CHAPEL ACOUSTICS

Although the acoustics of the now Memorial chapel are quite satisfactory as far as preaching is concerned, they are entirely unsuited for the most perfect performance of unaccompanied choral pieces. The architects, claiming that it was impossible to adapt the acoustic properties to both music and speaking, chose to adapt them to speaking, and hardly left the University a chance to say no. In order to prevent the reverberation and echoes of the speaker's voice, the ceiling of the nave was finished in rough plaster, and a heavy carpet, lying on a three-quarter inch hemp padding, was laid down in the aisles.

If the morning services consisted of prayers, scriptures, and perhaps only a hymn, the matter would merit no objection. As it is, however, the anthems and responses which the choir sings three times a week, and the important part it plays in the Sunday services demand conditions which will do justice to the singing. To make a capella anthem really effective, it is necessary to sing in a hall which has enough resonance to assist in sustaining every note, and which does not necessitate a continual effort on the part of the choir. As long as the carpet and ceiling remain as they are it will be impossible to achieve this resonance.

Naturally a mean must be reached to avoid impossible conditions for the speaker. Even if he were placed at a disadvantage, however, his difficulties with a slight resonance would hardly be comparable to those of a choir without it. All that is needed to improve the musical acoustics is to remove the padding from under the carpets, and to replaster, or paint over smoothly, the rough finish ceiling. Certainly the expense of these changes, besides being negligible, would be well worth the consequent improvement in the effectiveness of both the music and the service itself.