Topmusicanswers
One aspect of concert manners can be a bit confusing: knowing when to clap. At most other kinds of concerts, people clap whenever the music stops, but in classical music you wait to clap until the very end of a piece.
...
When music is playing:
- Be quiet.
- Stay put.
- Don't clap until the whole piece is over.
- Is clapping rude?
- Do you clap when the conductor walks on stage?
- Should you clap between movements?
- How do you clap properly?
Is clapping rude?
While during a play it would be deemed rude to begin applauding in the middle of the performance, one often hears clapping throughout an opera in appreciation for a particularly difficult piece of music. ... So, it can be said that clapping has now evolved into an expectation and standard of behavior.
Do you clap when the conductor walks on stage?
When the conductor, concertmaster, and guest artists walk on stage: When the conductor steps on the platform and raises his or her baton, all clapping ceases, and the audience becomes silent.
Should you clap between movements?
“Music is emotion. If it makes you feel, you should clap.” Today's conductors and performers are largely not opposed to applause between movements, though they make distinctions between obligatory clapping and real, spontaneous audience reaction.
How do you clap properly?
Open your hands and clap your palms against each other, with the fingers held up towards the sky. Do it hard enough to get a good loud smacking sound out of it, but not so hard you turn your hand red. Some people clap more by clapping the fingers of one hand against the palm of the other.
