Concert Appreciation Etiquette

Concert Appreciation Etiquette

Introduction: Concerts are very different from concerts. When the atmosphere reaches its highest point, you can cheer, be excited, and Scream... But concerts are different. Concerts pursue elegance and quietness. So when you go to a concert, what should you pay attention to? Come and take a look at the music with me. Etiquette and precautions!

Preparation before enjoying the concert:

Be familiar with the music before enjoying the concert

If Most of the concert pieces you are about to listen to will be unfamiliar to you, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with them first. If you are willing to spend money to buy CDs, this is of course the best way. Not only can you enjoy them for any time, but you can also collect them permanently. If you don't want to spend money, and especially if you're not sure you'll like the tracks, borrowing them from friends or the library can be a great way to save money. It would be better if you could listen to different versions of performance recordings, because each performer has his or her own unique interpretation style for the same piece of music. Appreciating and comparing different performance interpretations will help you understand the full picture of the piece. It can also help establish your own standards of appreciation. If you don't have much time to listen to the home version, that's okay. I have heard it at least once or twice, and it is always easier for people to accept and like things that are more or less familiar to them.

At least be familiar with the main repertoire first

Usually we may not have or borrow recordings of every performance repertoire, especially if we don’t have enough time. So, it is recommended that you start by listening to the main repertoire. . The main piece of a concert is usually the first piece after the intermission or the finale of the entire concert (if it is a symphony, there is usually only one piece after the intermission). The arrangement is of course arranged in this order to prevent the audience from leaving after the first half. Secondly, the second track in the first half is usually quite weighty. Of course, you may also choose this concert because you like other works in the concert. Please don’t get me wrong. Non-main repertoire does not mean that the music is not good (I heard the musicians protesting again). Usually The work selected as the main repertoire may be the performer's best masterpiece, or a new work that has been practiced hard recently (although the piece may be two or three hundred years old), or it may be the technique used in the entire concert. The most difficult and most revealing of the performer's superb technical skills are sometimes the heaviest and complete series of performances, such as all movements 1-4 of the sonata, and sometimes because it is the first premiere of the piece in the region. , or important works by local composers, are often selected as the main repertoire.

Concert dress etiquette:

Western movies always like to ridicule women who attend concerts. They call it a noble reason to enjoy the concert, but in fact it is for the intermission. During coffee time, the main purpose is to compete with other female friends, gossip, and be jealous. Although there are some ironies, there are also realistic and appropriate descriptions. For example, the scene of women at concerts queuing up in a long line just to enter the girls' restroom is really not an exaggeration at all. Indeed, many concerts have even extended the intermission time for this purpose. Yes! So, when you are ready to enjoy a concert, the first thing you should pay attention to is: don’t eat or drink too much food before the concert that will make you run to the toilet frequently. Of course, don’t eat too much and make yourself burp on the spot, which has become the most unpopular accompaniment for temporary accompaniment!

Regarding the dress for attending concerts, the most common situation at home and abroad is that men wear suits and women Wear a dress (skirt) or a small dress. In many formal occasions, it is still considered impolite for women to wear trousers. If it is a well-known concert such as a concert of the Four Tenors or a major concert, both men and women will even dress formally. Evening dress, especially in European countries, pays more attention to dress than the United States. A group of elderly women wearing low-cut evening dresses to attend concerts is not uncommon in Vienna's concert venues. The entrances of some concert halls are differentiated by the price of seats! Of course, dress appropriately. It not only shows personal qualities, but also shows respect and courtesy to the performers, but it is true that some people use the occasion of the concert to show off their gorgeous and noble clothes.

Generally speaking, except for outdoor concerts, which do not require clothing, it is still recommended that everyone pay attention to the neatness of clothing and appearance when listening to concert performances in concert halls. Although there is no need to be overly flashy, it is best to avoid jeans, slippers or fancy clothes.

