A couple of years ago our Fine Arts Department hosted a series of piano masterclasses and an evening recital. Our school is located in a rural area about 2.5 hours away from both Phoenix and Tucson. We had a ‘Meet the Clinician/Pianist’ potluck with the local music teacher association the first evening, but I was at a loss about what to do for entertainment on the second night.

When I arrived on the morning of the second day, I was greeted with the words WELCOME ST. PETERSBURG QUARTET!!! written in large friendly letters on the chalkboard. A few weeks earlier, one of my students had told me that there was “some string quartet concert” that her violin teacher wanted her to attend. I’m sorry to say that it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. Some string quartet all right!  So, of course, we went.

It was a wonderful concert. The hall was full and the audience enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. They clapped after every movement and two works had more than 5 movements each. As the evening progressed, I noticed that the second violinist was becoming more and more irritated each time the clapping broke out. Her mouth became a straight line. Her entire body tensed. I expected her to erupt into a full fledged tantrum at any minute. When I mentioned it to my friend–our pianist, he laughed and said, “Oh she was probably thinking–Just like home in Bratislava!”

I started on this train of thought after reading an online article entitled, Following Tradition Through Life. (Read the article here) In it, the author, Chuck Avery explored different concert protocols as well as other rituals in our society. There is food for thought here including the following: “One of the questions that everyone faces sooner or later is how much is one going to let tradition rule his life.”

Musical manners have changed drastically over the centuries. Haydn is reputed to have written his Surprise and Farewell Symphonies as humorous protests over the rudeness of the audiences of the time. Could an entire orchestra really have left the stage one by one without the audience noticing? It is inconceivable to us in 2010. The symphony is now enjoyed as ritual humor.

Silence during the performance and between movements is traditional in our time. I was schooled to be quiet during concerts and recitals so as not to disturb the listening of others or the concentration of the performers. Cough drops are routinely handed out lest a paroxysm break out and create a chain reaction. Small children are discouraged from attending some venues. However, even those who are in the know are caught out from time to time by unfamiliar pieces and dim lighting, which makes following the program impossible.

As a performer, I have experienced some breaches of protocol. A number of years ago, I was performing a selection of pieces from Messiaen’s Regard’s of the Infant Jesus. It was near the very quiet ending of the First Communion of the Virgin, that the knocking began. It was followed by fierce whispering. I thought it went on forever and the glorious ending of the piece was ruined. Let’s just say that when I began the final piece, there was indeed a royal cacophony–my goose-stepping Magi were larger than life.

One spring I played Liszt’s Gnomenreigen on a mixed program. The performance wasn’t my best but I absolutely nailed the il piu Presto Possibile e ff without having to fight for it. When I was finished I was greeted by whistles and sports-like cries from one large family. It was a huge compliment. However, at the time I was embarrassed by it. Certainly the other audience members and performers looked at the hooters as though they had lobsters crawling out of their ears.

Most of us do not crave receiving flying hotel keys, personal garments, or… Well, maybe we do crave bills in large denominations. Obviously, no performer would want to have negative reactions expressed boisterously through booing or large pieces of rotten fruit sailing through the air. But, surely there is room for some kind of compromise? I advise my students to nod and smile at the audience when it is appropriate and to sit quietly and wait for peace to return when they need to. After all, the audience’s response is a gift and our mothers taught us all to say thank you no matter what–period.

Share