Violin Forum/Message Board

[LSOviolinist]

Hello fellow members. I was recently intrigued while reading some articles on the subject of clapping etiquette. Some said that it was only appropriate after the entire work had been performed, others wanted to clap after each movement. I have my own thoughts on this subject, but I was curios to hear your opinions. Thanks! By the way, I am referring strictly to classical concerts and performances.
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- LSOviolinist

[John Cadd]

If you clap between movements you disturb the feeling between movements. They are related to each other. If people insist on their right to make any noise when they want , you open the door to whoopin and hollerin.Popcorn can then be eaten in a quiet passage --That`s your right!--Talking while they play is then OK. Let`s all pretend it`s just a Hill Billy Hoe Down. Yep! They play fiddles too.You may like to drag in a bale of hay to set yourself down. It`s your right .Nobody has a right to stop you. Feel free. The good old American way.

[RuthBrons]

Time stands still for no one, and I think this tradition is now bending.
I have noticed in recent years that some savvy conductors I have played for in the NYC area have been making a point to give their audiences permission to disregard the no clapping rule [which is a tradition not as old as one might think] if they truly feel moved and want to express their excitement and appreciation. Yes, it is a slippery slope in terms of having a concert honor the composers wish to paint sound on a silent canvas, but, with orchestras folding in epidemic numbers, it is perhaps smart audience building to to permit, or even encourage, this level of audience participation in the music experience. And, honestly, I have yet to see a performer really resent being shown appreciation!

Best Wishes,
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Ruth Brons
Inventor of Bow Hold Buddies[tm] Instant Bow Hold bow accessory for Beginners
www.things4strings.com

[Jack H.]

save it up for the end and then show your appreciation, that is when the musicians WANT to hear you clap.

[John Cadd]

The Promenade concerts in London have gone down market musically in an attempt to get or keep audiences. Stuff like West side Story with sopranos. I switch that off if I`m expecting classical music. The Last Night used to have a cheerful feel about it. Now it`s unwatchable.I know what`s coming and don`t even switch on. Gain one audience and lose another. I remember an old Scottish comedian making a rare appearance at the end of his carreer and he asked them not to clap too much at the end as it hurt his ears. That`s what I feel about clapping. Maybe it will become like a Frank Sinatra concert.Clapping begins in the 3rd bar when they cotton on to what the tune is.

[Lemuel]

It seems to depend on the rapport developed between the performer(s) and audience. I remember witnessing a wide variety of responses from the audience during numerous classical concerts.

Some performers want to communicate more with the audience, to introduce humor, to break the ice, to loosen up or free the spirit so to speak. By the end of the concert, the audience is clapping within the first few seconds of an encore. The performer(s) feel free with the audience, so the audience tends to reflect it back.

Other performers appear much more serious, or colder. So the audience response back in the same manner.

[John Cadd]

It sounds very odd to me. I suppose players who express their discomfort with the clapping will get rotten eggs and tomatoes at their next concert.

[Lemuel]

[John Cadd]

No I have only seen the English way of clapping. Is there another country that does the in - between clapping?

[John Cadd]

I know from what some players on another forum have said that they don`t like the clapping. Here`s a good way round it all. Many players write a cadenza of their own to add to a concerto. How about composers writing fill- ins which could be played by one player as a transition device to block up the hole which would be filled up with an unpleasant racket called clapping? Just do it and watch them all squirm. Composers could devise a set of rules for these add-ons to get from the last key to the next one.

[John Cadd]

Now I remember the discussion after Itzak Perlmann gently suggested not to clap. He jokingly said Beethoven had just sent him a message that he wanted silence in between movements. He did it in a very friendly polite style. One member ripped into him accusing him of claiming some special powers.I commented at the time. " Itzak getting stick on a violin forum. That takes some beating".

[Lemuel]

[John Cadd]

Lemuel Half way through your post I remembered a concert in a Church. Then I read your last piece about Churches. I can identify with the frustration of not clapping now. It was almost unbearable to not clap at all at the end.Am I developing Schizophrenia? There was much less freedom in my school. The Christian Brothers would knock seven bells out of you if you stepped out of line. It`s a fun subject though. The worst is a very frowning , sneering attitude and disaproval if some do it a different way. As long as they feel enthusiastic it`s good. Remember how the end of " Meditation " catches out the unwary ? That tiny extra bit .Do you think the composer did that on purpose? He must have realised.

[Lemuel]

[LSOviolinist]

I'm grateful for everyone's input. Thank you.
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- LSOviolinist