Cinema News and Property Gazette Technical Supplement (1924-1925, 1943, 1946)

February 19, 1925. Supplement to THE CINEMA NEWS AND PEOPEETT GAZETTE. 27 BRING YOUR BATH TO THE CINEMA. ACOUSTIC TECHNIQUE DISCUSSED. The subject of acoustics is of ever-increasing interest to exhibitors, architects, and others concerned in cinema design and construction, so that the lecture delivered by Mr. Hope Bagenal, A.R.I.B.A., lecturer in acoustics to the Architectural Association, before the Incorporation of Architects, Scotland, in January, will not be without its appeal. Taking as his subject ' The Influence of Buildings on Music and Declamation," the speaker said a man tended to sing in his bath for three reasons, which when analysed gave the major factors in architectural acoustics. Of these the factor known as reverberation or prolonging of tones must have influenced the origin of the musical scale since it enabled notes sung in sequence to be heard as harmonies. The cave, the temple interior, the Periclean Music Hall (Odeon) were interiors giving a perceptible reverberation ; but also reverberation directly influenced musical tone owing to the selective absorption of overtones. Instruments and voices sounded different, therefore, in a Greek theatre, where reverberation resembled open-air conditions, and was reduced to its lowest. Hence the highly-developed reflecting surfaces and the echeia or resonators (which corresponded to the bath in the case of the man in a bathroom) in the Greek theatre, in order to compensate for a low energy condition. This acoustic technique enabled players to give satisfaction to audiences of 20,000 with remotest seats of 200 feet from the source of sound. The converse of the Greek theatre was the mediaeval church, where long reverberation directly produced intoning, descant, and polyphony ; but since the conditions for the speaking voice and for choral music were mutually conflicting, the pulpit always gave trouble. The conflict between the choral or mass conditions and the pulpit or preaching conditions developed at the Reformation, and took different forms, resulting in the victory of the pulpit in Scotland (John Knox), of the Mass in Italy (Palestrina), -and produced interesting Anglican and Lutheran compromises. Bach '^ B Minor Mass was the result of acoustics of the Lutheran compromise. The use or disuse of Latin vowel sounds profoundly influenced the result in each case. The entry of stringed instruments into the churches and their emergence again from the churches into the opera houses was a parallel development. The conflict between conditions for choral music — that was long reverberation — and the conditions for accurate tempo effects still existed. Choral music had its fullest tone with a long reverberation, but this involved going slowly in order to avoid confusion. The best compromise for concert halls was a reverberation of 2.3 seconds. Some modern instances of the influence of buildings on instruments might be seen in the two widely different examples of the influence of the Albert Hall on piano design, and the development of auction selling in buildings with a long reverberation. ABOUT TICKET-ISSUING MACHINES! A MATTER OF TIME & EXPERIENCE. HAVE you considered how important a part Time plays in perfecting a Ticket-Issuing Machine? It has to be tested under all conditions— subject to rough and careless handling — and at all speeds. Hence the importance of the fact that the " Accurate " Company is the oldest Cinema TicketIssuing Machine maker. There is built into every " Accurate " machine something which cannot be built into any other make, namely, the experience, gained through extra years of catering for the Cinema Pay Box. That is one reason why it pays to instal " Accurate " Ticket-Issuing and Registering Machines. Sole Makers ACCURATE CHECKTAKER, LTD. 17-21, TAVISTOCK ST., COVENT GDN., LONDON, W.C.2 u ACCURATE" THE ROLLS-ROYCE OF TICKET-ISSUING MACHINES." The Latest Luxury— for Cinema-goers is Turner's " Harlech " Chair. Soundly constructed for super comfort, it is a good style design which will add dignity to the best of Cinemas. The price is reasonable. Made by the " Firm of Experts." W. W. TURNER & CO., LIMITED, 35, York Road, King's Heath, BIRMINGHAM. Telephone: Somh 72 Telegrams: " Cinechaii. Birmingham." The HARLECH