Musical period as a factor in exposing orchestra musicians to loud sounds

Numerous studies on noise exposure and hearing loss risk of musicians playing in symphonic or chamber ensembles have been published in the literature. Typically, such studies present data averaged over a specific measurement time during which various repertoire is played, usually not thoroughly analyzed. This often creates concerns that the selection of musical pieces for the measurement may be an important factor determining the sound exposure. Our study was undertaken to examine how the musical repertoire from the classical, neo-romantic and 20th century periods differs in the exposure level (LAeq) measured near the ears of musicians who play various instruments. The results show that the difference caused by the selection of the repertoire may range from 2 to 6 dB(A), depending on the instrument. In the case of some instruments such a difference may cause a significant change in the physiological load imposed on the musicians’ auditory system.