# Stage Fright in History



## Ivan Limanjaya (Nov 6, 2015)

I'm writing a paper about the use of beta-blocker in calming music performance anxiety, and as I'm writing the introductory section, I'm looking for a literary resource that reports important classical music figures having performance anxiety. The first person to ever discuss publicly performance anxiety was Adolph Kielblock in 1891. He wrote an article_The Stage Fright: How to Face an Audience._. However, I'm looking for a more salient supporting prove to highlight the importance of discussion about music performance anxiety, and looking forward to something like an account about how Chopin got his hand trembling before a performance, or Mozart fainted before an audience (which is of course very unlikely!).

I wonder if any of you have ever read any information about this, and would like to hear more from you.

Regards,
Ivan


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

In Brockway and Weinstock's essential book _Men of Music,_ they note that Tchaikovsky's debut as a conductor "threatened to be disastrous, but the well-drilled performers saved the day. On the podium he had the hallucination that his head was coming off, and actually held onto it with one hand during the entire performance. This experience so terrified him that ten years elapsed before he had courage to repeat the experiment."


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Although I know this doesn't answer the question you asked, but I have a lot of experience with this subject. I know you know the following, but just for those who don't:

It's always important to emphasize that beta blockers (commonly used is propranolol/Inderal or atenolol) don't directly calm performance anxiety which would be acting as a sedative. What they do is block the peripheral effects of anxiety. 

For instance, a major benefit for pianists with performance anxiety is that hand-shaking is markedly reduced. What typically happens when a pianist has severe anxiety is that the hands shake and then the performers worst nightmare occurs which results in even worse anxiety and shaking, a virtual self-fulfilling prophecy! But the effect of beta-blockers is often like a miracle for these people. They are aware of the anxiety, but now their hands don't shake and the vicious cycle is broken.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I don't know if it answers any of your question, bu Charles Rosen wrote an article about sage fright in the NY Times Book Review a number of years ago.


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## PaulCrick (Mar 4, 2016)

There are many places to look on the topic of music performance anxiety. The Psychology of Music journal published by SEMPRE covers the topic well. The authoritative textbook on the subject is by Dianna Kenney. In terms of coverage of the history of music performance anxiety then biographies are probably the place to look as much evidence in the public domain tends to be anecdotal.

For modern day coverage, check out Charlotte Tomlinson's 22 interviews published on line earlier this year and at the turn of 2015.

Hope that's helpful.


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## Gordontrek (Jun 22, 2012)

If I'm not mistaken, Vladimir Horowitz was forced into temporary retirement because of his struggle with stage fright. This may have contributed to his rather rigid stance at the piano.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

To my experience, performer confidence is directly proportional to preparation. The more prepared you are, the less likely you will become shaky from adrenaline and all that. I recently underwent such an ordeal of high stakes, and I didn't have any adrenaline shot in the middle of my auditions because I was that prepared, plus my judges made it a positive environment for me.


Glazunov speaking on his conducting debut at age 23 (conducting the Lyric Poem op. 12):

"I was somewhat nervous, perhaps because the audience was very small, and perhaps because of a lack of confidence in myself then. Of course, when I came out on stage, the baton was shaking in my hand, but I soon got a hold of myself and so no one else noticed..."

He wasn't a performer personality, and so it made it hard for him to overcome his shyness, but he more or less did when Rimsky-Korsakov went through such an anxiety phase in 1892 and it was up to Glazunov to continue conducting the Russian Symphony Concerts after that. One case that happened outside of Russia years later though, he walked on stage and instead of going to the podium went to the principal cellist (who was Russian) and started whispering to him, saying, "I can't go through with this, I can't do this, I will mess up something, etc" but the cellist calmed him down and assured him everything would be alright and the concert went on. Yeah, even experience doesn't always make one confident.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Anthony Phillips of Genesis was their first leader. He is referenced as having severe stage fright in Mike Rutherford's autobiography. He left the band because of it.


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