Small Concert Hall Research Articles

Using Non-wave based modelling to explore how much acoustic diffusion is too much in a concert hall.

This paper explores the relationship between acoustic surface diffusion and acoustical character in concert halls by using non-waved based modelling. Measurements were undertaken in a small concert hall to use as a baseline, which is then transferred into ODEON to experiment with the acoustic parameters further. Using the ODEON modelling results, the relationship between amount of diffusion vs scattering coefficient to achieve optimal objective parameters in a concert hall according were visualised. These trends were then tested on existing famous concert hall models, e.g. Musikvereinssaal. The experiments showed that when considering how much diffusion is too much in a concert hall, the statistical amount of diffusion is less of a factor, when compared to retaining strong early reflections from side walls and ceilings and the amount of scattering provided by diffuse surfaces. For example, a hall with a high amount of diffusion, can still be a subjectively "good" hall, if it still has strong early reflections on the side walls and ceilings when compared to a hall with geometry that does not provide strong lateral reflections.

A Study on the Evaluation of Ventilation Performance According to the Location of the Return Diffusers of an Upward Displacement Ventilation System in a Dome-Shaped Small Concert Hall

The modern people are active in various cultural facilities and enjoy the leisure life. The spectators and performers using a small concert hall generally use this space for about 2[Formula: see text]h in an enclosed state, and so the space should maintain a comfortable thermal environment and indoor air quality. The ventilation systems that can be applied to small concert hall are generally classified as the mixing ventilation system and the displacement ventilation system, but the upward displacement ventilation system is known to be able to maintain the clean indoor air quality with high energy efficiency. The upward displacement ventilation system installed in a dome-shaped small concert hall is not limited in the height of the vertical wall. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the optimal height of the return diffuser by utilizing the ventilation performance and the air diffusion performance index (ADPI). This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the return diffuser position on the ventilation performance of an upward displacement ventilation system installed in a dome-shaped small concert hall. It was confirmed that as the height at which the return diffuser is installed on the vertical wall increases, the ventilation efficiency increases and the thermal stratification formed in the upper area is significantly reduced.

Pionier der alten Musik: Hans Eberhard Hoesch und die Kabeler Kammermusik by Nikolaus de Palézieux (review)

PIONEERS Pionier der alten Musik: Hans Eberhard Hoesch und die Kabeler Kammermusik. By Nikolaus de Palezieux. Kassel: Barenreiter, 2012. [155 p. ISBN 9783761822722. i29.95.] Illustrations, index.Nikolaus de Palezieux's 2012 study of early music pioneer Hans Eberhard Hoesch (1891-1972) is an indispensible work for academics and amateurs alike who are interested in the early music revival in twentieth-century Germany. Although Hoesch played a vital role in collecting rare baroque scores, period musical instru- ments, and even creating the first early mu- sic chamber orchestra in Germany, his name has been ignored in virtually all other historical accounts. De Palezieux's book represents a vital step in rectifying this omission, and this work will be the volume on which all other studies of Germany's early music revival must build.Hoesch lived most of his life in the small city of Hagen, located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr region. As a teenager, he stud- ied violin with Bram Eldering in Cologne, a colleague of Johannes Brahms. After Hoesch's service in World War I, he re- turned to Hagen to serve as the technical director of his family's highly successful pa- per factory. Most of the book details the years 1928 to 1934, the period in which he created Kabeler Kammermusik, an early music concert series in which Hoesch played viola. By April 1931, Hoesch had as- sembled the first complete chamber or- chestra to play on period instruments. He then founded his own workshop for instru- ment preservation on the ground floor of his home. Hoesch ultimately financed the entire venture himself, as he received little to no support from the city government. And in 1933, he opened a small concert hall inside his home for public performances.Through de Palezieux's treatment of Hoesch's musical tastes, it is easy to get a sense of why he was so driven to create such an ensemble. Hoesch considered modern music (especially jazz) to be a highly de- structive influence, a sentiment that he also shared in the program notes for the Kabeler Kammermusik's first public con- cert in January of 1930. Hoesch's own musi- cal ideology can tell us much about the cul- tural milieu in which the early music revival took place, and although the Nazis would share his musical preferences in many re- spects, Hoesch nevertheless found the party's cultural politics abhorrent.The question lingering throughout the book-why did Hoesch not receive any credit for his part in the early music revival?-is artfully threaded in and out of the narrative. Ultimately, there are several reasons why Hoesch languished in obscu- rity: his primary role as a paper manufac- turer rather than cultural impresario, the ensemble's Hagen origins which isolated the group from success outside the region, and Hoesch's own brief involvement with the entire project. As de Palezieux points out, Hoesch's decision to resign from the ensemble in 1936, just as the group was be- coming more established, also meant that he remained uncelebrated. With the unex- pected death of his third wife, Hoesch felt unable to continue his work with the Kabeler Kammermusik. In addition, the Nazis' cultural politics had begun to make Hoesch increasingly uncomfortable, and he wanted to avoid registering his ensemble with the Reichsmusikkammer (RMK). To Hoesch, there appeared no better solution than to resign.After his departure, the group soon changed their name to the Kammer- musikkreis Scheck-Wenzinger after two of the ensemble's long-standing members, flutist Gustav Scheck and cellist and recorder player August Wenzinger. Al- though Hoesch had resisted pressure to join the RMK and accept funding from the National Socialists, the ensemble's new leaders were not so reticent. In 1940, the Kammermusikkreis Scheck-Wenzinger re- ceived funding from the Nazi organization Kraft durch Freude and its Italian counter- part, Dopo Lavoro, to go on a concert tour of Italy. …

