is raised, which conceals the roof, wherein the necessary accommodations which a theatre requires are disposed. Whether we consider the exterior or interior of this edifice, everything is grand; the accessories are worthy of the whole, and the richness of the interior decoration is only equalled by the fine forms whereon the decorations are used. The ingress and egress are admirable; and a splendid concert-room and magnificent staircases complete the destination, to which it is so suited, as to afford the finest model of a theatre to which we can refer the student. The plans, &c. of this work were published by the architect, under the title of Salle de Spectacle de Bourdeaux, atlas folio, Paris, 1782. Paris but followed Bourdeaux in improving its theatres, and latterly the metropolis of England followed in the wake.

2952. The principal points for the consideration of the architect in the composition of a theatre, may be classed under the heads of utility, suitableness for the purpose, and taste in combining them. Under the first head must be placed the accomplishment of two main objects, those of seeing and hearing what passes on the stage. These, indeed, are intimately connected with each other, and are entirely dependent on the form adopted for the plan of the interior, that is, the general form given to the boxes which surround the part before the curtain. We are not aware of any plan which, in this respect, is not based on a quadrangular, elliptical, or circular form.

2953. The quadrangular form, besides its want of beauty, is not well adapted for fulfilling the objects with which we set out. In this, the greater number of spectators or audience who occupy the side boxes, are so inconveniently placed, that, to observe what is going on, their heads must be turned sidewise, and they are hence in a false position for the object. The actor being generally the point to which all eyes are directed, the spectator close to the proscenium will look at him in a right direction; but as the spectator removes to the extremity of the side, it is manifest that the angle in which the head must be turned becomes sharper, and the position is then painful. Besides this objection, the form is known to be unfavourable to hearing or to the propagation of sound.

2954. The truncated oval is in some measure subject to the same inconveniences on the sides as the last-mentioned figure. It removes also a large portion of the spectators to a considerable distance from the centre of the scene, besides which, in the boxes near the proscenium their seats tend in opposite directions to the actor. It has been to remedy these faults that the form of the horseshoe has been adopted, which is a sort of mean between the quadrangular and oval forms: and where the plot of ground is much longer than it is wide, it is a suitable figure, and one which affords the opportunity of increasing the number of boxes.

2955. When, however, the circumstances concur in allowing it, the adoption of the semicircular plan is doubtless the best. It is a figure which allows each spectator to be at an equal distance from the scene, that also by which the spectators in adjoining boxes less interfere with one another, that which affords the means of all seeing equally well, that in which the sound is most equally distributed, and that whose uniformity and simplicity seems to engender the best decoration. The semi-elliptic, with the transverse axis parallel to the proscenium, has interior advantages in some respects over the semicircle; but it induces great difficulty in connecting the proscenium itself with the auditory part of the house, and, by increasing the width of the proscenium, increases the difficulty of framing the roof conveniently for the painting rooms, and securely as respects the walls.

2956. Upon the destruction by fire of Drury Lane Theatre, a pamphlet appeared, entitled "Observations on the Principles of a Design for a Theatre," by Benjamin Wyatt, London, 8vo. 1811. These observations are so well worth the notice of the student that we shall close this section by giving the substance of them. The heads for consideration, says the author, are —

2957. First. The size or capacity of the theatre, as governed by the width of the proscenium or stage opening; and by the pecuniary return to be made to those whose property may be embarked in the concern. Second. The form or shape of the theatre, as connected with the primary objects of sound and vision. Third. The facility of ingress and egress, as materially affecting the convenience of those who go to every part of the house respectively, as well as their lives, in cases of sudden accident or alarm. Fourth. Decorum amongst the several orders and classes of the visitants to the theatre, as essential to the accommodation of the more respectable part of those visitants, and consequently of great importance to the interests of the theatre. Fifth. Security against fire, as well with relation to the expense of insurance as with relation to the lives of individuals going to the theatre.

2958. The size or capacity will necessarily depend very much on the width of the proscenium or stage opening, inasmuch as it is from the extremities of that opening that the form of the theatre must spring. The annexed is a statement of the width of proscenium at the theatres named:

A width beyond 40 feet seems to be considered by the performers as inconvenient from the space they would have to pass over in the business of the drama. A greater width, indeed, than that stated prevents the easy and secure working of the scenes, for the machinery is increased in magnitude and weight as the height and breadth of the scenes increase. In mere spectacle and scenic grouping a reduction in the width of the proscenium reduces the number of extra performers, or supernumeraries as they are called, which become necessary for filling the stage. Again, every additional foot given to the stage opening increases the quantity of canvass used in the scenes, as well as the framing whereon they are fixed.

