Optimal reverberation time depends on the music being performed.

Evidence

However, as in many pleasurable aspects of life, reverberation must be taken in moderation. In fact, the most appropriate length of reverberation time depends on the nature of the music being played. For example, fast pieces of contrapuntal music, like that of Scarlatti or Mozart, require a shorter reverberation time compared with large romantic works, like those of Wagner or Berlioz, to be enjoyed at their best. The most extreme reverberation times are often found in cathedrals, ice rinks and railway stations, and these acoustics can convert many musical events to “mush,” yet to hear slow vocal polyphony, for example works by Palestrina, in a cathedral acoustic can be ravishing! This is because the composer has made use of the likely performance acoustic as part of the composition. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1821

However, as in many pleasurable aspects of life, reverberation must be taken in moderation. In fact the most appropriate length of reverbera­ tion time depends on the nature of the music being played. For example, fast pieces of contrapuntal music, like that of Scarlatti or Mozart, require a shorter reverberation time compared with large romantic works, like that of Wagner or Berlioz, to be enjoyed at their best. The most extreme rever­ beration times are often found in cathedrals, ice rinks, and railway stations and these acoustics can convert many musical events to “mush” yet to hear slow vocal polyphony, for example works by Palestrina, in a cathedral acoustic can be ravishing! This is because the composer has made use of the likely performance acoustic as part of the composition. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1857

Categorization

• XREF: Composers writing to the acoustic of a space echoes earlier themes of environments shaping artistic expression. — connects to: Reverberation times range from fractions of a second to ten seconds — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1744
• CANDY: Cathedrals, ice rinks and railway stations turn music to mush but suit slow polyphony — a fun trivia point.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1821; David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1857