Introduction to the special issue on jazz improvisation.

How do we define expert improvisers? What is the nature of their internal dialogue and external interaction during performance? How do we evaluate interaction between musicians during performance? Are certain domain-general abilities related to improvisation achievement? And, can a computer program model the improvisational process? These are some of the questions explored in this special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain (PMMB) based on selected papers from the Improvising Brain Symposium held at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, April 7-9, 2013. The opening event consisted of a concert performed by jazz musicians and related interview in which the featured jazz violinist and the accompanying rhythm section players were asked about their thinking as they listened to short excerpts played back from the just completed performance. In this introduction, I briefly describe interview data from this event as a way to introduce selected articles that make up the core of this special issue. A separate conference report by Steven Anderson describes some of the other papers presented at the symposium.The interview event was conceived as a way to explore interaction between jazz musicians during small group performance. Previous research has outlined the primary importance of this interaction (Berliner, 1994; Monson, 1996; Sawyer, 2006; Vuust & Roepstorff, 2008). Monson interviewed expert jazz musicians looking at a full transcription of a piano trio performance. They described how intimate knowledge of the style allowed them to signal to each other using various techniques including obscure musical references. However, the interview was conducted long after the actual performance took place.The current event was based on a methodology I used in previous research with individual jazz performers (Norgaard, 2011). During each session, I first asked the improviser to perform a blues improvisation along with a recorded drum loop. I then converted their performance to approximate notation that I displayed while playing the original audio in synchrony. This served as the basis for a directed interview in which the performer described his thinking. This design specifically eliminated any external cues, as the performances were recorded in a solo setting. Though the results included important descriptions of the thinking of artist-level improvisers, obviously information about interaction with other players and audience could not be collected.The Improvising Brain concert event offered an opportunity to investigate the thinking of artist-level jazz musicians in an ecologically valid concert environment. Though the participants were aware that the performance would serve as the basis for a subsequent interview, here they played in a group setting in front of an audience of about 300 people in a small concert hall. As in my previous study, an attempt was made to create approximate notation for the violin, piano, and bass parts. However, the technology did not cooperate and most of the interview was based on audio prompts only.The methodology was as follows. The four musicians were asked to play an improvisation on a selected blues theme. They chose the blues composition, Sonnymoon for Two, by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. The drummer was given a click track set to metronome 200 in a pair of headphones but was asked to take the headphones off as soon as the performance started. The tempo was therefore not necessarily constant. The performance was recorded on four separate tracks representing the four instruments violin, piano, bass, and drums into a computer using standard multitrack recording software (Logic Pro, 2012). The first three were recorded using a direct line signal instead of individual microphones to eliminate cross talk. The drums were recorded with two overhead microphones.After the performance, the musicians were seated in a row on one side of the stage and interviewers on the other about 10 feet away. …

