[CAUT] Flooring for a concert hall

[Alan McCoy]

Speaking of this topic. A friend just recommended this book, which I haven't
read yet, but which sounds like a fascinating read:

Buildings for Music
The Architect, the Musician, and the Listener from the 17th Century to the
Present Day
Michael Forsyth

Alan


-- Alan McCoy, RPT
Eastern Washington University
amccoy at mail.ewu.edu
509-359-4627
509-999-9512


> From: Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu>
> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" <caut at ptg.org>
> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:44:17 -0700
> To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" <caut at ptg.org>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Flooring for a concert hall
> 
> Thanks Richard! This is very informative.
> Jim
> 
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Richard
> Adkins
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1:02 PM
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Flooring for a concert hall
> 
> You might like to listen to the NPR radio show on redoing Boston Symphony
> Hall's floor...trying to
> avoid the mistakes done to Carnegie Hall....
> 
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6161878
> 
> or
> 
> read
> 
> http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2006/08/06/after_105_years_bso_to_ente
> r_a_new_stage/
> 
>>>>>>>>>>>> 
> 
> Our large hall has a pine stage. The sound is warm with good bass. The concert
> grands always
> sound great in there. The small hall has a maple stage w/concrete below that.
> It is "bass shy",
> rather harsh sounding, perhaps due to the linoleum tiles under the audience
> seats. While
> the pianos sound OK in there, they don't sound wonderful.
> 
> If your hall is one of the "Modern" halls, that sounds like a Lincoln Center
> hall, or various University
> Halls built in the 60s and 70s...it is probably a bit bass shy....(unless it
> is boomey)....I've not run
> across a hall from that period that had a "warm" sound.
> 
> If you want that warm supportive sound with good bass, then...perhaps  take a
> clue from the Vienna Philharmonic and go with the softer stage. Except the
> maple stage will probably hold up better.
> I believe in the first redo at Carnegie, they put in a Mahoganey floor
> (besides concrete)....
> 
> According to Horowitz, the hall was "ruined" and that's a quote. For his
> concert there...must have
> been in 86, he had to place his piano towards the rear of the stage. Could
> anything be more depressing
> to someone who'd played there so frequently and knew the sound?
> 
> One other point to consider is staining the stage. In a world, DON'T. Anytime
> someone gouges it,
> or puts down gaff tape, then rips it off....you get a nice bare wood mark, in
> sharp contrast to
> the stained wood. They made that mistake here. Now they have to restain the
> stage from time to
> time at added cost. I don't know what possessed them!
> 
> I cannot imagine that the so called dance floor covering will do anything to
> enhance the sound. It
> may even make it sound harsher.
> 
> Well, these are my views and observations of several halls I visited of that
> vintage. Perhaps newer
> halls are better. Perhaps Maple floors are OK as long as there is no concrete
> beneath them?
> 
> You need a fine acoustician perhaps to advised you.
> 
> Above all, do no harm!
> 
> Good Luck with it.
> Cheers,
> Richard