White Rock Concerts 

Concert Etiquette

How many times have you been at a classical music concert only to have your enjoyment of the performance damaged by the poor manners of someone sitting nearby? In a classical concert, talking and moving about are a distraction to those around you.

When attending such a concert, keep these eight simple rules in mind.

1.Enter and exit your seat only between selections. If possible, wait until the audience is applauding before moving.

2.Don't talk and please try not to cough during a performance.

3.Cell phones off or on vibrate please!

4.Do not unwrap candy while the musicians are playing.

5.It is customary to applaud when the musicians first come out on the stage. They will bow to acknowledge your applause and the concert will begin.

6.Some classical pieces of music are broken down into parts called "movements." In between these movements the music will briefly stop. Do not applaud between movements.

7.Whistling, yelling, or otherwise congratulating the performers is generally not appropriate.

8.Please refrain from wearing strongly scented perfumes or colognes for the comfort of other sensitive audience members.

How did not applauding between movemments come to be?

The convention of silence during performances developed late in the 19th century.

Mozart expected that people would eat and talk over his music, particularly at dinner, and was delighted when his audience would clap during his symphonies.

Mahler clamped down on claques paid to applaud a particular performer and specified in the score of his Kindertotenlieder that its movements should not be punctuated by applause. 

Wagner discouraged what he considered distracting noises from his audience at Bayreuth in 1882.

Since the 19th century it has come to be considered good etiquette not to applaud betweeen movements, but to maintain the mood of the piece until the end, and then share your appreciation with the artists.