Bach`s Music and Church Acoustics

Bach's Music and Church Acoustics
Author(s): Hope Bagenal
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Music & Letters, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr., 1930), pp. 146-155
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/726344 .
Accessed: 02/01/2013 07:23
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
.
Oxford University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Music
&Letters.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
IN Germany ' architecture' in the sense of Raumkunst, or the art
ofenclosedspaces, is closelylinkedwithmusic. Behind the eighteenth
cenituryconcertroom traditionbeginningabout 1743(l) there lies the
music tlhathad as its home the Lutheran church with its peculiar
acoustics.
At the Reformationchanges affectingchurchacoustiesweremade in
two kinds. First, German as a language took its place beside Latin
in the officeof the church,and secondly,side galleries were added to
the churches in addition to the west galleries already existing, so
that congregatiolns
were increased in proportionto air volume and
thereforereverberationwas correspondinglyshortened.(2) Medieval
Latin, as a language forsong, providesa beautifulseries of tones for
a Gothicchurchwitha long reverberation;it has massive open vowels
with the most delicate consonantdivisions; it is homogeneousin its
and strength. Considerin the B minorMass the soprano
refinement
word unigenite and then the shout of Sanctus by the whole choir.
German, on the other hand, while retaining a grand series of open
vowels has in addition a great number of contrastingconsouants.
Compare in the old carol the words Puer natus in Bethlehemtwith
Ein kind geborn zu Bethlehem. The latter as a tone sequence is
more vivid and more punctuated. All that seems harsh to English
ears in the spoken German falls into focus in song or oratory; the
language seems to have golden vowels and steel consonants. This is
not fanciful. There is a particularsound quality that can be defined
as ' carryingpower.' It has not to do with intensityor amplitude,
but arises from the fact that a particular range of pitch is more
andible to the human ear than the rest of the scale. Now sounds
having pitch componentswithinthat range can be heard betterthan
puirersounds withouitsiueh pitch components. It is this fact that
causes the well-knowncarryingpower of syren noises and explains
whlya staccato passage on a h-ornor reed inistrument
can be heard
(1) A society for secular concerts was fouindecdin Leipzig in that year.
(2) Reverberation-the
time taken for a sound to die away in any room
after the source has ceased-can be measured in seconds. It varies inversely
as the absorbing power and directlv as the air volume.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
~
0 u
CL
10
~
(24
u
6
m~
~
~ ~
0
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C
~
~~~~0(/
-lz~~~~~~~
0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
LEI PZIG
THOMA3KJIKCHE
.
,FT.
MERS
0
24
02
2
_
r
I
-
FE?ET
5
0o, 1
o
A
5
to
l
l
5
10
20
_
_
a~~~~~~~~~I
I I.___.X
S EC T IO N
C R CD 5 5
METR-ES
7 MH
30)
20
15
40
SQ
60
2.
10
80
I929.
Fig 2.
Leipzig. ThomaskircheCrossSection showingWest Galleryas existing.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~......
77|
i
W0riE
Fi3
g~~
Lepig
00~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~20
|l
Vie
of th
Thmskrh
fo th Not West.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
beforethe
Fig. 4. Leipzig. Interiorview of the Thornaskirche
alterationsin 1877. (Afteran engravingin the Stadtmuseum.)
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
147
moreclearlyin a cathedralthanthe same passageon strings. It is
quite possibleto imparta reed tone to the voice,as in the case of
the Vaticanchoir,and such a tone increasesthe audibilityof the
The effectof
directsound besidescausinga less reverberation.(3)
the Germanz and sch soundsis something
similar;notonlydo they
voweltones
carrythe sense in a largebuildingbut theyalso modify
and influence
whatByrdcalls ' thelifeofthewords.' Thustheyhave
considerableinstrumental
value and must have contributed
to the
development
of oratorioand cantatain the church.
But Latin was not supersededin the Lutheranchurchservices.
Luther,unlikeKnox and Cranmer,was a musician,and preserved
much of the Holy Officein Latin, namely,Kyrieand Gloria,the
Credo,the Horae and Magnificat.'Latin ' and ' Music' werethe
twoimportant
subjectstaughtin theschools. Latinwas thelanguage
of mannersand of publicaddress,and the monumental
Latinityof
theGermaneducatedclassescan be seen, wellon intothe eighteenth
and
century,in Bach's own letters. This meantthat congregation
in churchto bothsetsofvoweltones-the
musicianswereaccustomed
Germanand theLatin-and also thatchoralworkswerecomposedin
both. Bach wrotecomparatively
littleto Latin wordsas compared
to German,but thatlittlecontainsthe B minorMass in whichthe
greatLatin choraltradition
of the MiddleAges seemsto culminate.
