Klarinet Archive - Posting 000088.txt from 2005/08

From: "Bruce M" <bmcgar@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Robert Schoen
Date: Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:49:24 -0400


I haven't read the whole thread, so I apologize if this has already been
mentioned or if I've gotten off the subject.

Something that we have to realize as performers is that, 99%+ percent of the
time, people's entertainment comes from television, radio, or movies in
theaters where "information" only flows one way and the audience is isolated
from the performance. Consequently, people simply don't realize that what
they do affects the performers; that we can hear coughing, talking,
applause, and so forth, and that these can be very irritating for those on
stage and those around them.

When I was a young man, this phenomenon wasn't nearly so widespread. People
with crying babies or persistent coughs would remove themselves so as not to
disturb anyone. And people certainly would not carry on loud, lengthy
conversations with each other or, as they do now, on their cell phones while
the performers were on stage. However, all these things happen regularly
now, in the era of CDs, iPODs, and "personal entertainment systems." People
act, now, as if they are encapsulated in exclusive environments.

I happened to be at a concert of the Shiphills Brass Band from the U.K. the
other night, and though the conductor nicely but persistently and frequently
mentioned that they were recording for a new CD release, a crying baby and
loud conversation were audible to me in the middle of the auditorium, and
the baby and parents were in the front row not six feet from the left
channel mic. The parents never removed the baby and the others never quit
talking, despite several too-good-natured prompts from the conductor

Did these people intend to be rude? I think not. They just didn't know what
they were doing: their frames of reference did not include the performers or
the other audience members. They were clueless.

Modern audiences--even audiences attending high-falutin' professional
concerts--just don't realize that what they're doing affects everyone else
there; they're just used to being in front of their televisions and radios,
where they can do as they please, attend or not, clamber around, or have
conversations.

Of course, this is different in many folk and jazz venues, yet there is a
certain set of rules in those too about what is appropriate and what isn't,
as other posters have mentioned. Though they allow "outbursts" and audience
noise, those tend not to be disruptive.

What can be done? Not much. About the only thing that I have done is to wait
as long as necessary for quiet before starting or between movements, though
twice I've stopped completely during a piece when the noise level increased
to the point that it bothered me. However, if I perform again, I'm seriously
considering giving a friendly mini-lecture before I start.

Cheers.

B. McGarvey

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