The sound of silence

Sir, – Anthony Hartnett (October 19th) complains of the inattention and intermittent applause characteristic of concertgoers in Cork City Hall.

Consequently he will miss a forthcoming performance of Mozart's Prague Symphony.

Silence during classical concerts is a modern convention.

Mozart revelled in feedback.

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Following the near-continuous clapping during the premiere of his Paris Symphony, Mozart wrote to his father “I was so delighted I bought myself an ice cream, prayed a rosary as I had pledged and went home”.

Mozart would have been horrified by the spread of the “no-applause rule” from the quasi-religious atmosphere during performances of Wagner at Bayreuth to the rest of the world.

Restraining enthusiasm is a sure way to stifle it. – Yours, etc,

Dr JOHN DOHERTY,

Vienna.

Sir, – Anthony Harnett objects to the talking, texting and water-drinking of his colleagues in the audience at a National Symphony Orchestra performance in Cork. He is right. People no longer know how to share a space with others, they exercise no restraint and seem to have no awareness of how their actions might affect those people nearby. I was in my local library the other day and was shocked by the noise level. People no longer respect the silence rule, and the worst offenders were the staff. – Yours, etc,

SEAN O’SULLIVAN,

Crossabeg,

Co Wexford.