Sound energy distribution in Italian opera houses

Abstract

A typical Italian opera house is a complex system of coupled volumes: fly tower, orchestra pit, cavea (the volume where the stalls are), boxes, loggione (gallery). The way of propagation of the sound energy between one volume and the others is still a subject of research. The present work gives a contribution to the discussion by applying the Barron's revised theory to the analysis of recent measurements done in several Italian theatres. The averaged values of sound strength versus the distance from the sound source is plotted inserting in the Barron's equation either the classical reverberation time or the early decay time and different volume values. The significance of the different choices and their agreement with the experimental values are discussed. It is concluded that the spatial distribution of sound strength depends on the sound source position.