Opera house designs in general are, together with all their acoustic features and elements, highly individual and result in very unique places. No opera house built is exactly the same, and no pit is. Despite the instruments, also the stage and the ceiling form important factors of how and in which quality sound from the pit is distributed across the hall (Drotleff et al., 2004). These factors, in turn, shape the acoustic design of the pit, which primarily varies in its size and materials. All these elements – instruments, walls, ceiling, stage, shape and size of the auditorium, the arrangement of balconies and the pit – create a complex interplay between different affordances that shape musical practices as well as each other.
Especially the orchestra pit is a technological artifact that is a part of opera performance. It is, contrary to what one might first think, not an empty space in which music is made. Rather, the orchestra pit – as much as an instrument – shapes performance practices of the different actors and is also shaped by these practices. It does so by its design, which is variable and thereby provides possibilities for different actions, behaviors, and practices. It is a material artifact that enables and constrains practices in the performance of opera and therefore constitutes itself as a part of it. It is, viewed from this perspective, not different from an instrument that as well occupies a crucial role in the performance of music through its materiality. It constitutes a striking example of a space in musical culture that, through its materiality, shapes this culture significantly.
Although the different affordances as materialized by the different architectural elements are constructed, this does not mean that they do not pose problems to the practices and performances executed by the musicians and singers. It needs to be acknowledged that opera is the most constrained of all auditorium forms: a proscenium is necessary for the singers and the orchestra to see the conductor, therefore the orchestra pit needs to be placed in between the stage and the seating (James, 1997). That is the reason why the orchestra pit has a maximum size (Lawson & Stowell, 1999). Taken altogether, the different acoustic elements do not leave much room for experimenting with the design of opera houses, stages, auditoria, and orchestra pits. In fact, because opera house design is such a constrained form, many opera houses struggle with the same problems.
References:
- Drotleff, H., Zha, X., Fuchs, H., Leistner, M. (2004). Acoustic Improvements of the Working Conditions for Musicians in Orchestra Pits. Proceedings of the Joint Congress CFA/DAGA'04.
- James, A. (1997). Extremes, Flexibility and Authenticity in Orchestra Pit Acoustics. Retrieved May 15, 2015 from: http://www.adrianjamesacoustics.co.uk/technicalstuff/paper2.pdf
- Lawson, C. & Stowell, R. (2004). The Historical Performance of Music. An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
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