Balancing sound strength and reverberation time in small concert halls by means of variable acoustics

Balancing sound strength and reverberation time in small concert halls by means of variable acoustics

Balancing Sound Strength and Reverberation Time in Small Concert Halls by Means of Variable Acoustics

Sound strength G is a measure of the physical sound level in a concert hall and is closely related to the subjective sensation of loudness. It has been measured in six small concert halls in Cambridge, UK, in combination with measurements of reverberation time. The aim is to investigate the relationship between sound strength and reverberation time in small halls and to study the effect of variable acoustics in these halls. Large ensembles in small halls are often too loud and it is desirable to reduce the sound level. This can be done by introducing acoustically absorbent material but the reverberation time is also decreased. Reverberation time cannot be decreased by an arbitrary amount as it is closely related to sound quality. Therefore, reverberation time and strength have to be carefully balanced in order to maintain sufficient reverberance whilst at the same time avoiding excessive loudness. The study also compares measured strength levels with values derived from traditional and revised theories for strength calculations [1]. Measured strength levels were consistently lower than theoretical predictions and possible reasons for this are discussed with reference to design features of the halls and objective acoustics parameters.

Sound strength and reverberation time in small concert halls

Abstract Sound strength and reverberation time measurements have been carried out in six small concert halls in Cambridge, UK. The sound strength G is a measure of the physical sound level in a concert hall and is closely related to the subjective sensation of loudness. It compares integrated impulse responses at a point in the measured room with that measured at ten metres distance in the free field. The aim of the measurements is to investigate the acoustic characteristics of the halls concerning sound strength and reverberation time. Furthermore the effect of the variable acoustics in the halls on these parameters is discussed in this paper. Especially for bigger ensembles it is often desirable to reduce the sound level in a small concert hall. The measurement results show that for a fixed hall volume, this can primarily be achieved by decreasing the reverberation time in the hall. However, with regard to the sound quality of a hall and the recommended reverberation times for chamber music, reverberation time cannot be reduced by an arbitrary extent. Therefore reverberation time and strength have to be balanced very carefully in order to obtain sufficient reverberation whilst at the same time avoiding excessive loudness. Finally the measured strength levels are compared to values derived from traditional and revised theory [Barron M, Lee L-J. Energy relations in concert auditoriums. J Acoust Soc Am 1988;84(2):618–28] on strength calculations in order to assess the accuracy of the theory for small chamber music halls. Possible reasons for the low measured strength levels observed are discussed with reference to related design features and objective acoustic parameters.

Balancing reflection strength and loudness in small concert halls.

Small concert halls, such as those encountered at many music education institutions, are frequently called upon to support a wide range of musical ensembles, including full symphony orchestra, within a volume significantly smaller than in traditional concert halls. On one hand, a degree of early reflection strength and reverberation is needed to support unamplified instruments and musician hearing on stage. On the other hand, constrained cubic volumes, limited audience seating, and sound‐reflective finishes can lead to overloudness in these small halls. This paper will discuss recent listening and measurement experiences in small concert halls as they relate to achieving a suitable balance between reflection strength and loudness control.

Sound strength and reverberation time in small concert halls

Many small concert halls are being built in music departments in schools and universities and these have to cater for a wide variety of musicalensembles ranging from orchestras to solo performers. Such diverse musical forces require different acoustic conditions in terms of reverberation and loudness and so variable acoustics are frequently provided. However, introducing absorption decreases reverberation and loudness and so a careful balance needs to be struck between controlling loudness and maintaining reverberation. In the course of this study a series of measurements was carried out in six small concert halls in Cambridge, UK, which accommodate a range of sizes of musical ensembles from quartets to orchestras, in order to determine the range of reverberation times and sound strengths, including changes due to variable absorption. The measured strength levels were compared to values derived from traditional and revised theory on strength calculations in order to assess the accuracy of the theories for small chamber music halls. The measured values of strength levels were observed to be mostly lower than the predicted ones. In order to account for this difference (particularly in spaces with added absorption) a combination of Barron's revised theory and the Vorlander correction factor is proposed.

