Places for music and taking your seat

A concert hall is a building designed specifically for listening to orchestral music. Just as movie theaters are designed and equipped to work well for movies, concert halls are built to put the sound of the orchestra across to the audience in the best possible way.

Symphony Hall in Boston was built in 1900. It is a big rectangle (think of a giant shoe box), with the stage at one end and 2,625 seats for listeners on the floor and in two balconies. Its architects designed the hall for acoustic music -- so that everyone in the audience could hear the music clearly without amplification (which didn't really exist in 1900, anyway!) Most symphony orchestras perform this way even today -- without a microphones or speakers -- so the music goes directly from the instruments to the listeners' ears.

Concert halls are judged on their acoustics, how the music sounds to the listeners and to the performers. A key acoustic characteristic is the time it takes for the sound to fade away after it is made. This is called reverberation. Another factor is whether listeners can hear equally well from all seats; ideally, a listener in the seat furthest from the stage or in a corner should still hear the music clearly.

Both the overall shape of the hall and small details (like the wall and seat surfaces) effect the acoustical properties. Modern science and engineering have added greatly to our understanding of acoustics. Despite these advances, however, no formula for the perfect mix of design and materials for a concert hall has been found. In fact, many of the greatest halls--Symphony Hall in Boston (1900), the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (1888), or the Great Music Hall in Vienna (1870)--were built over 100 years ago.

Concert Going for Kids (and grownups, too): a First-Timer's Guide
Have you ever thought about going to a live orchestra concert? Getting the chance to see a group like the Pops or the Boston Symphony in person? If you've wondered just what goes on at a live concert, here's a quick guide to the ins and outs of a symphony concert and some tips.

You may attend a symphony concert with students in your school or on your own with family or friends. Either way, the pointers below will give you an idea of what to expect and how to get ready for the show.

Selecting a concert and getting tickets is the first task. If you are going with a school group, your teacher will probably take care of things, otherwise look to a parent to check the local newspaper or the World Wide Web for music listings in your area.

In larger cities, you'll have lots of choice about which concert to go to, particularly during the performing arts season, which usually runs from fall to spring (just like the school year). In smaller spots you may have to dig a little to find the nearest symphony concert; perhaps it will be given by a local or community group. But there are over 2,000 orchestras in the U.S., including professional, community, amateur and student groups, and one is bound to be performing somewhere nearby during the course of the year.

After you've selected your concert it's time to get the tickets. Easy as pie; your parents can buy symphony tickets by phone, in person at the box office, on even on the Web. Tickets range from inexpensive to very expensive depending on lots of factors, including where in the concert hall you wish to sit, the night of the week you are going (Fridays and Saturdays are usually higher) and the popularity of the performers. Don't forget to ask about student or family discounts which are often available.

But I don't even know how to tie a bow-tie!
So, now you're set. You've decided on a concert. The tickets have arrived and so has the big question. What to wear? In particular, do you have to dress up?

Although it is true that live symphony concerts are likely to be more formal than most everyday activties, people wear anything they like to concerts. No dress code is enforced. Ordinary office attire is always fine for adults, but suit and tie are not required. Clothes for kids can range from jeans and T-shirts to Sunday best. Wear clean clothes that you are comfortable in, and you won't be out of place.

Knowing the score...what's going on? and is it okay to clap?
Symphony concerts all unfold in similar ways. There are some changes here and there, but over the many years that symphony concerts have been given, a few traditions have become set. Relax. There's nothing tough about understanding these traditions and they aren't intended to make concert-going uncomfortable. There are some things that are likely to happen, however, and just as if you were going to a baseball game for the first time, it's nice to know what to watch for.

So let's set the stage: it's a half hour before the concert and you and your family have arrived at the concert hall. You've got your tickets in hand and the concert hall doors open. Hand your tickets to the person at the door, and make your way in to find your seat. It will be an assigned one, and the section, row and seat number will be printed on your ticket.

