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Festspielhaus Bayreuth—The unique acoustic situation

1999; Acoustical Society of America; Volume: 105; Issue: 2_Supplement Linguagem: Inglês

10.1121/1.426288

1520-9024

Karlheinz Müller,

Music Technology and Sound Studies

The Festspielhaus in Bayreuth is the only opera house of the world which was founded and mostly designed by a composer. Richard Wagner himself founded the festival society and was one of the main designers of the opera house, the stage situation, and the pit. It is a very modern opera house, far away from the typical aristocratic or common theater of the times of 1876. The open house has a special acoustic situation. What are the reasons for this acoustic situation? Especially the sunken-pit design is subject to endless controversial discussions. All the maintenance work of the last years had the priority not to destroy the typical mysterious sound of the original Festspielhaus. Although all part of the whole house are now redecorated, the typical Wagnerian sound has been perfectly conserved.