Unprecedented in my multi-decade experience of Handel Messiah concerts, the Dallas Bach Society audience last month started applauding after every aria and chorus. Two weeks later, there was applause ...

We rarely give it a second thought, but applause — clapping your hands to signify approval — is ancient, nearly universal and may actually be hardwired into human beings. As evidenced in hundreds of ...

What makes us clap more for some performances than others? You'd think it's obvious: The better the show, the more applause. Think again. Guest host Linda Wertheimer explores how and why applause ...

Hold it up to the light and examine it closely. At most large gatherings, ebullient clapping shows that there's approval and support. An event where there is round and raucous applause is considered a ...

And then, suddenly, just when the colors and outlines settle at last to their various duties -- smiling, frivolous duties -- some knob is touched and a torrent of sounds comes to life: voices speaking ...