Orchestral Acoustics 102: Orchestra vs. Hall

In a recent blog post, Washington Post music critic, Ann Midgette, posed questions concerning:

1. what influence a hall’s acoustic response has on orchestral performance technique, and
2. what effect the 1997 renovation of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall had in improving acoustics onstage and in the audience.

In response to the first, I can report conclusively that orchestras have great flexibility in adapting their playing to different environments. I offer a few anecdotal observations here supporting this contention and also comment on the effect of recent acoustical adjustments at Kennedy Center Concert Hall… (more…)

Orchestral Acoustics 101: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Christopher Blair - full time acoustician, part-time conductor,  last time blogger. We come to Friday and the end of Drew’s absence from these pages. I have really enjoyed my time here (Thanks, Drew for providing this forum!) and look forward to possible future exchanges.

This being my last day, I thought I’d try something different by offering a series of short thoughts, one or more of which might spark some interaction from the readers.  These will range from discussing acoustical misconceptions to the difference between acoustic measurements and what we hear.  And, please, if you have a question about a topic that has not appeared here this week, go ahead and ask using the comments section.  So now, welcome to “Open Line Friday!” (more…)

Orchestral Acoustics 101: Beware the Seductive Model

Christopher Blair -  full time acoustician, part-time conductor,  4^th time blogger.

Before anyone gets excited, I am talking about acoustical models here (sigh), but even these can produce dangerous results. (more…)

Orchestral Acoustics 101: Avery Fisher Hall

What went wrong, and how to fix it

Christopher Blair -  full time acoustician, part-time conductor,  3^rd time blogger. “For me the evening can’t end soon enough. I head back to my hotel with a splitting headache triggered by the blare of the orchestra and that spot in the Mahler where a percussionist strikes a rail with a sledgehammer….There’s enough blame to go around, of course, but by now I’ve become a convenient scapegoat. My dream of a great hall and my reputation as an acoustician both appear to be going up in smoke.”  - Leo Beranek, in Riding the Waves, The MIT Press, 2008 (more…)

Orchestral Acoustics 101: Vineyard vs. Shoebox

Are visual intimacy and sonic-envelopment mutually exclusive?

Christopher Blair -  full time acoustician, part-time conductor, 2^nd time blogger. Following up on our previous discussion of acoustic conditions for orchestral players, comes a discussion of the two most popular ways of arraying the audience for concerts, along with the acoustical and visual advantages and disadvantages typically encountered in each.  The question for today’s exploration is how many of these positive and negative attributes are hard-wired into these configuration options, or might there be a ”middle-way” that can achieve the best of both worlds? (more…)

Orchestral Acoustics 101: Hearing Troubles?

Christopher Blair -  full time acoustician, part-time conductor, 1^st time blogger. First of all, I need to thank Drew for this temporary opportunity to use his blog while he’s away on vacation this week. If I had to come up with something to share every day as he does, I fear that I would not get much else done.

The additional good news, Dear Reader, is that I am not carrying this stand-in responsibility alone. For those that find discussions of how we hear music somewhat arcane: wait a day…and you will learn something completely different from someone completely different. So…for the acoustically curious…we begin… (more…)