One Music and Acoustics.- What Are Good Acoustics?.- Acoustics and the Performers.- Acoustics and Musical Periods.- Acoustics and Listeners.- Two The Language of Musical Acoustics.- Definitions and Explanations of Selected Terms.- Three One Hundred Concert Halls and Opera Houses.- United States.- Argentina.- Australia.- Austria.- Belgium.- Brazil.- Canada.- China.- Denmark.- England.- Finland.- France.- Germany.- Greece.- Hungary.- Ireland.- Israel.- Italy.- Japan.- Malaysia.- Mexico.- Netherlands.- New Zealand.- Norway.- Scotland.- Spain.- Sweden.- Switzerland.- Taiwan.- Venezuela.- Wales.- Four Acoustics of Concert Halls.- Rank-Orderings of Acoustical Quality of 58 Concert Halls Developed from Interviews and Questionnaires.- Reverberation Time: Musicians Preferences.- Architectural Basics.- Physical Measures of Acoustical Quality.- Further Architectural Considerations.- Architectural Design of Chamber Music Halls.- Concluding Remarks.- Five Acoustics of Opera Houses.- Questionnaire Rank-Orderings of Acoustical Quality of 21 Opera Houses.- Objective Measurements of the Acoustical Properties of 23 Opera Houses.- Orchestra Pits.- Appendix 1 Terminology Definitions, and Conversion Factors.- Appendix 2 Acoustical Data for Concert Halls & Opera Houses.- Appendix 3 Equations, Technical Data, and Sound Absorption.- Name Index.
2nd edition
From the reviews of the second edition: Advance praise for Leo
Beranek's "Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics,
and Architecture" --
PHILIP GOSSETT, PROFESSOR OF MUSIC, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO:
Given the many controversies surrounding the acoustical properties
of concert halls and opera houses, it is a relief to be guided by
someone who is both a scientist and a devoted listener. Here, the
mysteries of acoustics seem less intimidating: we come to
understand why music sounds the way it does in various performance
spaces, and what we can do about it. It's a terrific book!
I. M. PEI, ARCHITECT, NEW YORK:
[This book] provides an invaluable reference for the understanding
and design of music facilities.
JOHN WILLIAMS, COMPOSER AND CONDUCTOR, LOS ANGELES:
Dr. Beranek has created a comprehensive and fascinating study of
100 of the world's halls for music. Visiting each of these venues
would be a great delight and a marvelous adventure, but such being
impractical, this great book is the next best thing. All lovers of
music, acoustics, architecture, and travel will enjoy this unique
work.
WILLIAM L. RAWN III, FAIA, ARCHITECT, BOSTON:
The rigor, clarity and comprehensiveness of Concert Halls and Opera
Houses, balanced brilliantly by Leo Beranek's personal and
subjective sense of acoustics and music, provides a powerful
resource for architects and music lovers alike. Beranek's passion
for music helps to make this the most significant music acoustics
book of our times.
HELMUT A. MUELLER, MUELLER-BBM GMBH, ACOUSTICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSULTANTS, PLANEGG, GERMANY:
Art and science are combined in Leo Beranek's new book. Presented
are carefully collected plans, data and pictures of halls for
music, and assessments of their acoustical quality by artists,
critics and audiences, as well as measured scientific criteria. It
is an easily readable, "must" handbook for anyone traveling to
perform or attend concert or opera music.
"The present volume is an astonishing feat by an old gentleman who
is still active. … The book explains the intricacies of modern
auditorium acoustics, a much more complex science than it had been
in the immediate post-WWII era … . There is a detailed bibliography
and an excellent index. … This is an easily readable book. Beranek
explains the complexities of the acoustical criteria lucidly, and
describes the halls concisely, but clearly with the aid of
illustrations and data." (Architectural Science Review, Vol. 43
(3), September, 2004)
RUSSELL JOHNSON, ACOUSTICS AND THEATER CONSULTANT, ARTEC
CONSULTANTS, INC., NEW YORK:
Concert Halls and Opera Houses sets forth the harvest of six
decades of intensive study of acoustics for music performance. It
is a comprehensive (and indispensable) aid to architects, musicians
and design teams who tackle the incredibly daunting task of
creating new performance spaces.
HIDEKI TACHIBANA, PROFESSOR OF ACOUSTICS, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO,
JAPAN:
This book assembles architectural and acoustical data on 100 spaces
for music and rank-orders over two-thirds according to their
acoustical quality as judged by musicians and music critics. It
gives comprehensive knowledge of room acoustics and offers a basic
foundation for acoustical research long into the future.
R. LAWRENCE KIRKEGAARD, ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT, CHICAGO,
ILLINOIS:
Beranek has created a new Rosetta Stone for the languages of music,
acoustics, and architecture. Lovers of music everywhere will
welcome this extraordinary work for its scope, depth, and ease of
reading, and for heightening our understanding and enjoyment of the
musical experiences that so enrich our lives.
ROB HARRIS, DIRECTOR, ARUP ACOUSTICS, WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE,
ENGLAND:
Beranek's latest reference work is an essential volume in every
auditorium designer's library. It will also bring information and
pleasure to all with an interest in music, acoustics and
architecture. In our offices, a common response to a question in an
acoustical design session is "Let's check in Beranek...."
CHRISTOPHER JAFFE, FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, JAFFE HOLDEN ACOUSTICS,
NORWALK, CT:
CH & OH is the definitive work on the architectural acoustic design
of classical music spaces. With presentation of 100 halls, it
illustrates various levels of acoustical quality. Written for the
lay reader it deserves to be in every school of music, architecture
and science and with every musician and music lover. From the
reviews: "For anyone interested in musical performance or in
architecture, this book is a real treasure. After a short
introduction to outline the approach and define the acoustical
terms involved, the book plunges into a wonderful survey of 100
concert halls in 31 different countries … . The book is elegantly
typeset and produced, and will be both interesting reading and a
wonderful resource for architects, musicians, and concert goers."
(Neville Fletcher, The Physicist, Vol. 41 (4), July/August, 2004)
From the reviews of the second edition: "One of the most famous
books in the field of room acoustics … got a new shape and an
extension in the new edition. It again has an outstanding quality
in layout and printing. The book is an illustrated guide to
performance spaces. It provides a rich source of information on
music and its relation to room acoustics. … It is also a document
of cultural heritage and a help for musicians … . recommended for
everybody interested in music, acoustics and architecture."
(Michael Vorländer, Acta Acustica united with Acustica, Issue 3,
2004) "This new edition (1st ed., 1996) attempts to compare more
than a hundred of the world’s most important concert halls, as it
takes a closer look at the acoustical properties as well as the
architectural shape of each. … It is an invaluable resource for
those involved in the design of spaces forthe performance of music
… . this book would be most beneficial to those with a greater
interest in the physics of acoustics. Summing Up: Highly
recommended." (R. P. Meden, CHOICE, April, 2004)
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