In the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, vol. xxvii., there are, by Mr. J. S. Russell, some elementary considerations of certain principles in the construction of buildings designed to accommodate spectators and auditors, well worth the architect's notice. In every large room, says the writer, a perfectly good seat is one in which, without uneasy elevation of the head or eye, without straining or stretching, we can calmly and quietly take any easy position, or variety of positions, which we may be disposed to assume, and yet may in all of them see and hear the speaker with equal clearness and repose, so as to give him patient and undisturbed attention. The object, then, is to ascertain in what manner the interior of a building for public speaking should be formed, so that throughout the whole range which the voice of a man is capable of filling, each individual should see and hear without interruption from any of the rest of the audience, with equal comfort in an easy posture,

Fig. 1033.

g g g

and as clearly as if no other individual auditor or spectator were present. (See figs. 1033. and 1034.) The position of the seats is first investigated.

In the usual variety of station

and of position, it appears from experiments that the range required for the purpose is more than a foot and less than 18 inches, so that these may be taken as the limits; that is, over the head of the person before you there must be a clear range of 12 or 18 inches, through which the head may be moved upwards or downwards without interruption. In other words, that a straight line drawn from the speaker's head over that of the anterior spectator shall intercept the straight line which forms the back of the seat of the posterior observer, so as to cut off a height of 12 or 18 inches, within which the head of the spectator shall at

times be comprehended while sitting in a comfortab e position. Thus let S (fig. 1033.) be the speaker and XYZ be three successive ascents; then the line SX must fall below SY, so as to leave the space Yr 18 inches = Zy.

2959. Applying this formula to every individual place in the room or building, we shall have the form required to satisfy the auditors. Let 2 feet be assumed as a constant representing the distance of one spectator behind another, measured horizontally; and 14 feet as the clear space, measured on the vertical line, for the mean range of comfortable vision for each. If the level of the floor, that is, of the lowest seats, be already determined, the form of the interior accommodation may be thus described. AY (fig. 1034.), the height of the speaker, YX the level floor. From Ay take Yy=4 feet. Draw yr parallel to YX. Take Ay to yr as 11 to 2, that is, as h, the range of position of the spectator, to d, the distance between the seats. Take horizontal distances 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. = 2 feet, prolong Ar to x', then the height x' to l=1 feet. Join Al and prolong it to a", and take a distance x" to m=1 feet. Through m draw Am, and prolong it to "", and take_x""n=1} feet. Continue the process in the same manner to p, q, r, s, t, &c., and the points will be found of the successive places which the heads of the auditors should occupy. 2960. But it is not only in receding that the back seats must rise; those too far forward may be also unpleasant. They are too low; they also should be raised but this must be done so as not to interrupt those who are behind. It may be accomplished in a similar way; for, as formerly set off, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. = 2 feet (fig. 1035.), 1 is the first anterior point. Join A1, and let it cut the vertical line through 2 in x', the portion downwards "l=1} feet; then is the point found. Join Al, make x''k =1 feet; join Ak and "i=1 feet; and so on. g, h, i, k, l, are the places found which the heads of the spectators should occupy, and show the elevation to be given to the seats successively.

h

Fig. 1035.

د

k

2

2961. If the simple process described be accurately performed, the points which indicate the places of the spectators will lie in the branches of a very beautiful curve, which may be termed the iseidomal or the isacoustic curve, that is, one of equal seeing or hearing it will be of the form in fig. 1036. A being the place of the speaker, and the heads of the spec

tators being placed on the line Amn, continued as far as the voice will reach, XAX being the axis of the curve, and YY its parameter. This curve has two branches on opposite sides of A, showing that if the building extend behind the speaker, or if the spectacle be visible or the sound audible on every side, the same may be continued all round. By means of this curve, the position of seats in a theatre may be satisfactorily determined. 2962. For any great assemblage, where it is desirable that one individual or group of individuals should be seen or heard, an amphitheatre of this form might be constructed from the surface of revolution generated by moving the curve round its axis, which would perfectly accommodate 10,000 individuals.