You're in the lobby now, which is usually a crowded spot; remember a couple of thousand other people may be attending your concert. There will be many doors with numbers on them, one of which will be the exact one you want. These are the doors to the inside of concert hall -- the auditorium itself. Follow the signs or ask someone for help, and soon you'll find the section you are seeking.

As you make your way to your seat, pick up a program from an usher or a table. This booklet lists the music the orchestra will play, the names of the musicians and provides some background on the music.

On stage, the orchestra is getting ready. Some musicians will be taking their seats, others will already be in place. Many will be practicing, warming up, or organizing the music on their stands before the concert begins. This is a good time to look for the different instrumental sections and see how they are placed on the stage; see if you can pick out the percussion or the strings, for instance.

As the starting time for the concert nears, more and more of the musicians will come on stage. Just before the concert is scheduled to begin, notice that the stage is nearly full. Only two spots are still empty. One is the chair for the first violinist, called the concertmaster. The other is the conductor's podium. In a few moments, the concertmaster comes on stage. Then she asks the oboist to play a note that will allow the orchestra to tune up. This is a tuning A, and everybody on stage from the piccolo to the timpani must conform to it. First, the winds and brass tune their instruments (think of this as the orchestra clearing its throat and getting ready to sing) and then the strings tune up. If you're really sharp-eyed you can even see the kettle-drum player hitting the tympani softly and tuning them in the back.

The concertmaster sits down; quiet returns. The audience is full of expectation and the stage door opens. Out walks the conductor, along with any soloists for the evening's concert. (It's customary to clap for the conductor on this first appearance.) The conductor turns to the orchestra, gives the first beat and the music begins.

When the music starts, listen up! And watch. The joy of a live concert is that it's occurring in the moment, never to happen quite the same way again. Unlike music you might use for background -- to help you study, to make a bus ride less tedious or to help you get motivated to clean your room -- this is music to give your full attention to. This can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's rewarding and fun.

One important thing to remember (and this will help you concentrate as well): while the orchestra is playing, no talking; this includes even quiet whispering to your neighbor. Distractions make paying attention to the music difficult or impossible. It may be hard to resist pointing something out to a friend or whispering a comment. But think of the musicians on the stage, and out of respect for them and your fellow listeners, don't disturb the flow of music.

The Sound of Just My Clapping?
Lots of kids (and adults, too) worry about clapping in the wrong place at a symphony concert. They fear that they'll clap incorrectly, before a piece is finished, and everybody in the whole hall, including the conductor, will turn and stare. Have no fear; although it can be tricky to know when a classical piece ends; here's the information you need to become an expert clapper.

First, wait for the end to clap. Unlike some pop or jazz concerts, audiences don't interrupt symphonic concerts with applause after a performer has finished a big solo. The next tip you need to know is that single symphonic works often are divided into sections called movements which are usually played together as a unit. The program you picked up as you entered the concert hall will list the movements for each piece, and this is a good guide to what's going on and when a piece is really finished. Finally, you may always take your cue from the conductor who will turn around to face the audience and bow when applause is appropriate.

Why all this fuss about clapping? What if the music I just heard was really cool and I feel like making some noise?
Here's the reason for not clapping. Think of a symphonic work as a watercolor painting that's coming to life before you in the concert hall. The composer wants you to see the entire painting as it develops and through the score he tells the musicians how to do that. If you clap in the middle of some works or between movements of a symphony, this 'watercolor' may be washed away by the applause, a sound which can erase everything that went before it.

That said, muscians love applause! and some are happy to hear it almost any time at all. After you have attended a few concerts, you'll refine your sense of when to clap.

After the music is over, it is certainly fine to applaud and to yell "bravo!" You may even give a standing ovation to the musicians if you feel the performance was worthy of it. Occasionally, after all the works on the printed program have been performed, the orchestra plays an encore as a bonus. The conductor usually announces the encore from the stage.

Finally everything wraps up and everybody bows (and bows and bows sometimes). The conductor will leave the stage and the lights in the auditorium will go up so that you can see to find your way out. And as you go, think about the excitement and skill of the musicians who preformed for you and the beauty of the music you heard. And get ready for next time and for a lifetime of wonderful concerts.

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