Abstain Your Enthusiasm

Based on a walking tour Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) made in Scotland in 1829 with his friend Karl Klingemann. Mendelssohn’s trip with would serve as the inspiration for his Symphony Number 3 (1842), also known as “The Scottish Symphony.”

Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony has no breaks. The symphony was specifically written this way so as to eliminate applause between movements (much like his 1845 Violin Concerto in E minor), as Mendelssohn had a disdain for audiences applauding between movements. Up until Mendelssohn’s time, applauding between movements was customary, as concertgoers were eager to encourage and show their appreciation for the musicians and the music. Thanks to Mendelssohn (and Robert Schumann), that is no longer the case.

CoBaD, whose members claim Scottish ancestry, felt that composing a symphony based on lively Scottish folk music and then forcing people to sit on their hands for 40 minutes does neither Scotland nor its music justice. Shame on you, Bart, for starting such a silly tradition. Give us Johann Strauss Sr.’s "Radetzky March" over your music anytime (insert raspberry here).