Sara Hastings
December 2, 2018
Physics 207
The Acoustics of German Concert Halls
Thesis: Are today’s concert halls better than those of the past? An exploration of what charateriscs constitute a good concert hall. Looking at three internationally recognized German concert halls, a traditional shoebox style, more progressive vineyard terrace style and finally modern acoustically ‘perfect’ concert hall.
The Konzerthaus in Berlin is located in the heart of the city. It was rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II. The outer façade maintains its original design; however, the inside has been redesigned to reflect Schinkel’s time (Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German architect and painter whose Romantic–Classical creations in other related arts made him the leading arbiter of national aesthetic taste in his lifetime. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings. His most famous buildings are found in and around Berlin.
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. This hall is an example of a classic, shoebox styled concert hall and seats 1,700 people. The shoebox hall is long, tall and narrow which allows for a high number of lateral early reflections off the side walls of the room. The sound from the orchestra will first pass from the stage to the listener, localizing the sound in the space. Shortly after the direct sound reaches the listener, indirect reflections form the side walls will reach the ears from the side of the head. This causes the sensation of feeling of being enveloped by the sound as mentioned above. While there are variants between various ‘shoebox’ styled halls, the Konzerthaus is considered to be nearly acoustically perfect, with reverberations only slightly higher than the ideal amount. Additionally, this hall uses subtle transparent sound reflectors located on either side of the stage to ensure that the musicians are able hear themselves. There are also reflectors above the stage to reduce the reflections from the ceiling above the performers.
The Philharmonie in Berlin was founded in 1882 and was rebuilt in 1963. Hans Scharoun built what is known as Germany’s great modern concert hall and enlisted the service of Lothar Cremer an expert acoustician. Scharoun had an innovative vision to place the orchestra in the center, the first example of ‘music in the round’. He believed that “the orchestra and conductor should spatially and optically be in the very middle of things; if not at the mathematical center then certainly completely enveloped by the audience”. This presented many acoustical problems that Cremer had to resolve, one of which was the need to ensure that the musicians would be able to hear one another. Cremer crafted a ‘vineyard terrace’ shaped hall where the sound is not reflected as strongly from the side walls but from the terraced reflective surfaces. The result hall seating 2,400 people with a tent shaped ceiling and blocks of seating fit into the ‘terraces. This allows outstanding acoustics wherever you sit.
The Elbphilharonie in Hamburg is one of the largest and most acoustically advance concert halls in the world. The glass structure was built on top of the harbor warehouse and recently opened in 2017. The Grand Hall, is the heaty of the building, and seats 2,100 individuals. The Grand hall, like the Berlin Philharmonie, arranges the audience in the vineyard style, however takes this concept a step further. The architects worked with the world renowned acoustician, Yasuhisa Toyota, utilizing advanced computer modeling to create the ‘perfect’ acoustical environment. The Grand hall is “a gleaming ivory cave built from 10,000 unique acoustic panels that line the ceiling, walls, and balustrades. The room looks almost organic—like a rippling, monochromatic coral reef—but bringing it to life was a technological feat.” Each of its 10,000 gypsum fiber acoustic panels were developed by algorithms which interlock in a beautifully complex puzzle. These panels hold a million ‘cells divots’ which shape the sound. When a sound wave hits a panel the uneven surface absorbs and scatters the sound. Each panel does this in a unique manner yet it is brought together to create a beautifully balanced reverberation that spans the space. The Elbphilharonie is an example of the power of parametric design.
(Philharmoni—the hall’s powerful appearance and intimate feel convinced most skeptics of the merits of Scharoun’s and cremer’s innovative design )
The primary reason one goes to a concert is to listen to the music. Therefore, the most important feature of a concert is acoustics. “The concert hall is, after all, the instrument that all the musicians in the orchestra “play”. And just like an instrument that is tucked under the chin, blown through a mouthpiece, or struck with a mallet, every hall gives back to the musician its own sonic personality.” The question that so many have tried to answer how to perfect this massive “instrument.” Today we can approach this topic scientifically, through physics, to understand the various sonic textures that make one concert hall acoustically superior to another.
One key component of good acoustics is early lateral reflections. This means that the sound does not come straight at you but instead bounces off the walls before it hits your ears. This causes the feeling of being enveloped or surrounded by the sound, because it is perceived laterally through one’s ears.
This is best shown in the shoebox styled concert hall as seen in the Philharmonie.
Terrace, Konzerthaus and reflections…
• The reflecting patterns from the vertical interruptions from the terraces ensured the early time dealty hap would be within fify milliseconds even though the hall was unusually wide
• Terraced seating prevented grazing incidence
• Added pyramidal diffusers to act as low-frequency absorbing Helmholtz resonators
• Allow warm sound in the hall with a w second reverberation time
Yasuhisa Toyata, acoustical designer. While acoustics is a science, an acoustician understands the complexities of the physics of sounds, has good ears and experience. But acoustics is not completely a science, and each acoustician leaves a certain ‘thumbprint’ on what they design based on their acoustical preferences. For Toyata, this preference is towards acoustics which are “bright and draw and overtone rich”. So in the creation of the Elbphilharonie, he has achieved this, but for those with a different preference, they may be less satisfied with what they hear.
In the last hundred years, huge advancements have been made in acoustics. Breakthroughs in processing power and software development have enabled staggering leaps in 3D imaging and modeling. Architects and acoustics engineers equipped with advanced software can more easily experiment with and test designs that wouldn’t have been practical when most models were made with wood and cardboard.Various designers and engineers have poured millions of dollars to find the ‘sonic ideal for live music’. And if acoustical architects have learned one lesson, it's that our future lies in the past. Or as Ron McKay puts it: "I think all of the acousticians who are designing concert hall facilities would love to make them sound like the classical halls in Boston and Vienna."
How a concert sounds may be the most important factor while analyzing the success of a concert hall. However, it is said that 85% of our sensory perception is taken in through our eyes. Therefore, there is an intimate relationship between the physical space the audience sits in and how it impacts their perception of the music. The ability for the audience to see the performers and their emotions can affect how the performance is perceived. The positioning of the orchestra in relationship to the audience must allow for visual communication to achieve the sense of connectedness of the audience to the performance.
Tradtional- konzertahus
Experienctial- Philharmoni
• The terraces made it so each individual had their own front row seat- giving them a clear view of the stage and unobstructed directsound
• Avility for the listeners to watch the cunductor’s face and genstrues was a plus
Elb-
. The vineyard allows large audiences to feel closer to the performers,
Taking it one step further, a concert is more than simply the hall where the musicians perform. Going to a concert is an experience, carefully curated for the benefit of the attendee. The moment you enter the building that houses a concert hall the experience starts. The procession from the entrance, into the reception area and until an individual takes their seat in the hall should build a sense of occasion and expectation. This build up influences the perception of the concert and what creates a memorable and special experience. Today we have 24-hour access to fantastic music that we can listen to through powerful speakers, yet we still go to concerts in hopes of an unforgettable experience.
As we have seen, there is more than pure acoustics that goes into the experience one has in a concert hall… “A great concert comes from a shared musical and communal experience between orchestra and audience that can happen only in the moment, never in quite the same way again.” (Christopher Blair, Adapt.)