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Acoustics and Space The word "acoustics" comes from the Greek word, "akouein," meaning "to hear." "Acoustics" means the science of sound, but it's generally used to refer to architectural acoustics: the science of constructing enclosed spaces that improve the hearing of speech or music. Acoustics has been an important influence on music. Many composers have had in mind, consciously or subconsciously, the acoustics of the space in which their music would be played.For example, Perotin , in the 12th century, composed hymns for the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. In the 17th century, the Italian composer Giovanni Gabrieli composed choral and instrumental music to be played in St. Mark’s in Venice. Johann Sebastian Bach composed for a particular church, Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Composers such as Haydn and Mozart composed music for patrons and their guests. They played music in highly furnished rooms in their patron’s palaces. Chamber music such as theirs loses its clarity when played in a reverberant space. In 1827 Berlioz complained about concerts he heard at the Paris Opera. The symphonies of Haydn and Mozart when played by an inadequate orchestra in a hall far too large and acoustically unsuitable might as well have been played on a plain. They sounded small, frigid and incoherent." Wagner was an example of a composer who became a successful acoustic expert when he assisted in the design of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre in 1876. One of the older halls with an excellent reputation for its acoustics is the Musikverein in Vienna. Brahms composed in Vienna and was influenced by the acoustics of this hall. Check that you understand what these words mean in this document Consciously: with awareness and full knowledge of something. Patron: a person who supports an activity, especially by giving money; could be a synonym of “sponsor”. Inadequate: not good enough. Frigid: cold. Incoherent: without logical or meaningful connection of the parts. For further information visit: The physics of sound