For cripes’ sakes people. I know we’re not all sophisticated concert goers. I know that some of the music was written recently instead of being well-known classical pieces.
But here’s a clue: if the musicians still have their bows poised over their instruments, or are still staring intently at their sheet music, it usually means…well…that they’re not done playing yet! Clapping at every goddamn pause in the playing is rude and annoying to everyone, including the musicians. I know it’s difficult, but try to pay attention; when the musicians look up at the audience, it generally means they are finished. Not before!
Oh, and as a sidenote: I know we’re not exactly NYC when it comes to fashion, and that’s part of what’s good about living here. Pretensions are pretty much scorned. But dude (at the concert), the dirty, baggy gray sweatpants with the elastic waist and cuffs held up by suspenders, combined with a ‘fuck you’ t-shirt, is way beyond tacky. The neo-nazi bald head and long goatee just makes you look silly at your age. I mean, this was a string quartet, not Grateful Dead.
I agree wholeheartedly, and want to throw in theatre events, too. Yeah, there’s a blackout. We appreciate your enthusiasm for the show. But when we have to wait for you to finish so that we can proceed after what should have been a 20 second pause, take the applause down a few notches.
And, my fellow Seattle concertgoers, although you’re good about holding your applause until the proper time, I would like to point out that the performers don’t actually *expect *a standing ovation. A nice round of applause from your seat would suffice. That way, when you *do *give a standing ovation, it will mean something.
Try hearing Beethoven’s Ninth live for the first time in your life - with the added bonus of a big chunk of the audience applauding after each movement.
It was divine. It also elicited quite a few violent thoughts. I wonder if Anthony Burgess had a similar inspiration before he wrote A Clockwork Orange.
Oh, yes! I remember reading somewhere that every theater/concertgoer is “permitted” three standing ovations in their lifetime, so use them carefully. Standing ovations are for performances which are so intensely, superlatively excellent that you doubt you will ever attend a better show. They are to be given extremely sparingly.
Tangentially, this of course rules out the half-assed “de rigeur” standing ovation, in which the audience member lurches to her feet and slouches, holding the program in one hand and clapping at half-speed. If you’re not so enthusiastic about the show that your emotions overwhelm you and you leap from your seat in a show of spontaneous, overwhelmed joy and wonder, then you’ve got no business on your feet in the first place.
The director/conductor of the Portland (Maine) Symphony was reputed to have once told an audience, “Thank you for your applause. For an encore, we will now finish the song.”
Oh yeah. It seems like some people will start, and then everybody is too embarrased to remain sitting. When I went to the Trans-Syberian Orchestra we had a moment exactly like that, and we were one of the few people who remained seated. I mean I was clapping, but they weren’t good enough for a standing ovation by any means.
yes, and why DO people give SO to every performance? I don’t get it. (with the exception of school plays, of course–and even then–by HS, you need to be good enough to get me out of my seat).
Similiar puzzle: why dont’ people clap at the end of movies anymore?
It appears that the cultural foundation of my world are crumbling about me…
Are you defending that? You’d actually rather here a bunch of slackjawed dunderheads clapping than the actual music you paid to see? I really, really hate when people do that. Especially when there’s not even a pause; the tempo slows and the volume drops for two seconds and everyone starts clapping. Why are people so anxious to clap early that they can’t wait for the music to at least stop first?
Was this the norm at some point? I find it infuriatingly stupid when people do that; the performers are not there to be applauded. So who’s being applauded? The hormonal adolescent who switches on the projector?
Lights dim: applause
Performing Arts Center flack comes out on stage: applause
Flack says a few words about sponsors: applause for sponsors
Flack says it’s time to start the concert: applause as she exits
Ying Quartet comes on stage: applause
::string of inappropriate applause moments during playing::
Turtle Island String Quartet comes on stage: loud applause
::see above::
Intermission
More of the same until end of concert.
Loud, sustained and deserved applause for these two outstanding quartets. Then standing O starts. I refuse to stand. Wife looks at me in askance.
Encore, more applause, another standing O.
Second encore, still more applause, and another standing O.
Wife: Didn’t you enjoy the concert?
Me: Yes, very much. Very innovative and talented artists.
W: But you didn’t want to stand?
Me: That’s correct. It’s become a cliche and I won’t participate unless it’s a truly spectacular and mesmerizing concert. You’ll note that I also didn’t applaud for the goddamn spokeswoman or the oil company sponsors who in all likelihood were not present. Mr. Trump, I am NOT a sheep!
I think of applause as half feedback for the performers, and half expression for the audience. At the end of a movie, it’s “Hey, I really enjoyed that!”, not “Nicely done, J. Lo!”
Most likely thread title to make one do a double-take ever…
That aside, yeah, it does seem like an excessive amount of clapping. I also never take part in any applauding the movie screen. It just sat there and had images projected onto it 32 times a second. It didn’t do anything applause-worthy.
at a lot of rock/jazz/etc shows, after a wicked guitar/drum/bass/vocal solo that sounded like god (or satan) himself was being channeled, people furiously clap to tell the guy to keep on rocking or something of that nature, and pay homage. I have no idea why someone would do it for the full orchestra in a lull unless it had been a violin/tuba/pan flute solo…
YES-it was the done thing–at least in the South, Midwest and New England when I was growing up: 1962-1980.
It may seem a bit strange–because the performers are not present. But look at it this way-the audience is recognizing and appreciating that it just shared a moving, comedic (fill in blank here for type of movie it was) experience and reflects that joy/sorrow/excitement back to itself. You could tell bad movies by the abysmal applause.(and also by having sat thru it, but this provided you with feedback outside your own judgement–something lacking today in real time, anyway).
I miss it. And yet, I noticed tons of clapping after Columbine and F-9/11 and also LOTR. So perhaps it’s more that the movie must be perceived as an event of some kind–a watershed or statement?
Dunno-but I miss it.
Agree with your first point. Clapping in between movements or beginning the applause before the last note (and even before that very necessary IMHO moment of silence just after the last note where the piece has time to sufficiently end) is disrupting to the experience. It’s difficult for me to find blame in these people because perhaps they really just don’t understand how this works. They may be ignorant, but that doesn’t mean they are maliciously trying to ruin it for others. I wouldn’t want to thumb my nose at them for fear of perpetuating the perception that classical music is elitist. I hope that they feel comfortable enough to come back to future concerts and eventually understand why this is inappropriate. But still, your point is certainly worthy of a pitting for venting purposes.
As to the second point, ::shrugg:: meh. How people dress in no way impacts my enjoyment of the music. Again, I think not taking such a harsh view of dress will help tear down the perception of elitism the general public has towards “high brow” music and art. YMMV.
Incidentally, I think a tee-shirt that says “fuck you” is tacky in just about any context.
I thought this was going to be a thread about people who clap early during the Star Spangled Banner. There are words after “the land of the free,” you know. Geez, I’ve heard people start clapping as soon as “that our flag was still there.”
