# Did you miss something today?



## michael walsh

*DID YOU MISS SOMETHING TODAY?*

Because of the winter cold outside a man chose a Washington DC metro station to play his violin. In the 45 minutes following he played about six Bach pieces during which time thousands passed him by with scarcely a glance. 
A few did pause. A middle aged man slowed his pace and stopped for a moment before hurrying on. A few minutes later a women tossed a dollar into his violin case but hardly paused as she too continued on her way. Another man hesitated for a little while, just to listen to him. Then looking at his watch he too went about more pressing business. 
The one who paid the most attention was a little boy of perhaps three years of age. His mother managed to drag him away but the youngster's head kept turning back. This action was repeated by several other children whose parents also hurried them on.
During the 45-minutes the itinerant violinist played only six people paused to listen whilst another twenty gave him money before hurrying on their way. The fiddler collected a total of $32.
When he had finished playing there was silence. No one noticed, no one applauded, no one recognised the solitary musician playing in the station's confines. 
That musician was none other than Joshua Bell, one of the world's finest musicians. With considerable panache he has played some of the most intricate pieces ever composed. His violin is estimated to be worth $3.5 million. 
Two days earlier Joshua Bell had played to a packed Boston theatre at which the average seat price was $100. What was the real story? 
The prestigious Washington Post was carrying out a social experiment about perception, taste, and the priorities people have. The outline was a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour. They wanted to know, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Are we capable of identifying and appreciating true talent when in an unexpected context?
What was the conclusion drawn from this enlightening experience? If we don't have a moment to stop and listen to one of the world's most talented musicians playing some of the most beautiful music ever written by man, how many other things of great beauty are we missing each day?


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## Bgroovy2

unfoutunatly so true!


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## Weston

It's an inspiring story, and I don't want to throw a wet blanket on it, but it wasn't really a valid experiment. I would not be late for work and threaten my livelihood to hear a live musician when, through the miracle of technology, the world's greatest musicians play Bach for me in my own living room.

I do sometimes hear street musicians on my way home from work and I can assure you, none of them have been a Joshua Bell.


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## Sid James

Food for thought. I'd add that most people aren't even remotely interested in classical music, whether it be on a recording or live. It's just an alien sound to their ears. & I agree with Weston, most people in the context that the "experiment" was done, are busy doing other things, using the subway to get somewhere else. Maybe it would've been different if it was done in a park or something like that?...


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## Toccata

This event occurred some 3 years ago and it must be the umpteenth time I have seen it reported. I can't see what the surprise is. Playing a fiddle outside a metro station at peak commuter time is hardly likely to generate much interest anywhere in the world, even if it's Bach and played on a very expensive violin. Combine this with the possibility with that North Americans are generally less interested in classical music than Europeans (not sure if this is true but have it said), and it's hardly a recipe for success. 

On the other hand, if the experiment had been carried out in a crowded big city park on a Sunday afternoon the general reaction could well have been very different. I'm pretty sure that would have drawn a big crowd. Certainly it would in London, and many other big cities. 

My conclusion is that it's a silly story, hardly worth getting concerned about.


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## sospiro

What an amazing story but I'm sure there were people who simply didn't have the ear to realise they were hearing something special.

A couple of years ago I was being shown round Paris by a Parisian. We were in a metro station & we turned a corner & there was a 20 (approx) piece orchestra squashed against a wall playing Beethoven's Sixth.

I was absolutely stunned but my friend said it was common for music students to gather & play in the metro to make some pocket money. Most people didn't stop & but we stayed for a while & dropped a few €s in their box. I will always remember them.

The guy in our high street today playing a didgeridoo didn't have quite the same impact on me!


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## Head_case

That's such a lovely story. 

Joshua Bell should play for free on more street corners 


$32/45 minutes isn't a great going rate. 

I'm sure I could get at least $50/hour - mostly from passerbys paying me to shut up


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## Head_case

well, frankly I would've been one of those passerbys who walked straight by. 

Going about my way I listen to my high quality mini-disc player and headphones without the bustle of street people to distract me from my music. I can even listen to Joshua Bell playing the violin on my mini-disc whilst completely ignoring him playing live.


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## nefigah

I don't live in an area conducive to street performers, but the few I have heard haven't ever played anything classical. Seeing someone perform live kinda trips me out, though, so I would have probably stopped and listened for a bit.