2963. According to the arrangement of London audiences, Mr. Wyatt calculates that a theatre consisting of three fourths of a circle on the plan, with a stage opening of 35 feet, will contain

sive of four boxes in the proscenium, and fourteen in the basement of the theatre, immediately under the dress boxes.

2964. We have already given some general hints relative to the form; we shall here add the author's view of this matter; and thereon he very properly says that, with reference to distinct sound, the safest method is to adopt a form known to be most capable of conveying sound with facility, to construct that form of materials that are conductors of sound, and to avoid all breaks and projections on the surface of that form, because they obstruct and impede the progress of the sound. It is well known that a circular enclosure without breaks possesses the power of conveying sounds with facility, and that wood is an admirable conducting material for the purpose. Count Algarotti, in his treatise on the Opera, says, daily experience teaches us that in a box whose walls are naked, the singer's voice is reverberated in a particular manner; it sounds crude and harsh, and by no means flattering to the ear; the accents are quite lost if the box be hung with tapestry; whereas they are reflected full, sonorous, and agreeable to the ear when the boxes are only boarded, which is an obvious proof, and confirmed by experience, that the best lining for the interior part of a theatre is wood.

It

C

front line of stage

150--

----4

2965. Whatever be the form of the theatre, it ought in every part to be limited in extent to such distance as the voice will distinctly reach; and the nearer that figure conforms to the proportions which the natural voice is heard in each direction, the more equally will the sound be heard in every part of the theatre. The experiments tried by Mr. Wyatt proved that the reach of the voice when moderately exerted was in the proportion of about two ninths further in a direct front line than laterally; and that being distinctly audible on each side of the speaker at a distance of seventy-five feet, it will be as plainly heard at a distance of ninety-two feet in front of him, declining in strength behind him so as not to be clearly heard at much more than thirty feet. 66 According," says Mr. Wyatt, "to these data, it would appear that the geometrical figure, which comes the nearest to the extreme limits of the natural expansion of the voice, is a semicircle of 75 feet radius, or 150 feet in diameter, continued on each side to the extent of 17 feet, or in the proportion of about two ninths of its lateral expansion (fig. 1037.) beyond the limits of the semicircle, and then converging suddenly until the two lines meet at C, behind the back of the speaker." But though the voice may be heard at these distances, it does not follow that a theatre of this extent should be erected; indeed, it would be absurd to do so, for the actor varies his place almost every moment; and as he removes from the centre, from which it has been assumed he is speaking, he would become inaudible to some parts of the audience as he receded from it. is evident, therefore, in planning a theatre, the radius or semi-diameter must be so reduced as to bring the extreme distance at which he may in any case be placed within the space of 75 feet, that is, that when the speaker is placed at the extremity of either side of the stage, his voice may be heard by those seated on the opposite side of the house. In the diagram, the widest part of the theatre inscribed in the larger figure is 58 feet upon the level of the dress boxes; and allowing 9 feet 6 inches for the depth of the boxes on that floor, by means of a projection of 18 inches more than the boxes above, there will be 67 feet 6 inches between the extreme part of the stage on one side and the back wall of the boxes on the opposite side: but as the speaker is in no case placed at either extremity of the stage, and even if so situated, the distance between him and the opposite side of the house would be within 8 feet of the reach of his voice in its lateral direction, and 27 feet within its limits in a direct line; it hence appears that the circular is preferable to any other form; and if we fix a limit for the diameter of that form, we are in possession of the rules which limit the length of the theatre, or the distance from the front line of the stage to the boxes immediately in front of that line. Taking 75 feet for the distance at which the voice can be heard laterally, as the space between the front line of the stage and its immediately opposite boxes may occasionally be in the lateral direction of the voice, the greatest distance from the front wall of the stage to the back wall of the boxes opposite the stage should not exceed 75 feet, the limit of the voice in its lateral direction, because of the turns of head which he must often make for the business of the scene, when that which was opposite might become lateral; and thus those persons sitting in the opposite boxes would be 92-75 feet-17 feet beyond the reach of his voice.

Fig. 1037.

