Music Falls on Deaf Ears

If a violin plays in a hall and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Joshua Bell in the Metro

Recently I was re-reading an article, ¹ published by The Washington Post for the Sunday newspaper, April 8, 2007 . It was a on a social experiment set in Washington D.C, where the world-famous violin virtuoso, Joshua Bell preformed (dressed as a common street artist) and played before morning rush hour walking traffic.

The results are astounding.

Passionista, Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell is said to be America’s best concert violinist, and one of the leading international musical stars, having preformed before heads of state, royalty, and presidents, playing in the world’s best concert halls. He is a musical prodigy, young and energetic (I have seen him in concert). The passion and emotion that he evokes in his music is jaw-dropping. His violin, a masterpiece in itself, is the famous Stradivari violin (the price tag was reported to be about $3.5 million). He played for one hour in the metro. Do you know what happened?

In that hour, over a thousand commuters rushed by, not seeing or hearing anything. Many threw money in as they walked by, not pausing, others stopped for a second before moving on, the memory leaving as quickly as it came. During that hour, Bell earned a little more than $30. That following week he played at the concert hall, where mediocre seats were only $100, and there was a full house. He preformed some of the most difficult music in classical repertoire: Bach’s Chaconne (see original sheet music) ², and was thrown only a few bucks (if that; some gave pennies).

(There was a hidden camera. It is sped up in some parts)

When the article was published, critics and the general public alike were floored. That had been THE Joshua Bell? Many people were interviewed for a follow-up article. They had had no clue that had been Joshua Bell. It was just amazing. One man even said that he went to the concert and had passed Bell without even a second glance.

I recommend you read the article for a full feel of what happened. This is only a small summary.

Some social experiment. Take a second when you are rushing through the world without really seeing or hearing. Take a second to draw things in. There is no point in living if you never really live.

Tags: Business, Events, People, Preforming and Visual Arts, Society, Stories, Violin
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