Toward opera houses: Acoustic analysis of the ancient literature

Abstract

From XVI Century to the present, the demand for buildings where the opera took place followed the development of the melodrama. Several authors wrote about the optimal design of an opera house. While some of them did not cross the boundaries of the theoretical research, as Milizia, others went on building theaters following their particular theories, such as Nicolini with the San Carlo theater in Naples. Early authors researched on a merely architectural systems and principles, following the classical approach—as Carini-Motta in relationship with Vitruvius. Late authors, from the XIX Century, widened the scope including social reason in the theather design. The aim of this article is to focus on the publications, regarding theatre design, of the early authors, analyzing them by highlighting the consistencies and discrepancies in respect to contemporary literature findings.