FCSingers,clapping

Again, here are two unrelated, well, somewhat related items.
http://forestcitysingers.com/

Here is what a friend knowledgeable in this things recently said... in response to my observation that people clapped after the third of four movements in the performance of Tshaikovsky's Pathethique that I recently attended.

... For centuries it has been considered unacceptable and a faux pas to applaud after any single movement in a multi-movement piece and only appropriate to applaud at the end of the piece.

However, at least in the U.S., some people don't seem to give a hoot about that rule - probably because they don't know about it. Inevitably once a small portion of the audience starts wildly applauding after a rousing movement, the rest of the audience hesitantly joins in so as not to appear lacking in appreciation in spite of the fact that they know it's a faux pas.

It's a natural human inclination to want to show appreciation after a particularly fabulous movement and especially if it is loud and climactic at the end. Therefore my recommendation to the governing body is to come out and shout to the world - GO AHEAD AND CLAP YOUR HEART OUT after a movement if the spirit moves you, but please do NOT clap after slow movements.

The conductor usually controls this pretty well by continuing to hold the baton at attention once the slow movement ends - you can tell you're not supposed to clap. I think the transition between a slow movement and its subsequent movement is more important to preserve, uninterrupted, than the break following a climactic-ending movement.