Broadcast Thursday 1 October 2009 11:30
160/44; 32 MB; sound quality excellent
Elbow singer and BBC 6 Music presenter Guy Garvey explores the development of the musical encore, from the spontaneous demand for a repeat performance to the predictable delivery of a closing party piece.
Speaking to fellow performers and hearing from historians, Guy discovers how the encore has progressed over time. In the 17th and 18th centuries, orchestras would be applauded after each movement of a symphony, often repeating the most popular movements a number of times before moving on to the rest of the concert. The demands for more seemed to be spontaneous and unexpected.
Nowadays most encores are saved for the end of an evening and they are hardly, if ever, a repeat of what has been heard before. It could be said that they lack spontaneity or surprise.
Guy investigates how acts choose their encores, whether there is an art to the correct encore and if there are any artists trying to breathe new life into the practice.
Producer: Ian Bent
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