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Convention Paper

Concert Hall Acoustics’ Influence on the Tempo of Musical Performances

Authors: Berg, Jan

AES Convention 147 · Paper 10240 · October 2019

Abstract

The acoustics of a concert hall is an integral and significant part of a musical performance as it affects the artistic decisions made by performer. Still, there are few systematic studies on the phenomenon. In this paper the effect of concert hall acoustics, mainly reverberation, on musical tempo for a selection of different genres and ensemble types is analyzed quantitatively. The study utilizes audio recordings made in a concert hall equipped with a movable ceiling enabling a variable volume and thus a variable reverberation time. The results show that there are cases where the tempo follows a change in acoustics as well as cases where it remains more or less unchanged.

Details

Published in
AES Convention 147
AES Convention
147
Paper number
10240
Publication date
October 6, 2019
Session subject
Room Acoustics
Affiliation
Luleå University of Technology, Piteå, Sweden (See document for exact affiliation information.)
Type
Convention Paper