Holy Week in Cuenca

The Semana de Mitsica Religiosa de Cuenca (30 March 8 April 2007) is one of the longest-established annual music festivals in Spain: this was its 46th year, and it is clearly set to continue for the foreseeable future, thanks to the financial commitment of the various national, regional and local bodies, as well as the Fundaci6n Caja Madrid. Cuenca is, in fact, a two-hour drive from Madrid, in the direction of Valencia, and very much in the middle of nowhere in the flat plains of Castilla La Mancha. The old part of the town, constructed on the side of a dramatic ravine and famous for its 'casas colgadas' (literally, 'hanging houses') built into the sheer rock face, retains its medieval character and is an important tourist attraction, particularly in Holy Week when the nazarenos, the members of the many different confraternities, process, day and night, through the streets wearing robes and pointed hats in their respective colours, and carrying their impressive floats (carros) with polychrome sculptures of the various stages of the Passion of Christ and the figure of the Virgin. This local colour, as it might be described in a tourist brochure, not only forms a striking backdrop to the festival, but also forms an integral part of the urban sound-world during this long week of concerts dedicated to sacred music, talks and liturgical ceremonies. For all these reasons, the SMR is a very special kind of cultural event in which the performative spaces and the prevailing atmosphere are an essential part of the whole, rather as is the case with the Aldeburgh Festival (though in other ways very different from it). This was Artistic Director Pilar Tomis's second year, and the first for which she has been responsible for the whole of the programming, which, though not entirely dedicated to early music, features it strongly. This year one of the themes of the festival was the mass, represented in a range of different settings from Pierre de la Rue, through Monteverdi and Bach, to Beethoven, Bruckner and Stravinsky. The concerts were as high-profile, international and impressive as has been the case for some years, but there is a noticeable development in the matching of performative space to concert programme, in part taking advantage of the gradual restoration of churches in the old quarter, and enhancing the essence of the musical repertory. The modern Teatro Auditorio, situated almost at the bottom of the ravine, opposite the hanging houses, is an attractive and comfortable small concert hall, with a clear but slightly dry acoustic. Gustav Leonhardt's programme of three Bach masses with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the superb English Voices suffered somewhat in this context. Leonhardt, whose organ recital in the cathedral of music by Buxtehude, Hassler, Pachelbel, Bach, Correa de Araujo, Cabanilles, Martin y Coil and Blow (among other composers!) was a model of clear articulation, seemed to regard the small choir as a mini-rank of organ pipes, their voices clean and articulated, but largely devoid of expression and variation in intensity, this being exacerbated by the reverential tempos he adopted. This approach might have worked better in a more resonant acoustic, such as that of the cathedral, but in the concert hall it all came across as rather clipped and unsustained. English Voices did, indeed, sing Domenico Scarlatti's socalled 'Madrid' Mass in the cathedral at the service on

Localization accuracy of advanced spatialisation techniques in small concert halls

A comparison of several spatialization systems is presented in terms of their localization accuracy under the nonideal listening conditions found in typical small concert halls. Of interest is the effect of real reverberant conditions, noncentral listening positions, and nonsymmetrical speaker arrays on source localization. The data are presented by comparison of empirical binaural measurements and perceptual listening tests carried out using Ambisonics, VBAP, SPAT∼, and Delta Stereophony systems. The listening tests are conducted by comparing the localization of phantom sources generated by the spatialization systems to sources generated by reference loudspeakers. The reference and phantom sources are presented at front, side, and back locations about a nine-listener audience, and the systems are tested in a random order with a calibrated 16-loudspeaker array situated nonsymmetrically around the audience area. The binaural recordings are compared to the subjective measurements of localization accuracy through the interaural level and time difference cues for each source position.

Determination of absorption coefficients for audience seating from in situ measurements

Audience seating constitutes the majority of fixed sound absorption in most music performance venues. An understanding of the sound absorption characteristics of audience seating is therefore essential for accurately predicting reverberation times and for evaluating different chair constructions during the design process. Room acoustics measurements were recently conducted in a small concert hall immediately before and after installation of audience seating. These measurements allow the determination of absorption coefficients for audience seating for use in the Sabine equation [L.L. Beranek and T. Hidaka, J. Acoust. Soc. of Am. 104, 3169–3177 (1998)] and in room acoustics computer modeling software. A comparison of these in situ absorption coefficients along with those determined from reverberation room measurements will be discussed.

