Also Early Reverberation Time) 23
Speed of Successive Tones 24
Definition (or Clarity) 24
Resonance 27
Intimacy or Presence and Initial-Time-Delay Gap 27
Liveness and Mid-Frequencies 29
Spaciousness 29
Warmth 30
Listener Envelopment 30
Strength of Sound and Loudness 30
Timbre and Tone Color 31
Acoustical Glare 31
Brilliance 32
Balance 32
Blend 32
Ensemble 32
Immediacy of Response (Attack) 33
Texture 33
Echoes 33
Dynamic Range and Background Noise Level 33
Detriments to Tonal Quality 35
Uniformity of Sound in Audience Areas 35
Summary of the Musical Qualities Affected by Acoustics 35

CHAPTER THREE

ON E H U N D R E D C O N C E R T
HALLS AND OPERA HOUSES 37
Contents vii

CHAPTER FOUR

AC O U S T I C S O F C O N C E R T H A L L S 491

Rank-Orderings of Acoustical Quality of 58 Concert Halls

Developed from Interviews and Questionnaires 494
Reverberation Time: Musicians’ Preferences 495
Reverberation Time for Occupied Halls 497

Architectural Basics 498

Age 498
Shape 499
Music Power 500
Audience Absorption and Type of Chairs 501
Materials for Walls, Ceiling, and Stage 502

Physical Measures of Acoustical Quality 503

Reverberation Time (RT) 503
Early Decay Time (EDT) 505
Binaural Quality Index (BQI) 506
Loudness, the Strength of the Sound (G) 509
Warmth, Bass Ratio (BR) and Bass Strength (Glow) 512
Intimacy, Initial-Time-Delay Gap (ITDG) 513
Lateral Fraction (LFE4) 519
Acoustical “Glare” and Surface Diffusivity Index (SDI) 521
Listener Envelopment 525
Clarity 526
Texture 527
Orthogonality of Objective Acoustical Measures 528
Special Structures for Reducing Acoustical “Glare” and for Diffusing Sound 529
Brilliance 534
Noise, Vibration and Echo 534

Further Architectural Considerations 535

Preferred Values for Acoustical Parameters 535
viii CONTENTS

Preliminary Design Procedures 538

Stage Design 541
Balconies 545
Models 545
Multipurpose Halls 549

Architectural Design of Chamber Music Halls 550

Concluding Remarks 552

CHAPTER FIVE

AC O U S T I C S O F O P E R A H O U S E S 553

Questionnaire Rank-Orderings of Acoustical

Quality of 21 Opera Houses 554
Objective Measurements of the Acoustical
Properties of 23 Opera Houses 556
Measurement Procedure 556
Sound Quality Parameters 559
Orchestra Pits 564
Types of Orchestra Pits 565
Boxes and Balconies 568
Echo and Distortion 570

Concluding Remarks 573

APPENDIX Terminology, Definitions, and Conversion

1

Factors 575
APPENDIX 2 Acoustical Data for Concert Halls & Opera

Houses 583
APPENDIX 3 Equations, Technical Data, and Sound

Absorption 615

Bobliography 641

Name Index 647

Subject Index XXX
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