Church acoustics: ease and difficulty in choral singing
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
CC BY
CC BY
publishedVersion
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Unless otherwise stated, all rights belong to the author. You may download, display and print this publication for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Authors
Date
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
12
Series
Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Volume 58, issue 1
Abstract
Churches are common performance venues for choirs, offering unique acoustical environments that can influence the choir’s performance. Choir members often have personal insights into which churches are easier or more challenging to sing in. To investigate these perceptions, we conducted an online survey targeting a cappella singers and conductors regarding their singing experiences in churches in Helsinki area. Based on the responses, we identified three churches where singing in a choir is perceived as easy and three churches where it is perceived as difficult. We then measured the spatial room impulse responses in these selected churches to provide objective acoustical data. This paper presents the results of our analysis of these impulse responses, offering quantitative insights into the acoustical characteristics that may contribute to the ease or difficulty of choral singing in these venues. Additionally, we performed a qualitative analysis of the choir members’ written responses. This analysis aims to uncover specific reasons behind the perceived ease or difficulty of singing in churches, providing a deeper understanding of the subjective experiences of choir members. The findings from both the objective and subjective analyses are discussed in detail, highlighting the interplay between acoustical properties and singer perceptions in various church environments.Description
Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
Keywords
Other note
Citation
Ward, J & Lokki, T 2025, 'Church acoustics: ease and difficulty in choral singing', Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, vol. 58, no. 1, 015004. https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002081