Building bridges between architectural acoustics and psychomusicology: A tribute to Leo Beranek—Centenarian scientist, inventor, and visionary.

Abstract

Performance spaces for music have an impact on every live music listening experience, yet music psychologists have directed relatively little attention to them. In contrast, architectural acousticians have quantified the characteristics of performance spaces and have sought to develop guidelines for their optimization. From a background in physics, Leo Beranek provided groundwork for the field of architectural acoustics of music performance spaces. He studied both the acoustical characteristics of the halls and the responses of expert listeners to these spaces. His work acknowledges the significance of relating the acoustical and the psychological. As well, he has contributed many applications of engineering, physics, and acoustics to problems of noise, speech communication, and the broadcast industry. The present special issue has the dual purpose of honoring Leo Beranek, on his centenary, and establishing a dialogue between the fields of music psychology and architectural acoustics. Research that requires knowledge of both behavioral science methodology and architectural and musical acoustics places a heavy demand on researchers generally trained in only one or the other area. This special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, & Brain on "Performance Spaces for Music: Acoustical and Psychological Measurements and Their Interactions" therefore provides an opportunity to build bridges between the 2 fields, with Leo Beranek exemplifying a model for interdisciplinary integration.