2966. The use of a semicircle without modification would, however, involve the extension of the stage opening to an inconvenient width; and Mr. Wyatt very properly considers that the whole area of a theatre should contain little more than one third of the space over

which the voice can reach; "the one," he says, "being (independently of the space behind the back of the speaker) a superficies of 11,385 feet, and the other of 4003." This, he thinks, will compensate for the absorption of sound consequent on the number of the audience, the woollen garments they wear, and the state of the atmosphere, and would ensure a good hearing in every part of the house.

2967. According to the author's statement, he recommends that the distance from the front of the stage to the back wall of the boxes immediately opposite should be about 54 feet; in the old Drury Lane it was 74 feet, and in the old Covent Garden Theatre, built about 1730, it was 54 feet 6 inches. In the Opera House, built by Vanbrugh, it was 66 feet. At Milan it is 78 feet. At the old San Carlos, at Naples, 73 feet; and at Bologna, 74 feet. The distance in the present Covent Garden Theatre is 69 feet 8 inches, or nearly 16 feet more than it ought to have been. How, then, can people wonder at not seeing and hearing in such theatres, where the cupidity of the projectors has overstepped the mark, and very much contributed to the ruin of the drama?

2968. In an opera house the band as it were sustains the voice, and the spectacle of the ballet is more addressed to the eye than to the understanding; but even in that the theatre is universally too large for the pleasure of those who appreciate properly what is transacted in the scene. It is satisfactory to know that the theatre which we in our introductory remarks selected as a model should coincide in the main points here in question with Mr. Wyatt's project. We are not certain whether he has visited it, but are certain that if he has he would not change his opinion.

2969. In respect of vision in a theatre, there can be no question that the semicircle gives the best chance for the whole of the audience; but the objections to it are, that it requires that either the stage opening should be of inconvenient width or that the size of the house should be too small. It is therefore, without modification, inadmissible. It is on this account that the ellipse, the horseshoe, and other flat-sided forms, have in later theatres been adopted, though it is manifest that a large proportion of the audience, says our author, "must be placed with their backs inclining towards the scene, and that in all of them (if the house be not of extremely small dimensions) the front boxes must be at a great distance from the stage; for in proportion as the sides shall approximate each other the front must recede, provided the circumference be not varied." The summing up of the question on this head is thus given by Mr. Wyatt: "There is no object connected with the formation of a theatre which, in all its bearings, is of more importance than that the part of the house which faces the scene should be within a moderate distance from the stage. Unless that be the case, it is obvious that a very large proportion of the spectators must be excluded from a clear and distinct view of that play of the features which constitutes the principal merit of the actor in many of the most interesting scenes." Mr. Wyatt does not believe that the height of the ceiling injures or affects the sound of the voice in the lower parts of the theatre, and observes that it must in every theatre "be much too high to act as a reverberator or sounding board to the lower parts of the house." But we do not agree with him on this point, and think we could refer him to more than one theatre in the metropolis which is defective in the conveyance of the sound from this cause alone. Besides this, we do not feel quite certain that the diagonal line drawn from the actor to the upper tier of boxes should not be the regulating distance, instead of the horizontal one which has been mentioned above.

2970. Ingress and egress should be provided on each side of the house, so that whatever doors, passages, and staircases are placed on one side, there must be corresponding ones on the other. The spectators are thus divided, and pressure avoided. Angles should as much as possible be avoided, as well as steps in passages, for which no excuse can be offered. Doorways ought not to be less than six feet wide, nor should staircases be of less dimensions. In large staircases, which consist of a centre and two side flights, the central one should be equal in width to the side flights added together. In calculating the size, regard should in some measure be had to the number of persons which the part they serve will contain.

2971. It is only in an English theatre that the public have to complain of the admission of the most unfortunate members of the community, and of their subjection to scenes of great indecency. Nothing of this sort occurs on the Continent, whilst here the proprietors of theatres allow the admission of such persons at a reduced rate of payment if they take an admission for the season. As, in this country, it is impossible to exclude any particular class of persons, it would be well so to contrive the access to the dress circle of boxes that it may be arrived at without passing near the saloons, which are generally the resort of the class of people alluded to.

2972. With the exception of the dressings and interior ornaments of the building, and those parts of the stage and machinery which must be made of wood, it would be possible, though perhaps somewhat inconvenient, to erect a theatre, though not absolutely fire-proof, yet very secure against fire. This is, however, a subject not to be treated here; but we ought not to omit that the supply of water from large reservoirs provided in the upper parts of the