In person: Twelve Pistol Shots and an Overture: Architecture, Music and Acoustics in 20th Century Britain
Twelve Pistol Shots and an Overture: Architecture, Music and Acoustics in 20th Century Britain
Wednesday 1 October 2025 at 6.30pm – 8pm
The Gallery, 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
Fiona Smyth author of Pistols in St Paul’s (University of Manchester Press, 2024) will explore a series of experiments in architecture and ‘designing for musical tone’ which shaped the path of acoustics in the first half of the twentieth century.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the innovative experiments, which took place at sites ranging from Herbert Baker’s Assembly Chamber in Delhi to Abbey Road Studios and a disused munitions factory near Perivale, would come to define the field of ‘architectural acoustics’. They culminated in 1951 with the opening of the Royal Festival Hall – the first building to be designed for musical tone.
London’s Royal Festival Hall opened in 1951 after a series of public tuning concerts. An iconic building, it was also an archetype in designing for musical tone. The procedure fused architecture, music, engineering, and science, and was predicated upon a tempered construction process, implemented in phases and interspersed with tuning concerts.
Fiona Smyth is Assistant Professor in the History and Theory of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
C20 Society Member £11;
Non-Member £16;
Young C20 member + guest Free*;
Student + guest £5 **
Includes a glass of wine
*For Young C20 members, please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to secure a place.
**For student pricing please select from the dropdown option next to ‘membership number’ on the booking form below.
Click here for our latest cancellation policy.
Note: This event is hybrid and is being run both in-person at Cowcross Street Gallery and online via Zoom. The event will be recorded and offered as a catch-up lecture for those who have booked and will be available for two weeks.
Not a member yet? Join Here and benefit from event ticket discounts.
Looking to support our campaigning? Donate to our casework Here.
The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider.
The Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
Image above: Inside Royal Festival Hall, photo by University for the Creative Arts, CC BY 2.0