A violinist in the Metro

A Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected
context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? Perhaps UTAH 2009 football championship.

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There is an old saying about only respecting advice that you pay for......perhaps it applies to music too.

This is not a surprising result to me. People are only clued in about what they are familiar with. Classical violin music played on a valuable instrument just is not on most people's radar.

Now put Brittany Spears down there and you'll draw a crowd.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

But the expirment was all about aprreciating beauty and talent. How would Brittany fit into that experiment?

It is well know that pop culture is all about celebrtity. If that is all you want than go for Brittany.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

What can one possibly conclude but that most of society is culturally bankrupt,or at least willfully ignorant of the emotional and intellectual enrichment existing as it were,in a vacuum around them.

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Peole are self-absorbed.
People are idiots.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

People just don't get counterpoint.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Did you hear about the Nicaraguan rebel who played soccer and was a baroque music scholar?

He was a Contrapuntal.

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Anyone know which 6 pieces he played?

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

I agree with you Tom. But the outcome was helped along by the time of day, imo. [B]Morning[/B] rush hour? Come on. Most people wouldn't have much time to stop, even if they recoginzed the musician or appreciated classical music. Try the same experiment in a suburban mall on a Saturday afternoon and the results I expect would be different.

LaRo..good story. Thanks for posting.

Funny this thread should appear this week. Monday I had to go to DuPont Circle in Wash, DC for a cat sitting gig and in the Metro a jazz horn player was serenading everyone with "It Had To Be You," I dropped a dollar in his til and stayed long enough for him to finish, it was the best part of my week.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

I read the article about that in The Washington Post Magazine. A few people *did* recognize him, and stopped to listen and ask him what he was doing there! Besides, plenty of buskers are actually professionals between gigs who figure playing to a transient audience is better than no audience at all.

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1984 300TD

I've seen that a few times in or near Metro stations, and I'd usually wonder why they weren't playing at concert halls or with a band. And then I'd think they probably had some kind of personality disorder that kept them from keeping gainful employment. Best to not make eye contact and move on. That's probably what most people are thinking when encountering that scenario. Of course, small children have no reference points from which to form those conclusions.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I always enjoy it when I see someone performing like that. I often give money to them.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

You miss my point. I do not suggest that Brittany is somehow superior....on the contrary, she is pitiful. NOt bad looking but really screwed up.....but lots recognize her....that's the point.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'm a classically trained guitarist and play music for a living. I know what it is to be under appreciated. I used to play in a casino for people stuffing their faces. There is a beauty of putting it on auto pilot as a practical measure!

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Current:
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