Notes on bringing children to attend:

Even if you are attending a concert specially designed for children and the atmosphere is not as serious as an ordinary concert, you should still tell your children in advance that the concert venue Unlike a movie theater, it is forbidden to make noise or eat in the venue, and of course it is not possible to eat popcorn or drink Coke during the performance! Let your children understand this in advance to avoid getting angry and crying after entering the venue. Although you should make sure your children are well fed before the performance, do not eat too many types of food to avoid indigestion, stomachaches during the performance, trips to the toilet, and burping or unpleasant odors. Make yourself uncomfortable and cause discomfort to those around you. If you are worried that your child is hungry or thirsty, you can comfort your child during halftime, and use the time to drink with your child to talk about your appreciation of the first half. For example: Which piece of music do you like the most? Which performance do you appreciate the most? How does the child feel? What instrument sounds like the most? And think about how much time the performer spends preparing, etc. If you are enjoying a musical, you can also discuss the plot, scenery, props, dance steps, etc., so that children can express their magical experience of music and understand the hard work behind a wonderful performance.

In addition, if the child is in poor health that day, such as a severe cold, fever, cough, runny nose, etc., it is also best to reluctantly cancel the activity. In addition to consuming mental and physical strength, it is difficult to recover, and the pain of wanting to cough but not being able to is It is even more unbearable. One thing that is difficult for Chinese people to understand is that foreigners think that it is very impolite to cough during a concert or meeting. The person involved usually has to run away and disappear from the scene as quickly as possible, but they do not like coughing loudly. The movements and sounds of snot are not offensive, and some people even openly blow their noses during concerts!

It is very important to enter the venue on time:

The Chinese people’s concept of time has always been well understood. Criticism, especially for weddings and funerals, is that it is commonplace and even taken for granted that the reception time is not punctual. Fortunately, the situation of unpunctuality in concerts in metropolitan cities has been greatly improved. However, if the venue is not good, the scale is small, or the concert is in a remote country, unpunctuality is still common. In fact, no matter what the occasion, being late is very rude. It is best to arrive about 15 minutes before the performance starts so that you can fully familiarize yourself with the environment and have enough time to read the music explanations. Only then can you take your time, relax, and enjoy the performance of listening to music. Of course, the repertoire of many concerts is also designed specifically for this point. The first repertoire is usually arranged with shorter music, so that latecomers can enter during the gap before the second performance. Of course, there are also more More and more concert halls are strictly restricting late arrivals. The entrance door will be closed at the beginning of the performance, and latecomers can only enter during the intermission.

Don’t make noise:

Today’s electronic products are popular, from early electronic watches, B. B. Call, a mobile phone that almost everyone has in their hands now, is the most unpopular product in music venues. Please remember to turn it off beforehand to avoid ringing and attracting angry glares from everyone. It’s even better not to experience the taste that a thousand people have pointed out! If you listen to it with the person you like, she will definitely be very disappointed in you! Of course, many theaters have now set up special equipment so that your mobile phone has no signal, saving you time and money. Less hassle.

Are you worried about clapping with the wrong hand or clapping at the wrong time?

When listening to a concert with unfamiliar music, the most nervous thing is when to clap. The joke about slapping the wrong hand is also a topic that many music students chat about after dinner. There are fewer opportunities for people to shoot wrong hands at foreign concerts. Of course, this is related to their cultural background and the influence of classical music. Although wrong hands are more likely to happen to people who are listening to a concert for the first time, or who are unfamiliar with the repertoire. Even if you don’t understand the song, there are also situations where you forget to shoot the wrong hand because you are too familiar with the song.

Something like this happened abroad. I once heard Ms. Kiri Te Kanawa come to school to sing. Many of the attendees were elderly music fans. One of the songs was repeated many times, and the ending The accompaniment styles were all the same, and someone finally clapped the wrong hand (and there were quite a few people). When the piano accompaniment continued to play, the atmosphere was obviously a little awkward, but Ms. KiriTeKanawa, who was extremely elegant, made a "it doesn't matter" gesture, and Continue singing until all the repetitions are completed. The song is really over, but no one dares to clap. At this time, the humorous Miss Kiri Te Kanawa immediately made a gesture of "applause quickly", and thunderous applause burst out, which also aroused everyone's understanding. of "laughing". Is it serious to clap with the wrong hand? Who decides the rules of clapping? In fact, even professional musicians have different opinions on clapping.