In Bach's workand in St. Thomas'Churchthe Latin Mass and the
Germancantataexistedfora whileside by side. But the dramatic
valueofGermanand also thewholedevelopment
oforchestral
instrumentstendedto reinforce
the cantata and oratorio. Orchestral
instruments
had invadedthe Germanchurchprobablywiththe early
Gospelor new stylemotetmusic,but owingto acousticcauses they
wereable to remainthereand taketheirplacein a rapidco-operative
thatculminated
in the westgalleryof the Thomaskirche
development
underBach. The orchestral
introduction
to thecantatawas probably
theearliestpurelyorchestral
composition.(4) But in thechorusesand
hymnsthe instruments
were not mere accompaniments
to voices:
theyweretruepartsand had to be hearddistinctly.The character
of Bach's compositions
as worksofart lies in a close thematicintercoursebetweenvoicesand instruments.In his doublechoruseswith
instrumental
accompaniment
each voice has a melody,each chorus
is completein itself,the instrumental
parts togetherforma unit
and thewholeis a grandharmony.
(3) A less reverberationis caused because high pitch-components
are relativelymoreabsorbedby ordinarywall surfacesthan are low pitch-components;
this is shownby the Sabine curves.
(4) Bitter. Life of Bach. Abridged translation by J. Kaye Shuttleworth
(1873). p. 45.
Vol.XI.
D
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
148
MUSIC AND LETTERS
weredevelopingtechnically
and werethe object
Also instruments
makers
of attention.Mastermusicianswereoftenskilledinstrument
and builders. As an instanceofthisI can onlymentionhereBach's
in organbuildingand organspecification,
ownpracticalcraftsmanship
and his designing
of newinstruments
such as his viola pomposaand
ofthisis thatinstrument
luteclavicembalo.The significance
makers,
some
of room
especiallyorganbuilders,inevitably
acquire
knowledge
in thisrespect. On a
acoustics,and Bach himselfhad a reputation
visitto the BerlinOperaHouse in 1747 he is said to have remarked
its effects.
uponthewhispering
galleryofthesalon and foretold
That Bach was sensitiveto acousticsis also suggestedby Dr.
SanfordTerryas a reasonforhis strongpreference
forthe Thomasto theNicolaikirche.(5)
musicin each
kircheas compared
He conducted
on alternateSundaysovera periodof twenty-seven
yearsand wrote
roughlya new cantataeverymonth. Bach ' composedat least 265
'(6)
More
Cantatasduringthe twenty-seven
yearsof his Cantorship.
significant
still,Dr. Terryis of opinionthatmostof,perhapsall of,
his largeworkswerecomposedforproduction
at St. Thomas'. The
reactionofthechurchas an instrument
uponthecomposer
is obvious
and moreespeciallyso whenwe remember
thattheworksforthemost
part were performed
as soon as written.
was St. Thomas'?
Whatkindofbuildingtherefore
The charchhas considerable
character. It is as largeas a small
cathedral. The plan and sectionare givenin figs.1 and 2, and views
in figs.3 and4. The acousticanalysisis givenat theendofthearticle.
The churchis a late Gothic,threeaisled building,of Augustinian
withlevel vaults,no transepts,and a narrowaltar piece
foundation
or -chancelset not in the same straightline as the nave. It was
dedicatedin 1496 and in 1539was takenoverby the Reformers,
who
removedchoirscreenand side altarsand madeofit a parishchurch
underthe LeipzigMunicipality.Engravingsof the middlesixteenth
muchas it is to-dayand the shell of the
centuryshowit externally
church,withthemajorinterior
dimensions,
has remainedunchanged,
givingan air volumeof some640,000cubicfeet. The vaultingunder
the galleriessuggeststhatthe churchwas originally
plannedwitha
westgallerywhichwas prolonged
one bay downeach aisle.(7) This
is likely,since a west galleryin Germanchurchesgoes back into
medieval times and may have developednaturallyout of the
(5) The latter was a smaller building with a cramped organ gallery on the
south aisle, and from an executant point of view, though not necessarily
from a hearer's point of view, would certainly have been less satisfactory.
(6) Terry. e. S. Bach: a Biography. p. 177.
(7) See Gurlitt, C.
