Have You Ever Become Really Emotional..., ... when playing a piece in public Options

[fsharpminor]

It happened to me on Sunday, and I felt absolutely silly, though no one could see me, as the organ bench is well hidden behind the central pulpit.
At short notice I was asked to play 'Nimrod' on the organ at the Remembrance service. The offertory would be taken during it (that only takes about a minute), but then the congregation were told to listen until I had finished the piece (2min 30)
I got myself worked up a bit, and my eyes filled with tears !! I have no idea why this happened, certainly it hasnt before.
But it was even worse after the service when so many of the congregation came to me and said how much they enjoyed it. I managed to get out of church and into the car before I was overcome again ! What an idiot!

[Solari]

Not while playing in public, but at home, yes.

I don't think there's anything silly about it, fsm. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[missypiano]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting emotional while/after playing fsharpminor. My teacher (who has been playing for over 60 years) often cries while playing!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) I have got used to it and if she ever stopped playing with such apparent emotions, it just would not be her anymore!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)
Nimrod is a beautiful piece of music. So, it touched your soul and you became emotional...there's nothing wrong with that! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[muffinmonster]

I find this happening to me as I get older, especially when singing, and especially when singing a piece that I've known for many years. Makes it very difficult to hit the high notes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Mrs Delius]

Not an idiot at all.

It hasn't happened to me when I've played in public (probably because I get so damned self-conscious I can hardly think about the music at all!), but I used to do a little bit of (very) amateur dramatics. Once during a scene where I had to blither about my naughty husband, my face briefly crumpled and my voice wobbled. Gosh, I thought, I'm really getting into the part, like a proper Ac-Torr!

No, actually I felt a bit of a twerp and was sure the audience thought so too.

I suppose I would worry if that happened when I was playing music in case it made me lose my concentration and forget what I was supposed to be playing.

But no, I definitely don't think you were being an idiot, I admire you for really feeling the music like that.

[Sunrise]

I have been caught out twice when singing in the choir - first was a service for a minister who was leaving and the other for one who had died. Felt quite an idiot in the first instance, but just couldn't help it. Thankfully I was singing alto so no high notes involved!

[gedall40]

I admit I did have some concerns about playing Clavi's flute duet in public for the first time, but I overcome these during practice of the piece by telling myself that if I wanted people to hear how lovely it was, I had better play it properly.

But this emotion was because of the circumstances. I think during normal playing I am too wrapped up in the performance aspects to think of the emotion I might get while sitting listening to the same piece. I can see, however, that really feeling that emotion could help with how others perceive my playing. Well done, F#min.

[viola-mad]

Have I ever! Not when playing on my own, thankfully, but frequently when playing orchestrally. It's usually a result of a combination of things - the vibrations from percussion and basses through the floor, watching a wild conductor whose own emotion pours out of him through his movements and, on a few occasions, the extra adrenalin caused by a disastrous final rehearsal.

It's not always tears. A few times I have actually cried over a gorgeous solo, usually an oboe solo. Most of the time it's less extreme and my body tingles or I get goose-bumps, or all the hairs on my arms stand on end!!

(Oh and if you're an idiot for coming over all tearful, fsharpminor, then welcome to the club where there are lots of similar idiots!)

[ExpressYourself]

In my choir we have several songs that bring people to tears!! Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, Fix You by Coldplay and Bring Him Home from Les Mis are three that spring to mind from this and last term! Sometimes something just strikes a chord!

We were singing over the rainbow but we had to shelve it because one of our members got too emotional, it had links to a recent bereavement (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[denmark77]

Hey f#m, I'm just relieved to find another fellow 'wobbler', as I find myself myself sometimes getting emotional, occasionally without even realising what's happening until it's too late.

During the end of a week-long series of stage performances of West Side Story, (I was playing Violin 2), I found myself with a wet face by the end of the final act - but I only noticed I must have been crying for some moments before this, as my desk partner had been giving me funny looks for a while ;-( how embarrassing.

denmark77

[Benjy]

I've been known to experience emotions of anger and frustration when things aren't going well in a performance. Hopefully not visible to the audience. Totally counterproductive of course in terms of being in the right state of mind to recover the performance... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif)

Jon

[Czerny]

I find singing more emotional than playing, but I would be utterly mortified if I started sobbing in the middle of a performance (or if my teacher did!).

[fsharpminor]

Thanks for your kind comments and support. ! At least I was well hidden, it must be awful of you're standing in the middle of the stage singing or playing a solo and you suddenly crack up!

[Fran*Piano]

In my choir we have several songs that bring people to tears!! Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, Fix You by Coldplay and Bring Him Home from Les Mis are three that spring to mind from this and last term! Sometimes something just strikes a chord!

We were singing over the rainbow but we had to shelve it because one of our members got too emotional, it had links to a recent bereavement (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

We sang Fix You by Coldplay in choir and in the last performance we did of it I was nearly it tears, it was our director's last time with us and it had personal links too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) singing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac tends to choke me up a little too.

[Celeste]

Aw, it's not silly at all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

We were singing Brother James' Air at a fellow choir member's funeral not very long ago and it was *very* hard not to start sobbing. The high notes ended up a bit wobbly I think, but thankfully there was the rest of the choir there too.

(hugs)