Concert Hall Acoustics for Orchestra Performance

On 20 March 2010, Angklung Group from SMAN 3 Bandung or often called KPA3 held the Eighth Angklung Orchestra Concert. This concert is titled Tapestry of Beauty – Presenting Maestros from All Around the World. In accordance with the theme, this concert presents songs – beautiful songs composed by the world’s greatest composers and composers from Indonesia. KPA3 expect this concert can be one of the prime appearances to show the results of their innovation for over 30 years.

Their purpose is to hold a concert in the Aula Simfonia Jakarta so that the audience can enjoy the original sound without the help of electronic amplifying the angklung such as microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers. Because so far, they are not too satisfied with the quality of the acoustics in the theater where they performed before. The acoustic quality of buildings that are below average can cause the angklung performance to be a very difficult show to be enjoyed by the audience.

Sound Source Analysis and Assessment

In discussing the technical background sound source or angklung orchestration design I use music from a technical reference book Introduction to Materials and Structure of Music by William and Richard DeLone.

Music Instrument Category

According to the above mentioned four categorizations of musical instruments, namely: Strings, woodwinds, Percussion, and Electronics. While the instrument contained in this orchestra are: angklung, contrabass, bass drum, snare drum, timpani, xylophone, bell Lyra, Castanet, and triangle.

Angklung

Angklung is a traditional musical instrument of West Java that is made of bamboo. The Sound of angklung occurs because the air in the cavity resonance of bamboo due to the impact. The tone (pitch) that occurred in angklung is determined by the short length and large diameter bamboo.

The sound duration of angklung is obtained from the long or short angklung swings. While the strength or weakness (loudness) angklung sounds obtained from strong or weak angklung are shaken. From a technical way of sounding the angklung musical instrument can be categorized into groups of percussion instruments.

Bass Violin

Bass Violin or what we often refer to as contrabass. According to the Dictionary, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music naming contrabass is not appropriate because the definition is the correct contrabass music game is played one octave lower.

Bass Violin is often referred to as “viola da gamba” or fiddle-footed as it has legs and is played with the feet. Bass violin is included in the category of musical instrument strings.

Drums

To fill layer percussion or rhythm angklung orchestra is put musical instruments bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals, and timpani. The musical instruments are included in the drum family. Bass drum, snare drum, and timpani are made with leather in the stretch above the hollow body are made of wood or metal. While hihat and cymbals are made of metal circular.

Xylophone

The xylophone is a musical instrument made of wood or metal rods with a tuning tone that has been in accordance with the specified size. How to ring a musical instrument is hit with a bat.

Lyra Bell

The Lyra Bell is a portable version of the musical instrument Glockenspiel. The way to play it is by holding the instrument with one hand and the other hand holding the bat. Same with xylophone musical instrument is included in the category of percussion instruments.

Castanet

Castanet masuk dalam kategori alat musik perkusi yang terbuat dari dua buah kayu yang di letakan di telapak tangan.

Triangle

Triangle is a percussion instrument made of metal. As the name implies this instrument and how to play a triangular clubbed with a bat. Triangle is used by composers to provide confirmation of a musical phrase.

Music Texture

According to the book Introduction to materials and structure of music definition of musical texture is the interaction among several instruments that are arranged in layers, such as layer melody, chord layer, layer bass, and percussion. Besides the texture is also determined by the quantity and quality aspects. Aspects related to the quantity of the number of musical instruments in a group and the quality aspects regarding the timbre of musical instruments. The combination of these two aspects to sound monophonic, homophonic, or polyphonic.

In monophonic performance single melody is produced by a musical instrument. Homophonic performance single melody is produced by a group of musical instruments. Polyphonic is the performance of melody, harmony, and rhythm produced by more than one instrument.

Sound Source Analysis Conclusion

If we analyze the quality aspect of this angklung orchestration then we can see that almost all the existing instruments, including the family of percussion instruments. One – the only means of music of different categories are included in the bass violin family of string musical instruments.

The following image is an image texture composition angklung orchestration KPA3 on building Aula Simfonia Jakarta.

Music Performance Evaluation

The concert was divided into three parts. The first section displays the results of the classical music world composers such as Beethoven, Dvorak, Strauss, and others. Then the second part features modern classical works of John William, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Verdi. And the last is the third section which showcases the music of composers such as Eros Jarot Indonesia and thunder Sukarno Son. The first session of this concert is conducted by Djiwa Tanuwijaya MD while the second and third parts are conducted by Miriam Wedyawari.

The concert opened with Karl Jenkins Palladio's song with music tempo Allegretto or in Indonesian means rather quickly. This song is composed of several layers of arrangements. The first layer is the primary melody along with harmonious melodies played by a musical instrument angklung. The second layer is a layer chord played by a musical instrument angklung. The third layer is the layer that is filled by the bass violin bass. The fourth layer is a layer filled with the percussive bass drum, snare drum, and triangle.

Layer melody in this song played by angklung one octave lower than the original composition of this song. This causes the layer tone melody to be often attached to the chord tone. This makes me somewhat difficult to distinguish between sound layer melody and chord sound layer.

The second thing is the tempo and rhythm of the game that sometimes hearing less compact and less heave in accordance with the direction of the conductor.