Ba?, und Kunstdenkmalerdes Konigreichs Sachsen,
Leipzig. Vol. I, p. 45.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
149
Romanesquetribunegallerieswhichare occasionallyfoundat the
west end. The existinggalleryfronts,however,bothon the west
and all along the sides, are of an earlyRenaissance'designin red
sandstonedatingfromtheendofthesixteenth
century.In 1707there
werefurther
alterationsand yet moregallerieswere builttogether
withsmallboxesand numerousstaircases. A drawingin the church
archivesshows at the westend twotiersof galleries-theupperone
holdingthe choirand organ,the lowerused evidentlyas a kindof
loge. Abovethe existingside galleriesthe same drawingshowsan
usedforprivateboxes. An interior
uppertier. Thistierwas probably
viewin theStadtmuseum
(fig.4) showsthenumerous
privateboxesor
furnishedand
'swallows' nests.' These boxes were comfortably
withinthemon highfestivals
important
Hofrathsand Biirgermeisters
-connoisseursin Passion music-reclinedat theirease behindcurtainsthatcouldbe slightlydrawnso as just not to hide the crowds
below.(8)
From these ' nests ' also various members of the school
councilkepta criticaleye on the boys of the Thomaschulein the
galleryand on old Bach risingfromthe clavierforthe choruseswith
a tightroll of musicforbaton. The encroachment
of galleriesand
boxesin thiswaywas due to the Lutheransystemof churchgovernmentwhichplacedthe churchunderthe towncouncil. But it also
ofthechurchas a building,
and
showedtheimportance
and popularity
thatit createdthe acousticconditions
we mustremember
thatmade
ofcantataand Passion.
possibletheseventeenth
century
development
The buildingbecame,in fact,a kindof religiousoperahouse. In
Bach's timethegalleryat theeast endofthenaveheldan extraorgan.
The ' swallows'nests' anduppertierofsideboxesweresweptawayin
of west galleryand
1877, at whichtime the presentarrangement
organwas made. But the seatingin Bach's timewouldhave been
less dense,anidreverberation
wouldhave beenonlyslightlyless with
a fullcongregation
than at present. The reverberation
figurefora
of 1,800 underpresentconditions
festivalcongregation
worksout at
2- seconds. Thisfigurerepresents
acoustically
a compromise
between
cathedraland concertroomconditions. An EnglishGothicchurch
of this size wouldhave some four or five seconds reverberation,
whereasa concerthall seating1,800 wouldprobablyhave not more
than 1-1seconds. At St. Thomas' also the sourceof soundis well
placed. The positionof the choirand orchestrain the westgallery
enablesthemto makeuse ofthelevelvauiltas a reflector,
and toneis,
in fact,directeddownon the congregation
withoutnoticeableecho
paths. In Bach's timethe choirwereslightly
higher. A thirdpoint
is thelargeamountofresonantwoodarea present,as muchas 15,200
(8) Good examples of these boxKesstill surviving can he seen in the towp
church at Weimar.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
150
MUSIC AND LETTERS
squarefeet. Fourthly,the churchhas no ' note' or fixedtonality.
The noteofa largechurch-generally
trebleA-gives a preference
to
worksin the key of A and makes unaccompanied
singingin any
other key more difficult. The ' recitingnote ' or ' Collect note ' in
any largechurchis generallytrebleA or A flatforthe same reason,
and thisfacthas profoundly
influenced
medievalmusic. But in the
Thomaskirche
there seems to be no special regionof' response,'
probably
due to theunicellular
nave,theabsenceoftransepts,
and to
the comparatively
shortreverberation.And we findthat Bach was
notrestricted,
butwrotehis worksin all kindsofkeys. Alsohe was
able, owingto the moderatereverberation
of the Lutheranchurchor
chapel,to writefuguesforthe organwithrapidbass parts. Many
of the fugues,owingto theirtempo, are lost in cathedrals,the bass
partsbecomingnothingbut a confused
roaring. If Bach had had to
play in King's CollegeChapel,Cambridge,
insteadof in a Lutheran
building,he wouldnot have composedfugueswithsuch parts. But
thoughexact phrasingis possiblein St. Thomas', the full singing
tone of voices is not sacrificed.On any Friday or Saturdaythe
visitormay hear the boys of the Thomasschule
singingmotetsand
Latin psalmsbyPalestrinaand Vittoria.
