The Application of Impulse Response Measurement Techniques to the Study of the Acoustics of Stonegate, a Performance Space Used in Medieval English Drama

Abstract

The present paper provides an insight into the acoustic characteristics of one of the spaces used for the performance of the York Mystery Plays:S tonegate, as treet in central Yo rk (UK).A ne xperiment conducted in a controlled environment with the aim of determining the optimal method for acoustic measurements on this site is first presented. The methods tested were the Exponential Sine Sweep (ESS)m ethod with the application of time averaging of eight 15-second exponential sine sweeps and the ESS method with a9 0-second sine sweep. Results demonstrate the greater robustness under the test conditions of the ESS method when used with as ine sweep of 90 seconds in length. Results from measurements at Stonegate using this method are then discussed, demonstrating that the space has appropriate reverberation time and clarity values to ensure speech intelligibility butwould prove less satisfactory for the performance of the plainchant items that were part of the plays. Results also indicate that Stonegate presents lowlevels of spaciousness and high levels of listener envelopment at most of the receiverpositions studied. PACS no. 43.20.Ye, 43.28.Hr,43.55.Br,43.58.Gn 98 ©S.Hirzel Verlag · EAA Lopez et al.:S tudyofthe acoustics of Stonegate ACTA ACUSTICA UNITED WITH ACUSTICA Vol. 99 (2013)

Using multiple computer models to study the acoustics of a sixteenth-century performance space

“…The height of both source and receivers was 1.65 m, to replicate a person's ear height. The source's directivity corresponds to that of the Genelec 8040A monitoring system that was used on site and which has a similar directivity to that of the human voice [13].…”

“…However, those characteristics can be considered unsatisfactory for the performance of plainchant items, better suited to long reverberation times and low clarity [15,16]. On the other hand, Stonegate has high levels of Apparent Source Width (ASW), a characteristic considered beneficial for music performances [13].…”

“…Acoustic measurements demonstrated that modern Stonegate has a short reverberation time and high clarity, features that aid speech intelligibility, making it suitable for the spoken extracts of the plays [13]. However, those characteristics can be considered unsatisfactory for the performance of plainchant items, better suited to long reverberation times and low clarity [15,16].…”

“…The state of preservation of Stonegate allows the study of its acoustics to be divided into two distinct but interconnected phases: (1) the study of the acoustics of modern Stonegate [13,14] and (2) the study of the acoustics of Stonegate at the time of the medieval performances.…”

An Acoustical Approach to the Study of the Wagons of the York Mystery Plays: Structure and Orientation

“…I studied Stonegate through acoustic measurement techniques and virtual models in order to explore both its modern and sixteenth-century acoustics. 6 This article explores three different but interconnected issues: the impact of the introduction of wagon structures on the acoustics of sixteenth-century Stonegate; the changes in the acoustics of the space depending on the type of wagon structure used; and the impact of wagon orientation on the acoustics of the performance space. I focus on the impact of the wagons on the performance space, rather than on the effects of audience areas (standing, seated, at windows), as I have analysed the latter in a previous study.…”