snobbery

concerts are the ultimate venue for a musician to live out her snobbery.

do you clap in between movements at classical music concerts?

i do not. i used to cringe and feel embarassed for people who did. now i cringe and feel ashamed of the audience as a whole, for the majority of people around here clap between movements.

if i am in the minority, how do i know i'm right?

because of the annoyed, tight smiles on the performers' faces while waiting for that applause to die down.

do you clap after solos in jazz performances? i do. often i am the only one. again, how do i know i'm right? because of the silently shared chuckles and head shakes from the performers when the audience fails to listen closely enough to applaud their improvisations.

is this a reflection of the fact that i am a musician, or is it me trying to make myself feel as though i am one? sometimes the biggest snobs are the ones who don't really belong to the club.

tonight, however, i was not ashamed of the audience, for i could tell that the performers understood that though we didn't follow the etiquette, it was only because we were so excited, sincere, and generous with our appreciation.

addendum: sometimes i really want to bust out clapping at the end of a great (classical) cadenza. haven't been able to bring myself to do it (boy, would that confuse the rest of the audience!) but i think if i were the performer it would make me swell with pride.