HavingnotedthesethingsI attendedthe bicentenary
performance
of the ' St. Matthew' Passion music with interest. The ordinary
festivalarrangements
of the churchwerefollowed.The chancelwas
filledwithseats facingwest. Carpetswerelaid on gangways. The
totalcongregation
was about 1,800. The gallerycontaineda choir
of 150 and orchestra
of 60-far in excessof the forcesemployedby
Bach. The continuo was taken on the organ and the recitative
accompaniments
on a largeharpsichord.The performance
underDr.
Straubewas a revelationof tone fulland powerful,
but highlydis-.
ciplined.The soloistshad notto strain. The orchestra,
thoughlarge,
was groupedand trainedforits parts,and the parts ' were heard
like silkenthreads'; the toneof stringsspeciallybenefited
fromthe
largewoodarea. Stringsandvoiceswerecomplementary
and thusthe
truearchitectonic
designof the musicwas instantly
perceived. Also
therewas no dragging.The newGermanchurchtempo,the fruitof
an intelligent
was obviousand one recalledthosewords
scholarship,
in the Bach necrology' he was veryaccurate,and extremely
sure
in the tempo whichhe generallytookverybriskly.'(9)By the congregationseated in the nave facingeast the choirwas not seen;
the high piers and fineproportions
of the churchalone presented
themselves,
and at timesmusicand architecture
combinedto reveal
the geniusofpurestructure.
(9) As quoted by Schweitzerin J. S. Bach. Vol. I, p. 210.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
151
St. Thomasis in facta homeforthemusic,and thisis soonrealised
whenwe tryin England to finda suitableauditoryeitherforthe
B minor Mass or the ' Matthew' Passion music. The concert hall
performance
withitsHandeliantechniquehas obviousdisadvantagesthe massedinstruments
have firstto make themselves
heardagainst
the chorusand the chorusmustshout againstits own absorption.
Yet a small choir and small orchestrain a crowdedconcert
hall will not give the body of tone required. On the other
hand,in a cathedral
navehavinga longreverberation
althoughchoral
toneis enhanced,stringsat ordinary
tempoare onlyarticulatein the
upper registers,'cellos and double basses are almost inaudible,
staccatopassagesrun together,
brass is generallyfar too loud, and
male soloistssound harsh. That this is not more recognisedby
musiciansis due to the factthatconductors
situatednear theirsound
sourceget enoughdirectsoundto steerby. But it is far otherwise
to listenersin the body of the church. Thus, at the Canterbury
festivalin August,1929,a velariumhungoverthe orchestra
reduced
reverberation
locallyto a pointsuitablefora microphone
pick-up,but
theObserver
critic(Mr. A. H. Fox Strangways)
reported
as follows
Reverberationblurredall orchestraleffects . . . the difficulty
arose with any sort of filigree. Elgar's " Enigma Variations" and
Bach's tripartile
stringsin thethirdBrandenburg
weremostlychaos.'
a real problemin acoustics
The Bach CantataClub had therefore
when they had to choose an auditoriumand in St. Margaret's,
Westminster,
whetherby accidentor design,theyfoundthe satiswhich
factory
compromise
betweenchurchand concerthall conditions
we have alreadyreferred
to.
St. Margaret's,a perpendicular
churchwith wood ceilingsand
without
transepts,
has had an acoustichistory
eventful
as St. Thomas'.
It, too,was re-formed
not longafterit was completed
and its painted
screenand altarsweretorndown. Its wallshave heardLatin Mass,
AnglicanLiturgyand Independent
sermon. As chapelextraordinary
it was a goodpreaching
to theHouse ofCommons
placeand thescene
ofDr. Usher'ssermons. It receivedfromWrenin 1681 an enormous
an apse at
centrally
placedpulpitand galleries.(10?)It had originally
theeast end. In theeighteenth
century
organand choirwereplaced
in a westerngallery,butin the nineteenth
centuryall gallerieswere
sweptawayand thechurchwas restoredby Gothicscholarsnearlyto
itsmedievalform.
a marked' note,'has a verylargewoodarea and with
It is without
a fullcongregation
of just undertwo
of 1,000 givesa reverberation
seconds. The analysis in table formis given on p. 155. Both
(10)Westlake'sSt. Margaret's, Westmin,ster. p-.68.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
152
MUSIC AND LETTERS
St. Margaret'sand St. Thomas'have woodfloorsto thepewswithair
spacebeneathgivinghighlyresonantareas.
