Acoustics and musical qualities

This study examines the known acoustical attributes of concert halls and depicts the ways in which they interrelate with the music performed in them. The first section distinguishes between direct sound, early sound, and reverberant sound. The second section concerns how musical factors and acoustical attributes affect vertical and horizontal definition of the music. Figures illustrate the ways that the sounds of fast and slow music are altered by different acoustical conditions. The final section discusses the important acoustical attributes, intimacy, spaciousness, timbre, and tone color.