Concert acoustics: The performers' perspective

Following each performance during the San Francisco Symphony's recent tours of Europe, Asia, and North America, musicians completed questionnaires evaluating the stage acoutics of the hall in which they had just performed. The questionnaire's format was developed with the input of the Symphony and in deference to an earlier study by A. C. Gade [A. C. Gade, “Musicians' Ideas About Room Acoustical Qualities,” Rep. No. 31, Acoustics Lab., Techn. Univ. of Denmark (1982)]. Subjective parameters included the ability to hear each section of the orchestra (including one's own), the ease of ensemble, the ease of tone production, adequacy of dynamic range, loudness, and the support and responsiveness of the room. These data were compared with echograms recorded at five locations, i.e., 25 communication paths, on each stage. Interpretations of these data have been compared with the published results of research with laboratory‐simulated stage acoustics and are presented in this series of papers addressing loudness, communication, and support and responsiveness.