The success of the churchwas clearly shown at the English
of the ' St. Matthew' Passion performed
bicentenary
performance
by the Club on November27th, 1929, underMr. KennedyScott.
Comparing
the twoperformances--the
Englishand the German-in
retrospect,each so scholarly,one is consciousnot only of two
of the structure
techniquesbut also of twointerpretations
of Bach's
music,oftwolanguageswiththeirunderlying
vowelscales each with
a different
and modifying
emotionalcontent,
both,twochurchforms,
each with its roots in a rich but distinctmedievalculture. The
CantataClubhad limitedits forcesto littlemorethanthoseoriginally
used by Bach. Mr. KennedyScottemployedaboutthirty-five
voices
and twenty-seven
instruments,
includinga harpsichord,
and had this
couldmakethemselves
advantagethatthe instruments
heardwithout
any effort
againstthe voices;each instrument
had to be as a soloist
and the delicacyand incorporation
oftheperformers
in the dexterous
counterpoint
wasobvious. Alsothechoirundertheacousticconditions
of St. Margaret's had the ' fullness' though not the ' strength' of
toneofthelargerGermanchoir,and thiswas helpednotonlyby the
rightreverberation
but by the longersound path to the roofand
downagain, whichis givenby a floorpositionof the choir. The
beautifulcantabiletonebothof soloistsand choruswas achievedby
makinguse of the churchas an instrument.Thus the choralesat
St. Margaret's,unaccompanied,
and sungwithcontemplation,
had a
beautyof escape,and wereunlikethe Germanchoraleswhichcame
likegreatorganicbeatsin the structure
of the drama. On theother
hand,at St. Thomas'theGermanchoirpositionon a western
gallery,
withits tone deliveryfromthe vault,gave an advantagein attack.
There was nothingin St. Margaret'sso shattering
as the German
renderingof ' Loose Him! Leave Him! Bind Him not! ' and of the
musicthatfollowswithits orderedinstrumental
conflict
and shouting
ofgargoyles
as thougha Gothicroofhad comealive. Andthisintense
Germanqualitywas madepossiblebythelanguage. Bach is supreme
in his use bothof the vowelscale underlying
the musicand of the
Germanconsonants.Justas Miltonin Englishversecan
penetrating
takea wordand summonintoit a wholeworldof experience,
so can
Bach whenhe breathesthe wordbeteor singsSchmerzen. Without
thisfirstmusicof the languagethe Englishversionwas cold and by
comparisoncolourless. But this was inevitable. And this very
elimination
lefta marvellously
clearmusicalprofile-auniversality
of
artisticeffect. Thus in moreways than one the Englishwas the
rendering
ofthesanctuary
withitsfewconsecrated
voices,theGerman
the rendering
ofthe nave withits breathas ofthe people. We have
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
153
seen indeedthatthe massesby invadingthe Germanchurchcreated
the toneconditions
underwhichsuch musicwas made possible,and
in Germany
thepeople,whether
silentorquietlyfollowing
thechorales,
seema partofthe performance,
whilethe musicis knownintimately
to a verygreatnumber. At St. Margaret'swe werelistenersonly,
in a churchrestored
to itsmedievalforms,and attentive
to oursingers
whoweremakinguse oftheoriginalacousticconditions
muchas they
had beenmadeuse ofin medievaltimes. In bothit was madeevident
thatin such suprememusicalworkspersonalChristianity
is likelyto
be preserved
moresafelyagainstattackthanformerly
behindthewalls
ofmonastic
fortresses.
HoPE BAGENAL.
Reprinted throughthe courtesyof the editor of the Journal of the Royal
Irnstituteof British Architects.
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
MUSIC AND LETTERS
154
LEIPZIG
THOMASKIRCHE
TABLE
REVERBERATION
Volume 640,000 cu. ft. Seating, 1,800 (Congregation). Cube per seat, 355 cu. ft.
Absorbent.
________
________
Are oer
Remarks.
________
Sq. ft.
_______
C
0 025
Plaster on rubble, Lime plaster dis- 38,000
stone walls and
tempered
brick vaults
4,000
S t o n e g a e r y Red sandstone,
porous
piers __slightly
frontsand _____
_____
_________
__
_________
Marble floor to
Sanctuary
to
Window glass in Responds
lead and iron middle pitch
frames
Wood panelling in Oak. Responds
a i sl e s
and
to low middle
1,500
UNo.oAdjument
nits Ad u t e .
efficient,
| N
Not.o
950 (Adjustments
madein the
950
120 Add 10% for
breaksand
132
separateItems]
0 03
_______mouldings
.
