Acoustics and the Performance of Music - (Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing) 5th Edition by Jürgen Meyer (Paperback)

About the Book

This reference fully explores the particulars of the sounds made by all standard instruments in a modern orchestra as well as the human voice. It discusses how acoustics vary in different rooms and offers recommendations for adjustment.

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

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.

Review Quotes

From the reviews of the fifth edition:

"The present book is a translation of the fifth German edition published in 2004. The translator, Uwe Hansen, deserves praise for the quality of his writing in the English language. ... Given the material in this text, orchestral musicians and conductors can ... appreciate how to use any given acoustical space most advantageously and acousticians and architects can optimize the spaces in which musical groups perform. ... The book will certainly benefit all those involved with musical performance." (Leo Beranek, International Journal of Acoustics and Vibration, Vol. 14 (2), 2009)

"The abundance of easy to understand graphic illustrations help the reader go through the relatively complex subjects. The writing is easy to read ... . The quality and quantity of illustrations (some of them color plates) are exceptional. ... A well written subject index helps find subjects of interest to the reader. There is also a composer-composition index at the end of the book. In summary, this is a highly recommended valuable book for professionals as well as for students interested in musical performance." (Alberto Behar, Noise Control Engineering Journal, Vol. 58 (5), September-October, 2010)

About the Author

Honors:

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