In the March 9 Tempo, critic John von Rhein devotes the fourth paragraph of his review of pianist Stewart Goodyear’s March 7 concert to criticizing the audience for applauding “between almost every movement of every piece.” He goes on in a rather dismissive tone, saying, “The piano series crowd used to be more sophisticated.”
If there is one thing that classical music does not need, as it tries to attract and develop new audiences, it is for those who are a part of the classical music establishment to demean those who might be coming new to our concert halls.
But to make matters even worse, von Rhein is apparently unaware that, historically, those who applaud between movements of Mozart sonatas are behaving precisely as audiences did in Mozart’s time. Not applauding between movements is almost entirely a 20th Century convention–one of the conventions that has surrounded our art with an aura of mysticism and artificial sanctity that has separated it from a wider public.
There is extensive written documentation up through the end of the 19th Century indicating that composers and performers expected and welcomed applause between movements. In Hector Berlioz’ essay on Beethoven’s symphonies, he observes that the second movement of the Seventh Symphony is the most popular with audiences, “because it always gets the longest applause.”
It is certainly possible, and perhaps even desirable, to initiate and stimulate intelligent public discussion on the behavior appropriate at classical concerts. But that discussion needs to be informed by knowledge of the history surrounding that subject, and needs to be held without insulting people who are helping to keep the art alive by purchasing tickets with their hard-earned money.