15
15
0 01
3,400
0-027
3,000
0-1
1,900
0<1
190
Wood floors to Airspace 1 ft.under 5,100
deal boards.High
pew areas
middle
pitch.Very
01
510 Less 10% for 459
shading
Wood floors to Responds to high
middle pitch
galleries
Lino.on remainder No undermat
gangways
Carpeting, nave Exposed
and Sanctuary No undermat
Wood pew ends Oak varnished
and
exposed
desks
in Heavy tapestry
Curtains
Sanctuary
in Thick wool
Curtains
galleries a n d
over nave door
Brocade p a n e 1s
and canvases in
Sanctuary
chamber Wood and pipes
Organ
and opening
Pew seats in nave Largedeal tip-upsIn
pews.
and
galleries nave.Gallery
Cane chairs. No
plufew
fe chairs
chirs
5,200
01
4,000
0 04
520 Less 10% for 468
shading
160
160
520
0o15
78
78
2,000
0-06
120
120
0,2
78
78
0 15
150 t
150
pitch
Sanctuary
.
.
W o o d panelling Oak. Responds
in galleries
to high middle
1,147
918 Add 25%
for transmission
300
300
._
..
190
pitch
resonant
plus
_
390
1,000
840
01
84
84
550
0-08
44
44
484
484
1,613 Average
0 3 per
cushions
seating
ABSORPTION
TOTAL PERMANENT
Full congregatlon On pews and
7,920
1,800 4*7 less
0'3~4'4
seats as above
per
_______
______
___
___
______
______person
One-third congre- On pews and
seats as above
gation
____________________
Choir & orchestralNeglect seats
t_
-
_ _ _
_
_
600 4*7 less
2,640
0p3e4r4
per
~~~person
987 I
210
4-7
(Full congregation (1,800) ..
One third congregation (600)
Rehearsal (210) .5.8
Empty.
.t
25 seconds.
4.3
66
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
4,859
7,920
..
..
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
2,640
987
BACH'S MUSIC AND CHURCH ACOUSTICS
ST.
MARGARET'S,
REVERBERATION
Volume 257,000 cu. ft.
155
WESTMINSTER
TABLE
Average seating, 1,000.
Cube per seat, 257 cu. ft.
Net
Areaor
CoNo. of
Remarks.
Number
Absorbent.
Adjustment| No. of
Units.
efficient.
ft.
Sq.
Ano.o
0 03
327 Plus 5%.for
Masonry. Rag- Friable and
10,900
343
sto ne
n o t slightly porous
sfouumen
plastered
etc.
Stone an d tile
flooring
in l e a d Responds
to
Glass
panes
middle tones
2,600
0-02
4,000
0-027
to
Glass panes
in Responds
choir screens
middle a n d
_
middle high
112
0-027
Wood ceilings
_
0-06
7,250
300
to
Woodpanelling in Responds
0-1
chancel
middle tones
Wood pew floor- Responds to low
0-06
4,620
middle tones
ing
Elm pews. Back Responds
0-06
to
5,250
and end panels
middle tones
sq. ft.
02
Elm pew seatings With a number
1,000
of seat mats
seats per seat
05
Hassocks
10 x 15 x 5 in.
No.
1,000 each
Organ case
Wood and pipes
504
0-08
Curtains. Flags.
250 Average
Altar carpet
0-12
l
TOTAL PERMANENT
Choir
30
1
Congregation full Coeff.4 7-0-2
1,000
Congregation,one- Coeff.4 7-0-2
third
=4-51
330
52
52
108 Add 25%
for transmission
3
135
435
30
435
30
277 Less 10% for
shading
315
250
200
200
i00 Less 10% for
shading
50
30
t.
-
315
450
50
30
ABSORPTION
47
141
4-5
4,500
2,293
141
4,500
45
1,500
1,500
.
Congregation, full
.
ongregation, one-thir'd
" Rehearsal
..
' Empty.
'
Reverberation
3
v
=
-
19
3-3
53
5-6
- x 0 05. t is the period of reverberation after the sound source has ceased,
A
measured in seconds; V is the air volume of the hall included within its bounding
surfaces in cu. ft.; A is the total number of units of absorption provided by all the
surfaces and objects in the buildings as set out in detail in the tables; the figure
0.06 is the Sabine constant for buildings measured in foot units.
t
This content downloaded on Wed, 2 Jan 2013 07:23:58 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions