Building bridges between architectural acoustics and psychomusicology: A tribute to Leo Beranek—Centenarian scientist, inventor, and visionary.

Abstract

Performance Spaces for MusicIn the book entitled The Cello Suites, author Eric Siblin (2009), intrigued by cellist Pablo Casals' discovery of the famed six Cello Suites of J. S. recounts the lives of Bach and Casals, as well as his own musical and personal journey. As often as he could, Siblin attended performances of the Cello Suites, both for increasing his understanding of the compositions and their audiences, as well as for the pure enjoyment of this music . . . on most occasions. One unorthodox recital in Leipzig, Germany was to take place successively in three different venues, all of which were atypical performance spaces. Called 6 x Bach, the audience was to move from site to site by bus, two cello suites per venue. The first concert took place in a nondescript warehouse, and Siblin seemed reasonably pleased. However, the second place was a domed neoclassical and the performance space resembled an echo chamber such thateach note was supersustained and the melodic units were stretched to the breaking point. The overtones washed over the tones and the tones washed over each other . . . the melody was flattened into a New Agey om-nificent thrum. The bleeding of lines made for blur. Bach's ruggedly individual notes were force-marched into a collectivity of no distinction . . . I felt exhausted by the process. (p. 197)The experience under this doomed dome was so disturbing that the author chose not to move on to the third and final venue.This example reminds us of the often overlooked importance of performance spaces for music. It has been said that a performance hall is itself a musical instrument. The giant instrument modulates the sound waves before they reach the listener's ear. Architects and musicians are aware of this variable or rather the multitude of intervening variables that together determine how a performance will sound, and sound differently at different places in the space. The designing of modern buildings, either for music specifically or for multiple uses, typically applies knowledge of architectural acoustics. Such knowledge has led to development and acceptance of acoustical building standards and codes.1 In the 1960s, Leo Beranek wondered why it was that some of the halls that were being built then were disappointing, in spite of these codes and in spite of the knowledge arising from architectural acoustics.Leo BeranekLeo Beranek reached his 100-year milestone on September 15, 2014. The milestone is but one of his numerous extraordinary and varied achievements that have touched lives in countless ways for the better. He invented noise-suppressing devices for government early in his career, including the development of the first anechoic room. He made contributions in speech communication, and worked in the broadcast industry; but for our readership, what is most important is his foundational studies for building acoustics, particularly performance halls, for music (e.g., Beranek, 1962, 2004).The extent of his impact in this area might be represented by two personal examples that only recently came to my attention. Let me begin by saying that Prince Edward Island (PEI), where I live, is the smallest of the 10 provinces of Canada. Leo Beranek gets around, but one would still not expect him here. Though tiny in area and population (around 140,000), PEI boasts a national theater, The Confederation Centre for the Arts, designed in the early 1960s. In spite of Canada's strength in the field of architectural acoustics, experience with grand performance spaces for music was limited; hence, the designers went outside of Canada for advice on the acoustical aspects. They chose the internationally known firm, Bolt, Beranek & Newman (BBN) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Leo Beranek himself consulted on the design of this multipurpose main stage theater (the largest east of Montreal) so as to make it suitable for music performance. …