Audience
A number of music historians have described the St. Cecilia Society’s performances as among the earliest public concerts in the United States. This statement is misleading, however, as the society's concerts were never "public" events in the modern American sense of the word. From the beginning, the St. Cecilia Concerts were open only to members of the society and their guests, including the ladies of the members' families and invited gentlemen. The early success of its concerts soon prompted the society to enact measures to control access to its events. Many of its early rules articulate the eligibility requirements for male guests, and also expressly prohibit the admission of "boys."
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Famous quotes containing the word audience:
“One of the things that I discovered in lecturing was that gradually one ceased to hear what one said one heard what the audience hears one say.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“An audience is never wrong. An individual member of it may be an imbecile, but a thousand imbeciles together in the dark—that is critical genius.”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“I hate the actor and audience business. An author should be in among the crowd, kicking their shins or cheering them on to some mischief or merriment.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)