Now that I've got your attention, what does THAT mean? When Billy Joel finishes a rousing chorus of "Piano Man" the audience leaps to their feet. When the cast of Hamilton absolutely slays "Right Hand Man" (a number in the middle of the first act) it nearly stops the show. When arias are performed beautifully at prestigious opera houses the applause LITERALLY stops the show until the piece is sung again....see here ... and here ... also here. So if this is the case, why is it important that we sit on our hands between movements of symphonies, tone poems, and concertos...and maybe most importantly, IS it important?
Well duh, Matt, we sit on our hands for the benefit of the performers. What's interesting is that many artists do not mind and in some instances encourage the mid-performance applause. Check out what some of these key soloists and figures in the orchestra and opera worlds have to say...
“Clapping does not bother me in the least. When Beethoven pieces premiered, people would clap within the middle of the piece.” says Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony and São Paulo State Symphony.
″(Clapping) should be more a spontaneous part of the performance. Exploding in applause after a movement of a symphony — this does not bother me. We are trying to reach the heart of the people.” Gianandrea Noseda, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
When asked about the noise (applause between movements), Proms director David Pickard said: “I loved it."
“I really hope we can go back to the feeling that applause should be an emotional response to the music, rather than a regulated social duty.” Emanuel Ax
My personal favorite is the video below featuring Chris Thile, and a "shushing" story. This is one of the most brilliant minds and musicians in the world (I mean, the dude won a MacArthur Genius Grant) and he got a concert clap death stare from another patron who thought he was in breach of an unwritten etiquette law. I wonder if they knew who they 'shushed".
Recent Matrix Festival speaker, David Pogue takes the idea a step further, reminding us that it is commonplace for an audience to hold their coughing, sneezing, and seemingly any other bodily function, until the "silent moments" between movements. I've attending concerts when the sound is so cacophonous that it is a miracle the soloist doesn't wear a HAZMAT suit to avoid getting the Plague...
The trouble is this, orchestral music (and most music performed in a concert hall), is perceived as stuffy. Folks who have never experienced this type of music think it is arrogant and elitist. By behaving in this manner, we feed this stereotype and are hurting the art form we love. We make newcomers feel unwelcome and they don't return. The data backs this up. The brilliant Aubrey Bergauer, formerly of the California Symphony, alerted us of the Oliver Wyman Study that indicates 90% of those who attend a "classical" concert for the first time will not return. What if we all worked together to ensure these folks had the best possible experience rather than passively demeaning them over the timing of applause. We all love music and ensuring it continues to thrive is reliant on ALL of us. So my final plea is this...when you hear someone clapping at the "wrong time" replace this move:
with this one:
You never know how you can alienate or enhance the experience of an orchestral newbie. Let's all work together to make sure we all have a great time at a performance.
And now, listen to this amazing music and have a great day!
