tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22361479.post6290665652452435841..comments2024-03-16T06:23:29.917-07:00Comments on The Reverberate Hills; or The Apotheosis of the Narwhal: eternal veritiesPatrick J. Vazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09279528648512493917noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22361479.post-70652222769502991072007-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:002007-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:00Well, I was exaggerating, just a bit, for comic ef...Well, I was exaggerating, just a bit, for comic effect -- both current audience behavior and my irritation at it. You left out the most important aspect of 18th century opera-going: checking other people out, for fashion or various types of fun, if you get my drift. No wonder they had de capo arias (and that sort of repetition started going out when audience behavior changed.)<BR/>Someone can correct me on this, but I think Mr. Wagner was the one who insisted audiences sit in the dark and shut up and listen. Added to that the growing cult of music and art as a type of religion, and people started behaving as if they were in church. Of course, I can't stand the way most people behave in church these days anyway, what with the cell phones and especially the video cameras. Anyway, here's your Proust teaser: check out the hilarious depiction of the horrible Mme Verdurin to see the type in action.Patrick J. Vazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09279528648512493917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22361479.post-90370972311018272182007-06-12T19:48:00.000-07:002007-06-12T19:48:00.000-07:00Not any better than today's audiences? Her descri...Not any better than today's audiences? Her descriptions of audiences are painful to read. Actually listening to the music is so secondary to all but a few. Eating, drinking, and gossiping are alll more important. Which leads me to ask: At what point was the decision made that one went to a performance to actually listen to the music (despite some evidence to the contrary)?vicmarcamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13193094111343990233noreply@blogger.com