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## jurianbai

I imagine I will glance for a few minute and then leave. The reason is I will not feel something special if anyone can play Bach in MRT station. Here the video, at least there was one woman in the end that speaks to him.


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## Huilunsoittaja

michael walsh said:


> The one who paid the most attention was a little boy of perhaps three years of age. His mother managed to drag him away but the youngster's head kept turning back. This action was repeated by several other children whose parents also hurried them on.


Yes, I heard that the most common age group in that experiment that wanted to stop and listen (but couldn't) was children.

As they say, children don't have their instincts stifled (yet), so they are more likely to be attracted to beauty.

♫


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## Wumbo

That's funny, but I think it says more about how much of music is politics, that anything else. We listen to a big name because it is a big name. Sometimes we need to learn to appreciate an unknown's work too.

No doubt the man you speak of is very good, but I believe we are blinded by what we are told is good, too much to look for ourselves.


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## Earthling

This reminds me of a brief story (Hasidic I want to say, I seem to recall reading this in Martin Buber somewhere?) about a new rabbi who was coming to a new synagogue. He was coming from out of town by train and he was quite dishevelled from all the travelling and didn't bother shaving or anything before he boarded the train. There were other Jews who had been picked up later who were returning home and they got on the same train. Seeing the old man, they avoided him, wouldn't speak to him or even to bother acknowledging his existence-- he simply looked like an old bum. 

The train arrived at the station, got off with all the other travellers, where the congregation were waiting for their new rabbi. He introduced himself and the other fellow travellers on the train were terrible ashamed of themselves. They told the rabbi, "Please accept our apologies-- we didn't know you were the new rabbi." The rabbi replied, "You don't need to apologise to me-- you need to apologise to that man that was on the train."


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## starry

Wumbo said:


> No doubt the man you speak of is very good, but I believe we are blinded by what we are told is good, too much to look for ourselves.


I believe some people are. I like to think I look for myself though, while obviously looking at others opinions in the process too (but critically, not blindly accepting them).


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## Igneous01

makes me think what the point is in scattering around like ants everyday to go to work and attend to business. yea its the everyday norm and we need to survive, but it only broods arrogance and intolerance towards things that deserve more attention. I bet if an authentic portrait of mona lisa was laying around in a subway station no one would even pick it up or appreciate its artistic quality. or better yet, britney spears walks into a metro and suddenly everyone notices her.


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## Kjell

I think it just reeks of elitism; "Oh, the plebs didn't stop to hear this talented musician play this difficult piece on his expensive violin", personally I don't see why people would stop anymore for him than for another musician playing another piece of music on a more or less (more likely less) expensive instrument.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Kjell said:


> I think it just reeks of elitism; "Oh, the plebs didn't stop to hear this talented musician play this difficult piece on his expensive violin", personally I don't see why people would stop anymore for him than for another musician playing another piece of music on a more or less (more likely less) expensive instrument.


Well... someone paid close attention during those classes on political correct thinking. Oh... in case you haven't learned this fact yet, allow me to be the first to tell you: Art IS Elitist.


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## Ravellian

About the original post, it doesn't surprise me much. Classical music requires a certain amount of concentration that is inappropriate during busy work hours. In fact, I hardly listen to classical music at all during the day or while I'm working, it would distract me too much. If people want to hear this music, they put it on while nothing much else is going on, or they go to a concert.


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## JamesBond

That's such a lovely story.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

I can guess two things here: 1 he did not look like a busker and 2. he did not have any good busker licks............


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## Guest

Kjell said:


> I think it just reeks of elitism; "Oh, the plebs didn't stop to hear this talented musician play this difficult piece on his expensive violin", personally I don't see why people would stop anymore for him than for another musician playing another piece of music on a more or less (more likely less) expensive instrument.


I thought this was the Joshua Bell story as soon as I read these comments. He's a talented, beautiful man (be still, my beating heart!) and I'm sorry that you feel you'd rather listen to some under-employed busker than one of the greatest violinists in the world. Did you know he's regularly engaged in teaching young children, in under-privileged American schools, all about kunstmusik? That's elitism for you isn't it: they want to share it with the rest of the world. Next thing you know ordinary folks will know about it and, then what? - they'll want to stop and listen to Joshua Bell playing at a metro station. What's the world coming to...!!!??


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## Guest

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> I can guess two things here: 1 he did not look like a busker and 2. he did not have any good busker licks............


