“How do spaces shape the human experience? In what ways do rooms, homes, and buildings give us meaning and purpose?”[1] This review is a part of a series based of a podcast by TED Radio Hour, titled 'The Power of Spaces'.
The podcast is an insightful listen, particularly for an architect or lover of spaces. From the spaces of a home, to hospitals, theatres and stages, sculptural structures, places of worship, and the space a country occupies. To “explore the power of the spaces we make and inhabit.”[2] And what reveals to us, the meaning of a space.
In Part 3 of 'The Power of Spaces', this review continues with the sound of music. Underlining that we often don't realise the impact the venue where our favourite band is about to play matters. That's exactly the purpose of musical spaces, architecture that is designed according to architectural acoustics.
Talking Heads performing at The Bottom Line in New York City on October 27, 1977.
From left: Guitarist Jerry Harrison, drummer Chris Frantz, singer David Byrne and bassist Tina Weymouth. (Photo: St. Martin’s Press)
Review
Songs go a'ringing.
Music, rhythms, and its beats reverberate off our eardrums, as well as in a space. Closed and open spaces are specifically constructed to create an atmosphere which brings musicians, their music, and audiences together. Many times, all under one roof.
The history of music couples itself with musical architecture. Architecture that is built not only to provide shelter, a stage, and an area for the audience - But the acoustical engineering for a theatre or a nightclub, for example.
CBGB's, was "not that large of place" in the 1970s, New York City, the United States, says Byrne. It was "long, and sort of narrow. And the stage [was] at the far end. There was a bar and chairs. The vocals could be heard above the guitars and smashing drums. [Above] ambient sounds of people talking and other activities. In that context, musicians wrote and composed music that could "work", at least acoustically. The need of a band for their audience to hear their song the way the band intended it to be heard.
Byrne, explains that the music he wrote for the Talking Heads wouldn't sound the way they wanted it to be heard in some halls. Unless tested within the space and altered, spaces usually aren't suited for certain types of music. Places and venues, stages and bars aren't specifically made for the correct hearing of particular genres of music. As Byrne continues to explain in the podcast, context influences creativity. In this case, Byrne having to take into consideration the music they chose to play in venues they would perform in.
There's much more to music and spaces than you may realise. Spaces have shaped the course of music, like an architectural evolutionary process, probably everywhere. Bach composed his music to be played in a Lutheran church. Lutheran churches were much smaller than Gothic cathedrals. Bach "famously worked with a tuning system that allowed to him to be a lot more pointillistic, [he could] wander the keyboard a lot more." Bach's music, would be undecipherable in a Gothic cathedral. Bach had realised that music making and composing in a smaller Lutheran church, meant that the different keys did not sonically clash. Which allowed Bach's music to change and morph into something completely different. Spaces enrich the sounds of certain instruments. Some instruments are specifically meant to be played, enjoyed, and danced along to, outdoors.
Speaking of the outdoors, have you heard a bird chirping lately?
"According to David Attenborough and some other people, birds [have adapted themselves], too." Sparrows with a buzzing call is the most energy efficient and practical way to transmit their calls across large distances. This sparrow comes from a less dense habitat. On the other hand, a sparrow of the same species, but whose habitat is a denser forest has one, shrill call. Similarly, a sparrow of a the same species, but whose habitat differs, has a different kind of call. "Birds in urban environments, where there's all this background noise all the time, have evolved to alter their songs. [They've] gotten higher-pitched and louder in order to be heard. Evolution favoured the ones that were louder and who could sing at a louder pitch. [Who could be heard above the traffic and everything else.] Those are the birds we hear.
Part 4 of 'The Power of Spaces' moves on to the constructing of sculptural spaces. Following the words of artist and stage designer, Es Devlin, spaces serve as physical manifestations of a particular experience.
Reference
TED Radio Hour. 2020. “The Power Of Spaces.” National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/23/894580784/the-power-of-spaces.
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