Schumann and Mendelssohn tacitly addressed the applause issue by writing certain major works without movement breaks. (Photo: Public domain) So what happened in the concert hall? When did applause between movements stop? When did audiences become mere spectators and consumers instead of active participants at orchestra concerts? Why are concertgoers essentially forced into silence? Sometimes they raise such a ruckus that the aria is encored before the performance can continue. It's accepted practice, and nobody gets cut down with withering glances. To this day, opera audiences routinely break into applause after a big solo. Brahms figured his first piano concerto was a total flop because there was so little audience response. If audiences didn't applaud during the performance, composers would get worried. Some composers actually composed their music to incite audience response in the midst of a piece. And the enraptured audience at the premiere of Mozart's "Paris" Symphony were similarly appreciative. It happened numerous times at the premiere of Grieg's Piano Concerto. In their day, audiences spontaneously clapped when they heard something they really liked - even if it meant breaking into the music before its conclusion. And Beethoven and Grieg and a lot of other composers.
Mozart would've loved hearing the applause. If looks could kill, there'd have been a line of body bags carried out the concert hall doors. Instant result: disapproving frowns and eyes like daggers to seek out the offenders. Somebody dared to clap between movements of a symphony or a concerto. I saw the following scenario happen way too many times at the Kennedy Center when I lived in Washington, D.C.
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