Now listen, young Eddie, you're sailing dangerously close to the wind, my friend!! Busker licks, indeed. (Wasn't he that old reprobate who worked wiff Jimmy Saville??!! You know, the REAL Busker Licks! The rest are Busker Licks substitutes - brought in from Norway!)


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Now listen, young Eddie, you're sailing dangerously close to the wind, my friend!! Busker licks, indeed. (Wasn't he that old reprobate who worked wiff Jimmy Saville??!! You know, the REAL Busker Licks! He speaks well of you, young Eddie!!):tiphat:


I'm glad there is a real busker out there..... good to hear and he Licks ? Jimmy S that's not so cool


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## GraemeG

I remember reading this at the time it was first published - in fact I printed out the full Washington Post story (on about 17 A4 pages) to keep. Now, I'm a violinist, so perhaps inherently biased, but if I'd heard someone playing the Bach Chaconne as well as he did, in that tiny little space, I'd have stayed until he left.
It's the Bach Chaconne, man.
And I'd probably have emptied my wallet into his case afterwards, and said 'man, what are you doing _here_?

And indeed I very well recall Gene Weinstein's (? name?) text in the story about the kids. I wept when reading it for the first time, and it always makes me feel misty. He said (paraphrasing) "There was nothing in common to the demographics that day; young, old, male, female, black, white, hispanic... But the behaviour of one group was absolutely consistent. Every single child wanted to stay and listen. And every single child was dragged away."

It just gutted me, that. My wife also wept at the same point in the article when she read it.

The whole point of the test was to put the ultimate art totally out of context, to see if it was recognised.
The message is that some part of you has to be alert to the magic that can surround you, unexpectedly, at any time.
If you're not ready for that, you're not really alive at all.
GG


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## millionrainbows

The story proves these points:

The general public is not interested in art. People are too busy scuffling to survive to have time for art. Art is unnecessary in a business culture. Children are the only ones who listened because they haven't been turned into mindless drones; also, their parents' removal of the children is part of their social conditioning that music is to be avoided as an unprofitable career. We, as a society, hereby reject art and music as being uninteresting distractions, which contribute nothing to an efficient, industrialized society.


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## akshapatel47

I like music but many loud speakers are not listen.
one way of listen music so good.
many music one by one music listen so nice


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## Guest

michael walsh said:


> What was the conclusion drawn from this enlightening experience? If we don't have a moment to stop and listen to one of the world's most talented musicians playing some of the most beautiful music ever written by man, how many other things of great beauty are we missing each day?


That's your conclusion, not mine. Mine is that people in a subway station are hurrying from A to B and simply don't have the time to stop and listen. That's it. Nowt else.


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## PetrB

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Yes, I heard that the most common age group in that experiment that wanted to stop and listen (but couldn't) was children.
> 
> As they say, children don't have their instincts stifled (yet), so they are more likely to be attracted to beauty.
> 
> ♫


Children also do not have to keep appointments to keep life running, make it to work on time in order to keep the money coming in to support and care for said children.


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## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> The story proves these points:
> 
> The general public is not interested in art. People are too busy scuffling to survive to have time for art. Art is unnecessary in a business culture. Children are the only ones who listened because they haven't been turned into mindless drones; also, their parents' removal of the children is part of their social conditioning that music is to be avoided as an unprofitable career. We, as a society, hereby reject art and music as being uninteresting distractions, which contribute nothing to an efficient, industrialized society.


The story "proves" nothing - except that Joshua Bell is not an instantly recognisable celebrity, so no-one stopped for him.


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## Eschbeg

By far the best response to the Joshua Bell experiment was this one, from a responder on the Sequenza 21 website:



> Perhaps the Post could do a whole series of articles about philistines ignoring Joshua Bell's sublime music-making in different locations:
> 1. Outside a burning building (not one fireman stopped to listen!)
> 2. At a car crash site (one paramedic actually pushed him aside!)
> 3. During a graduation exam (shushed by the invigilators!)
> 4. At a school play (thrown out by angry parents!)
> 5. On an airport runway (passing jet liners seemed oblivious!)
> 
> This could be followed by a series about how busy commuters are too thick to realise when a busker is performing 4'33″, instead of just taking a break.


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## LordBlackudder

it shows no one likes classical music.

if it was a bimbo singing out of tune everyone would be looking.

they camp out in a field full of feces every year for that.


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