Relationship Between Type of Bow Holding and Propagation of Performed Sound in Small Concert Hall in Violin Performances

The propagation of violin sound performed by eight amateur players was compared in the front and rear seats of a small concert hall. It was found that the propagation of the performed sound in the hall is different according to the type of bow holding of the players and the difference of the instrument. The relationship between the player and the instrument influences the listeners' impressions in the concert hall. It is important to perform a sound that is adjusted to the characteristics of the concert hall to minimize the decrease in the sound level in the rear seats of the hall.

Performance of iterative solvers for acoustic problems. Part I. Solvers and effect of diagonal preconditioning

Boundary element discretization of the Kirchhoff–Helmholtz integral equation gives rise to a linear system of equations. This system may be solved directly or iteratively. Application of direct solvers is quite common but turns out to be inefficient for large scale problem with 10,000 unknowns and more. These systems can be solved on behalf of iterative methods. This paper is dedicated to testing performance of four iterative solvers being the Restarted Bi-Conjugate Gradient Stabilized algorithm, the Conjugate Gradient method applied to the normal equations (CGNR), the Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRes) and the Transpose Free Quasi Minimal Residual. For that, we distinguish between internal and external problems. Performance of iterative solvers with respect to problem size, polynomial degree of interpolation, wave-number, wave-number over problem size, absorption at surface, and smoothness of the surface is investigated. Furthermore, the effect of diagonal preconditioning is illuminated. All examples consist of different meshes of up to more than 100,000 elements. In general, the methods perform well for the internal problems, a duct problem, a sedan cabin compartment and a fictitious small concert hall. GMRes proves to solve the problems most efficiently. External problems appear more challenging due to the hypersingular operator of the Burton and Miller formulation. Scattering of a plane wave at a sphere and at a cat's eye are investigated as well as a tire noise problem. The first two are remarkably efficiently solved in the medium and high frequency range by CGNR whereas the tire noise example is only solved by GMRes. In all examples, at least one or two solution methods turn out to require less operations than a direct solver. The effect of diagonal preconditioning is marginal especially for higher frequencies.

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall

The Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall was planned as a complex cultural facility on the waterfront of Yokohama City and was opened in June 1998. In this building, a large concert hall with 2020 seats (mainly for symphony concerts) and a small concert hall with 400 seats mainly for chamber music are included. For the design and construction of this building, an acoustic design and research group consisting of architects, acousticians, and building engineers was set up and such various acoustic problems as room acoustics, sound insulation between rooms and facades, prevention of structure-borne sound from subway by floating floor construction, and noise reduction of the air-conditioning system were investigated by cooperative work in the group. For the acoustic design of the two halls, computer simulation based on geometrical acoustics and a 1/10 scale model experiment were performed for checking room shape and auralization studies. During and after the construction, acoustic measurements were carried out under various conditions. Before the opening, test concerts were performed with an audience, and acoustic data under occupied conditions were obtained. In this paper, the outline of the design process and the acoustic characteristics of the two halls are introduced.

A new concert hall for the city of Eindhoven—Design and model tests

A music centre containing a large (1300 seats) and a small (400 seats) concert hall has been built in the city of Eindhoven. The music centre is integrated into a larger building complex, called the ‘Heuvel-Galerie’, with shopping area (malls), recreational facilities, parking, offices and apartments. In this article the authors sketch their solutions for the acoustics of the large concert hall. To review the acoustics of the concert hall, pulse response diagrams were made in a scale model. The scale model test (scale 1:10) is described and the first results are shown.

Considerations of Reverberation, Variable by Nonelectronic Means, in the Design of a Small Concert Hall

This paper presents a brief discussion of the design of the Warner Concert Hall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. This hall has been designed for music performance only, but even so, some variation is required in the acoustics: There is considerable emphasis on organ instruction at the Conservatory; at the same time, there will be extensive use of this concert hall for piano recitals requiring much less reverberation. The acoustical design provides for significant changes in the reverberation time for various types of music performance, and also provides adjustment for changing audience size.