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OVERVIEW
Audiences at live per for mances of art music adhere to a num-
ber of par tic u lar traditions, expectations, and be hav iors that
are not usually observed at popu lar music concerts and ven-
ues. This chapter introduces how to prepare for attending a
concert, what to expect from concert programs, and how per-
formers and audiences behave during per for mances.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the pro cess of acquiring tickets and pre-
paring for concerts and recitals
2. To understand the format and nature of the information
typically featured in concert programs
3. To understand the formalities of concert audience eti-
quette and onstage be hav iors
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. Share with your students the design, format, and infor-
mational content of vari ous types of concert programs
(chamber recital, symphony orchestra, opera, etc.). The
New York Philharmonic maintains a digital archive of
all of its programs since 1842, many of which have been
digitized as PDFs (http:// archives . nyphil . org / ). Students
should note the vari ous kinds of information featured in
the programs (titles of pieces, composer, tempi of move-
ments, etc.), as well as any other miscellaneous items
(notes, biographical sketches, etc.). Having students com-
pare historical and con temporary programs will help
underscore the tradition of concert programming since
OUTLINE
I. Becoming an Informed Listener
A. Best ways to “study” music
1. focused listening strategies
2. repeated, attentive listening
3. gain familiarity, understanding
B. Importance of music in live per for mance
1. visual and aural stimulation
2. ele ment of unpredictability
3. unique communicative powers
4. consult Concertgoer’s Guide
C. Be an active listener
1. set aside distractions, music in the foreground
2. develop musical memory
a. develop sense of time
b. take notes: respond objectively and
sub jec tively
D. Textbook Listening Guides
1. “What to Listen For”
a. note style traits, listen for “markers”
2. exercises provided throughout book
II. Per for mance Matters
A. Number of criteria shape interpretation
1. alternate per for mances featured throughout the
book
2. musical instruments: changed over the centuries
a. ensembles grew substantially in size
b. 1800s, orchestra came into being
c. early music instrument timbres differ from
modern instruments
3. uniqueness of interpretation: root of musical
expressiveness
PRELUDE 1 Listening to Music
4 | Prelude 1
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Some students may nd the serious concert experience sti-
ing, rigid, and elitist, especially after covering a chapter that
details the etiquette of classical music audience be hav ior.
Although these concert hall traditions are alive and well, it
ences. The opposite is also true, with rock, pop, and jazz per-
formers drawing on the concert tradition to give their
audiences a new experience, as in MTV’s Unplugged acous-
tic concert series and the numerous “pops” concerts featur-
ing pop, rock, soul, and jazz singers (Chris Botti, Pink
Martini, Melissa Etheridge, Natalie Cole, Indigo Girls, etal.).
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
the nineteenth century. The New York Philharmonic
programs of March8, 1895 and January27, 2012, for
example, both featured celebrated violinists performing
the Beethoven Violin Concerto (Eugène Ysaÿe in 1895,
Frank Peter Zimmermann in 2012). (Note: If you teach
this Prelude at the beginning of a course, you may need
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Search online for live per for mances of Western art music
(“classical”) and popu lar music (e.g., rock, hip- hop,
country, etc.). What unites these two kinds of experi-
ences, and what separates them? Why do you think these
differences exist? How do the audiences interact with the
performers in these dif fer ent scenarios? Are there any
