One more point about the analogy to a pipe organ in a closet.
In any large room, there is a distance from the instrument that I call "the curtain". That is the distance beyond which the sound reflecting from the walls and floor and ceiling becomes a standing wave that sounds the same to ears no matter how much further you get from the instrument. When I arrive at the venue, I determine where that 'curtain' is, and try to restrict seating to inside it.
Another thing about Mori Hall is that there is no fixed position to the seats. Patrons all have individual chairs, which I pre-arrange in a semi-circle an ideal distance from the clavichord. I also have them take turns sitting closer and farther from the instrument for various parts of the recital.
If you are too close to the source you don't hear enough reflected sound, too far away - - - not enough. And of course you don't what to hear noise coming from outside the room, or any airconditioning noise. Mori Hall in Kobe is perfect as long as there is not too much wind outside.
A nice thing about a big clavichord like this is that when you are next to it, you hear a natural reverberation, as the soundboard continues to move after a key is released and the string is dampened.
Sorry, I don't agree with your analogy. Although I would agree that the best clavichord experiences are playing one alone just for yourself, and playing for one other person in your home, in order to introduce the instrument to the world, you have to take it somewhere. In any environment in which music is being made, there is a tension between direct and reflected sound. is no wind, so it's a gamble to stage a recital there.
One more point about the analogy to a pipe organ in a closet.
In any large room, there is a distance from the instrument that I call "the curtain". That is the distance beyond which the sound reflecting from the walls and floor and ceiling becomes a standing wave that sounds the same to ears no matter how much further you get from the instrument. When I arrive at the venue, I determine where that 'curtain' is, and try to restrict seating to inside it.
clavimcg 2 months ago
Another thing about Mori Hall is that there is no fixed position to the seats. Patrons all have individual chairs, which I pre-arrange in a semi-circle an ideal distance from the clavichord. I also have them take turns sitting closer and farther from the instrument for various parts of the recital.
clavimcg 2 months ago
If you are too close to the source you don't hear enough reflected sound, too far away - - - not enough. And of course you don't what to hear noise coming from outside the room, or any airconditioning noise. Mori Hall in Kobe is perfect as long as there is not too much wind outside.
A nice thing about a big clavichord like this is that when you are next to it, you hear a natural reverberation, as the soundboard continues to move after a key is released and the string is dampened.
clavimcg 2 months ago
@rleao36
Sorry, I don't agree with your analogy. Although I would agree that the best clavichord experiences are playing one alone just for yourself, and playing for one other person in your home, in order to introduce the instrument to the world, you have to take it somewhere. In any environment in which music is being made, there is a tension between direct and reflected sound. is no wind, so it's a gamble to stage a recital there.
A nice thing about
clavimcg 2 months ago
why would someone want to play a clavichord in a concert hall? It's exactly the opposite thing to play a romantic church organ in a closet...
rleao36 2 months ago