The Acoustics of the “Teatro Piccinni” in Bari (Italy)

The paper reports the results of a measurement survey carried out in the "Teatro Piccinni" in Bari, in the Southern Italy. The theatre is a classical Italian-style opera house built in 1854 by Antonio Niccolini, the architect of the San Carlo theatre in Naples, and hosts regular seasons of opera, drama, and ballet. The measurements were carried out with hall and stage coupled, no scene on the stage and a heavy curtain covering the back stage wall. An omni-directional sound source was placed in two positions (one on the stage and one in the orchestra pit). An omni-directional microphone was placed in 15 positions (2 on the stage, 2 in the pit, 5 in the stalls, and 6 in the boxes), and the impulse responses were obtained using an MLS signal. More detailed measurements, using a B-format microphone and a binaural head, were made in 9 positions (5 in the stalls, and 4 in the boxes), using a sweep signal to improve the S/N ratio. All the acoustic parameters recommended by ISO 3382 were then calculated. The results of the measurements are finally discussed and compared with reference values reported in the literature.