Acoustics and the Performance of Music
Manual for Acousticians, Audio Engineers, Musicians, Architects and Musical Instrument Makers

This classic reference on musical acoustics and performance practice begins with a brief introduction to the fundamentals of acoustics and the generation of musical sounds. It then discusses the particulars of the sounds made by all the standard instruments in a modern orchestra as well as the human voice, the way in which the sounds made by these instruments are dispersed and how the room into which they are projected affects the sounds.

Acoustics and the Performance of Music connects scientific understandings of acoustics with practical applications to musical performance. Of central importance are the tonal characteristics of musical instruments and the singing voice including detailed representations of directional characteristics. Furthermore, room acoustical concerns related to concert halls and opera houses are considered. Based on this, suggestions are made for musical performance. Included are seating arrangements within the orchestra and adaptations of performance techniques to the performance environment. In the presentation we dispense with complicated mathematical connections and deliberately aim for conceptual explanations accessible to musicians, particularly for conductors. The graphical representations of the directional dependence of sound radiation by musical instruments and the singing voice are unique. Since the first edition was published in 1978, this book has been completely revised and rewritten to include current research. This translation corresponds to the latest (fifth) German edition (2004), which has become a standard reference work for audio engineers and scientists.

Acoustics and the Performance of Music addresses issues that are of interest to acousticians, orchestra performers and conductors, audio engineers, architects. Researchers and students of musical acoustics will also find this text valuable.

Introduction to Acoustics.- Structure of Musical Sounds.- Tonal Characteristics of Musical Instruments.- Directional Characteristics of Musical Instruments.- Foundations of Room Acoustics.- Acoustic Characteristics of Old and New Performance Spaces.- Seating Arrangement in the Concert Hall.- Acoustical Viewpoints for Number of Performers and Performance Technique.- Acoustic Problems in the Opera House.- Color Plates.- Appendix.- References.- Name- and Composition Index.- Topical Index.

Honors: Helmholtz-Medal of the German Acoustical Society (DEGA) 2004
Medal of Honor of Verband Deutscher Tonmeister (VDT) 2004
Fellow of the ASA