While there are larger elements that impact the acoustics of a space, like its shape, even smaller, seemingly insignificant details as these can change the hall in unpredictable and substantial ways. Even the type of paint that is used on the walls has an effect. Boston’s Symphony Hall—widely regarded as one of the most acoustically fine concert halls in the world—owes some of its success to the smallest details in its aesthetic composition. There are statues embedded in the upper walls, and the railings on the balconies have intricate designs on it. “A small fig leaf that bulges from the wall helps segment high frequency sound,” says Heller. “A statue that’s about six feet tall is helping to scatter the lower-frequency sound. You want sound to be randomized in its direction after a couple of bounces of the walls and ceilings.”
OUT WITH THE NEW
Given the fact that the smallest detail can affect the acoustics of a space, the construction of a concert hall is still risky. Despite advances in the science of sound, acoustic architects still cannot fully account for every such detail in the design of a concert hall. Sound waves are chaotic. “We have computer programs that can actually check out the designs,” says Heller. “But it turns out that it is too much work for even the most powerful computers to follow every single wave of sound.”
Older concert halls, designed with anecdotal principles and evidence in mind, tend to have better acoustics than modern halls. “The concert halls that were built in the early 19th and 20th century are to this day the most beautiful and acoustically perfect halls,” Shreffler says. “People go to these old halls and try to figure it out. Acousticians study them: What makes it so perfect? Why are there no bad seats? Is it the material? The shape? And certain things are known, but they have derived principles from studying these old halls.”
Though the Paine Hall renovations may have been a chance to update the acoustics of the space using modern science, the department, aware of this history, chose not to. “When you start fiddling with acoustics, there’s always the danger of making them worse,” says Shreffler. The science is frustratingly imprecise.
Thus, results of incorporating such science into the process of designing concert halls have been mixed at best. “In the 20th century, it became much more complex,” says Cortese. “From just a matter of tradition, it became a matter of intellectual knowledge to create the right reverberations with buildings that were more sophisticated but not necessarily following the old rules for the orchestra.” Though some concert halls built with the help of science in the late 20th century have been immensely successful—like the Berliner Philharmonie, constructed in the ’60s—there is still much to be learned from the existing tradition of acoustics.
MATCHMAKING
Concert hall architects must also contend with the fact that different types of classical music are best heard in different acoustic circumstances. Earlier classical music generally demands crisp sounds, which means that a hall with a lot of reverberation would not be a good place for such a performance. “[Boston’s] Symphony Hall has beautiful acoustics,” says Lidiya Yankovskaya, a professional conductor. “I think the acoustics are reflective of when it was built. It is most suited to Beethoven or early Romantic music. But I did Bach’s St. John Passion last year, and I was singing in the chorus. We were working so hard to make all the articulations super clear. But one rehearsal I sat out and listened, and it had turned into mush because the space is so lush.”
Yankovskaya is also the current musical director of the Lowell House Opera. The production must annually overcome the challenges of performing in a dining hall. Ironically, though this space was built with no intention of being used as an opera hall, it is markedly successful. “The acoustics work,” Yankovskaya says. “For the stage, we build a large set of platforms so that it is not a dining hall anymore by the time that everyone is done with it.”
As Lowell House Opera has to work with its traditional venue despite its potential flaws, other musicians and artistic programmers around Cambridge and Boston must strike a balance between acoustics and logistical factors when choosing a performance space. The Celebrity Series of Boston books around 40 performances per season. The selection of venue depends on practical concerns like expected audience size and availability of the space, but the organization must also accommodate the needs of the artists. “It’s sort of a chess game of trying to find the right thing for the artist and the hall,” says Stephanie Janes, the publicity and communications manager of the series.While New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall is widely regarded as the best hall in Boston for chamber music, pianist Lang Lang was presented in Symphony Hall because the demand for tickets was so high. The Emerson String Quartet, though, will be performing in Jordan Hall on April 27. “The Emerson String Quartet has performed in Jordan Hall before, and they really like the acoustics there,” Janes says.
REMASTERED SOUND
Part of what makes acoustics so important to musicians and enthusiasts is that it affects the caliber of the performance itself. “We had to play for hundreds of reasons in bad venues, and the musicians did not enjoy that,” says Cortese. “Everyone is happier when people can hear each other. It affects the mood, because you don’t have to work as hard.” Not only do good acoustics contribute to how well an orchestra can play together, but it also ensures that the musicians feel more confident—which makes for a better classical music experience.
The perfect concert space can also recreate the sound that the composer intended. According to Cortese, Verdi’s operas are best heard in 18th-century theater in Italy, since those are the halls that Verdi wrote for. “Every time you do an opera in the United States, the proportions [between sections] are off. As soon as you perform in an old theater, you have it right away.” The right acoustics brings musicians and listeners closer to the old masters’ visions.
—Staff writer Susie Y. Kim can be reached at yedenkim@fas.harvard.edu.