Texture music or combinations of the timbre of the instruments in this concert is still lacking match. Such as a bass drum sound that is not in tune with the angklung. Then when the angklung concert collaboration with tenor and soprano sounds of music and the vocal sounds were less well integrated.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Room

Aula Simfonia Jakarta project started in 2004 and was completed in 2009. The building was built in this art was designed by pastor Stephen Tong in order that Indonesia is able to organize concerts and classical music classes international. Simfonia hall has a capacity of as many as 1,227 seats or 1,400 people following the musicians on the stage. Design architecture Aula Simfonia Jakarta the Renaissance style with wood color, white and gold.

Seating Area

Here is a plan seating area that consists of two levels, namely the ground floor and a balcony. The figure below is a picture of the layout of the seating on the ground floor.

Furthermore, the following image is a picture of the layout of the seating on the balcony which distribution is the front balcony, rear balcony, balcony left wing, right-wing balcony, and seating in front of the stage.

Overall spectator chairs are made of synthetic wood brown. Replaced by a chair leg leveling steps.

Tickets are sold divided into four prices tailored to where to sit. The price of the most expensive ticket is the ticket balcony in front of the stage. Followed by a left-right-wing balcony. This was followed by a seated position on the ground floor facing the stage. Prices for the cheapest were sitting on the balcony located at the rear of the stage.

Stage

In the picture below we can see the stage set in the middle of white rooms with wood material.

Walls

Furthermore, if we look up, we can see that the wall is divided into two parts. The bottom wall is brown with synthetic wood material. While the upper walls are white, with a niche containing a red absorber panel. In front of each niche, there are statues and paintings of world-renowned composers with stone material.

Ceiling

Finally, we come to the part of the sky – the sky is made recessed rectangular with steps of three levels. The top of the white ceiling is made of gypsum, while the bottom of the ceiling is made of wood brown. The gap between the wood and gypsum are holes – holes to distribute the flow to use for air conditioning.

My Subjective Acoustic Parameter Evaluation

Acoustic Quality Assessment for the angklung concert is based on my seating position located behind the stage. My assessment is subject to change if I sit in a different place and have different musical performances.

Room Noise

Parameter noise in the concert hall I value quite qualify. The assessment is based on my observations of noise caused by the air condition duct barely audible, interference noise from outside the room also did not sound when the concert took place.

Loudness

Listening Level in a sitting position where I sat sounded excellent. I could listen to each – each instrument at a high enough level. Unfortunately, angklung musical performances in a concert are nothing to show music with extreme differences in dynamics. So I can not pass judgment on a listening level lows and highs.

Clarity

Clarity is the acoustic definition for comparison between the direct sound to the reflection sound hearing. I sat in the position I feel the direct sound much bigger than the sound reflections and reverberation room.

Reverberation

Reverberation Aula Simfonia Jakarta concert hall or often called the reverberation time feels a bit short, though not fully spelled out short. It looks like the reverberation time in the room is not the same length at all frequencies. There is a considerable difference between the tone of the reverberation time low, middle, and high tones. With a relatively short reverberation time then this angklung concert feels less pretentious. Blending the sound of angklung ensemble and other instruments such as bass drum, and snare drum sound less harmonious.

Warmth & Brilliance

The tonality sound of music that I hear tends to be “bright” whereas musical instruments like xylophones with high frequency sound clear and transparent. The sound of music with the intermediate frequency which is dominated by angklung musical instrument sound less rich in harmony, the body sound muffled angklung, and the angklung knock feels a bit dry and dull. The sound of musical instruments with low-frequency bass violin is well defined. But the low-noise bass drum and timpani sound less weighty and uninteresting.

Intimacy

Intimacy or the time difference between the direct sound to the sound of early reflections. Sound angklung ensemble played with a rather long duration sounds like mumbling. This may occur because of the sound of angklung and early sound reflections piled around the stage.

Spaciousness

Spaciousness is the sensation caused by differences in initial reflection sound heard by the left ear and right ear. Spaciousness in my sitting position is not too pronounced.

Envelopment

Envelopment is the difference reverberation chamber received by the left and right ears. Envelopment in this room is also less pronounced.

Blending

Blending between the sound of music in this room there was less attractive because reverberation parameters were minimal and rather short and direct sound and early reflection is dominant.

Conclusion

With Orchestration capabilities, Angklung KPA3 play music compositions are quite complicated it can be said that Orchestration orchestration angklung Angklung KPA3 is the best in Indonesia. It’s just that there are some things that need to be rectified as a more harmonious musical texture and training to achieve a timing rhythm of the music that is more compact and floated. I think the character of acoustic Aula Simfonia Jakarta does not quite fit with this angklung concert.

Aula Simfonia Jakarta has an acoustic character dominated by direct sound and early reflections. As for the sound reverberation, the parameter was minimal and somewhat short with tonality rooms tend to be bright. Aula Simfonia Jakarta might be one of the best concert halls in Indonesia because Indonesia does not have a theater with a lot of direct sound concepts. It’s just that there are several acoustic parameters that are still not very optimal. In my opinion, Aula Simfonia needs to do a reassessment of the parameters – acoustic parameters mentioned above to achieve better acoustic quality again.

I wrote this article from the acoustic consultant perspective and as a music lover. I hope this article is useful for classical music lovers and music lovers angklung.