Towards an appreciation of symphonic music: the role of the performing theatre
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Date
2007-05-24
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Abstract
Sound quality is a fundamental requirement in performing theatre and auditorium designs. Over the last century, a lot of progress has been made in the study of acoustics in relation to performing theatres. Most, if not all, have revealed that acoustics depends to some extent on the geometry of the space under consideration.
This dissertation discusses the relationship between geometry, objective parameters such as finishing materials, volume etc. and sound quality in performing theatres. It studies the development of theatre designs over the last century and reveals that for a hall, designed primarily for symphony orchestra musical concerts, to fulfill its function well it must be conceived partly as a musical instrument, like the box of a violin or the sound board of a piano. It concludes that every good performing theatre or auditorium requires more than ordinary architectural design skills; it should solve not only acoustics but also the functional problems of comfort and sightlines as well as the problem of visual coherence, all of which revolves around the shape or geometry of the enclosed space.
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A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Architecture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture.