Dear Mthias,
Well clapping as a way of showing appreciation at the end of a play is
thought to be referred to in the closing speech of Prospero in The
Tempest. In bold here, and presumably some sort of cheering is meant by
the following couplet.
EPILOGUE
SPOKEN BY PROSPERO
Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have's mine own,
Which is most faint: now, 'tis true,
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell;
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands:
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence set me free.
Best wishes,
David
At 11:27 +0100 18/2/13, Mathias Roesel wrote:
Bowing as an educated way of greeting someone else is already
mentioned in
the Bible. That dates back way beyond antiquity. Yet as for
musicians
receiving applause with a bow, that would imply that musicians were
acknowledged as kind of emancipated artists considered worthy to
receive
applause.
Just a guess, but I don't think John Dowland was used to bowing when
he
played for his employers (landgrave Moritz, king Christian).
Emancipation of
artists came up during the 17th century, if I'm not mistaken. So
perhaps
lutenists like Jacques Gaultier or Franc,ois Dufaut in London would
receive
applause with a bow (mid-17th century).
Perhaps the question should rather be put this way: When became
applause for
artistic performances fashionable?
Mathias
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