Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
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| Academy of Music | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
 Academy of Music, August 2009
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| Location: | Broad and Locust Sts., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Coordinates: | 39°56′52.84″N 75°9′54.4″W / 39.9480111°N 75.165111°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1855 |
| Architect: | Napoleon LeBrun & Gustavus Runge |
| Architectural style(s): | Renaissance |
| Governing body: | Private |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL: | December 29, 1962[2] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000674 |
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1855 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose.[3] Known as the "Grand Old Lady of Broad Street," the venue is the home of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
The Academy was home to the Philadelphia Orchestra from its inception in 1900 until 2001 when the orchestra moved to the new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Philadelphia Orchestra still retains ownership of the Academy.[4]
The hall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.[2][5].
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[edit] History
The Academy has been in continuous use since 1855, hosting many world-famous performers, conductors and composers, and a significant number of American premieres of works in the standard operatic and classical repertoire. Noted operas that had their American premieres there include Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Gounod's Faust, and Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. In 1916, Leopold Stokowski conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra in the American premiere of Mahler's Eighth Symphony (the Symphony of a Thousand).
The list of renowned artists who have performed at the Academy reads like a "who's who" of the past century of performing arts history, with such greats as Marian Anderson, Maria Callas, Enrico Caruso, Aaron Copland, Vladimir Horowitz, Gustav Mahler, Anna Pavlova, Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Leontyne Price, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Artur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Joan Sutherland, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, among many others.
Outside of arts events, it hosted the 1872 Republican National Convention. In addition, parts of Martin Scorsese's film of The Age of Innocence were filmed in the Academy.
[edit] Design
An architectural competition for the Academy's design was announced in October 1854 and was won by the Philadelphia firm of Napoleon LeBrun and Gustavus Runge. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 18, 1855, with President Franklin Pierce in attendance and the venue opened with a grand ball on January 26, 1857. The first opera performed there was the western hemisphere premiere of Verdi's Il Trovatore, on February 25 of the same year.
Le Brun and Runge's design features an "open horseshoe" shape which offers greater visibility than most opera houses to the audience seated on both sides of the balconies. The auditorium is enclosed by a solid three-foot brick wall, the inner sides of which are lined with studding and pine boards to absorb sounds and prevent echoes. Supported by 14 Corinthian columns, the balconies are recessed upward in a tiered fashion and the front of the first balcony is adorned with medallions of stylized design.
[edit] Interior furnishings
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The interior of the hall is further enriched by its crystal chandelier, which hangs 50 feet in circumference, 16 feet in diameter, and 5,000 pounds in weight. Originally the chandelier had 240 gas burners, but it was electrified in 1900. It was rewired in 1957 and, at that time, was fitted with an electric-powered winch, allowing it to be lowered in five minutes rather than requiring four hours and 12 people to lower it by hand. A bust of Mozart executed in bas-relief crowns the proscenium arch. Above and to the left is the seated figure of Poetry, and to the right, that of Music. Charles Bushor and Joseph A. Bailly designed and executed the exquisite carved and gilded wood sculpture decorations throughout the hall. Karl Hermann Schmolze painted the ceiling murals of allegorical figures.
While the name sometimes causes visitors to expect a conservatory, the Academy has never had a faculty or offered classes of any kind. Various voice and instrumental competitions have taken place there, including the Pavarotti competition.
The ushers of The Academy of Music are known to be some of the best in the world. Donning their burgundy jackets, bow ties, and flash lights they are trained to handle any situation that can arise.
A 2007 donation of $5.3 million (USD) by Leonore Annenberg has been designated for restoration of the Academy's ballroom.[6] This was part of the almost $12 million (USD) in donations raised at the 150th anniversary concert for the Academy of Music.[7]
[edit] Acoustics
Although the Academy's press releases have always spoken of the excellent acoustics, performers have generally found them problematic. The cavernous spaces that allow for rapid set changes during an operatic performance do not make for good resonance. It is generally accepted that the so-called Philadelphia Sound was at least in part devised to compensate for this weakness. Various conductors have commented on the quality of the orchestral sound in the hall, as collected by Leo L. Beranek in his book Music, Acoustics & Architecture:
'Fritz Reiner said: "The Academy has very good acoustics although somewhat dry. It is like an Italian opera house."
Pierre Monteux: "This hall is too dry; the tone stops instantly. The sound should have a more flattering carry-over."
Herbert von Karajan: "There is good orchestral balance, but the sound is too small. One doesn't get full power from the climaxes."'[8]
Extensive renovations beginning in 1994 have maintained the building's architecture and made acoustic improvements.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Academy of Music (Philadelphia) |
- Academy of Music website
- 15 photos of the Academy of Music at Library of Congress - Historic American Buildings Survey
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ a b "Academy Of Music". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=501&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- ^ Tom Di Nardo, "Happy birthday: Academy of Music to celebrate 150 lavish years." Philadelphia Daily News, 24 January 2007.
- ^ Peter Dobrin, "A stalwart hall that does it all". Philadelphia Inquirer, 26 January 2007.
- ^ Charles E. Shedd, Jr., et al. (December 1979) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: American Academy of Music; Academy of Music, National Park Service and Accompanying one photo, exterior, undated
- ^ Peter Dobrin, "Academy ballroom gets major pledge". Philadelphia Inquirer, 23 January 2007.
- ^ Peter Dobrin, "Ways to show we treasure our Academy". Philadelphia Inquirer, 1 February 2007.
- ^ Peter Dobrin, "When the music was cutting-edge". Philadelphia Inquirer, 26 January 2007.
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