Most people believe that the "wholeness" of the music should be respected, so clapping the wrong hand may affect the progress of the music and interfere with the performer's performance mood. For example, there is nothing wrong with clapping after the performance of an independent piece of music. However, if there is a movement-form piece of music such as a sonata, symphony, or suite, although there is usually a pause between each movement or dance. , but since they are still related to each other, clapping between movements or suites would destroy the integrity of the piece. Therefore, concerts all over the world now have the same tacit understanding, that is, applause together when the entire symphony or the entire group of music has been played. There is no individual clapping between movements and suites. Even some orchestra conductors, in order to prevent the audience from clapping, will deliberately keep their gestures raised during the pause time between movements, indicating that the music is not completely over yet. Some soloists will also use gestures to hint that if they keep still A gesture to continue playing, indicating that the music is still going on, etc. Of course, there are also those who are more powerful and just turn to the audience and say, "Please don't clap!"

Indeed, while the performers on the stage are performing brilliantly, the audience in the audience can also perform at a high level. Listeners, of course everyone is happy on stage and off stage, but some people will ask, isn’t it just because the music is so great and so exciting that they can’t help but want to clap their hands? Isn’t it wrong to do so? In fact, including myself Including, every performer who has had performance experience will not deny that applause is better than no applause! Of course, if the audience can strengthen their understanding of the music and improve their musical literacy, they will have a better understanding of the music itself and its performance. For readers, it is a sign of respect and is still worthy of encouragement and learning. However, for friends who shoot the wrong hand, we should also avoid treating them with contempt or "low standards". After all, everyone should If you are a beginner, what’s more, he may be really moved by the music and can’t help but applaud!

Here, I will provide you with a little trick. If you are not sure about when to applaud, I suggest you You might as well observe others and wait for others to clap first and then follow suit, and you won’t go wrong! At the same time, I also hope that the performers are as witty and graceful as Ms. Kiri Te Kanawa. Maybe the listeners have different levels of musical literacy, but any listener likes it Your music performances and their applause are a kind of encouragement and affirmation. While we are complaining that the audience for classical music is getting smaller and smaller, and the concert sales are getting worse, should we accept it happily with a grateful and tolerant mood? ?

Do you know where the seats in the concert hall are the best?

If I tell you, most concert halls are the same, the best seats are with the cheapest tickets. area, and the most expensive seats are actually the worst, do you believe it? Don’t think I’m joking, it’s true! In fact, the best seats in the concert hall happen to be at the back of the concert hall upstairs, because of the sound It floats upward and is best integrated when transmitted to a distance. Moreover, the design of many concert halls is low in the front and high in the back, so the most expensive position in the front row is usually lower than the height of the performer (singer), so the sound comes from these The top of the person's head floats over (without even paying attention to it, it seems a bit arrogant), directly to the top of the back of the head, which is perfectly integrated. Coupled with the reflection from the ceiling, the audience sitting there seems to be sitting next to the orchestra, and even more Immersive stereo sound. Audiences sitting at the front, right in front of the stage, with the most expensive tickets, will hear an unbalanced sound effect. Maybe a certain instrument part is particularly loud, while another part is particularly quiet, as if they have been swallowed by a grain of salt. If you add too much sugar and too little sugar, the taste of the dish will be distorted.

Therefore, the back seats of the concert hall are usually occupied by music students (because they have no money) and real connoisseurs. On the contrary, the expensive seats in front are reserved for VIPs and ladies in gorgeous clothes (anyway, many of them are just here to show off their clothes. It doesn’t matter if the sound is not good, it’s important that everyone can see the beautiful clothes.) So, don’t feel that Sorry to buy the cheapest ticket, because you are the expert. If you feel that the distance is too far and you cannot clearly see the performance on stage, you can bring a small telescope to ensure that it is so clear that even the wrinkles in the corners of your eyes cannot be avoided.

However, there is a situation where you can buy the position slightly forward in the middle, that is, when you want your child to see the instrument clearly. Although you can also prepare telescopes to see even more details, it is inconvenient for very young children to use telescopes. Therefore, in order to let the children see clearly how various musical instruments are played, in this case, I will deliberately choose a telescope with a wider field of view. Clear midsection. Occasionally give up the best sound effects once or twice as appropriate. ;