So, there was this violinist, a violin player, in the metro lobby this morning. He was good. Played classical stuff. I didn’t have anything on me, so I didn’t chip in. I was in a hurry too.
Read what happens when a great violinist, Joshua Bell, starts playing for the crowds in Washington D.C. The music director of the National Symphony Orchestra thought a crowd would form to listen, “75 to 100 . . . if he’s really good.” (via World)
It seems to me there’s a certain snobbery about the whole business. The fact is, a transit station isn’t a museum or a concert hall. It’s a place for people to get from Point A to Point B. The commuters paying no attention were using the facility for its intended purpose. The artist was taking up space for no (or small) relevant reason. Nobody owed him time or money.
You’re right, but the Post wanted to testing the power of beautiful music. The idea was to attract people with transcendent music performed by one of the best musicians alive without announcing what they were doing. Would “the man on the street” recognize the music or the skill and pause for a moment? I wonder how many passersby had iPods in their ears.
I think the article acknowledges that popular music would have drawn a crowd too, but they wanted to test this idea.
That is a truly fascinating article! I was riveted. I’d like to think that I’d stop to listen and even recognize Bell, but I wonder if I’d pass on due more to indecision than unappreciation. Sometimes it seems like we are determined to trudge on from task to task and not allow ourselves to be surprised by things. How wonderful it would be to start the day with a 30+ minute free concert by Joshua Bell! (Who is a real hottie, by the way.) It would be worth pushing the rest of the day back by that much, but I guess the point is that I may not recognize it in that context. I’d like to though—I hope to become less task-oriented as I grow older, even with all the busyness.
I am 98% certain I would stop – ESPECIALLY if I had my kids with me. Now true, I’m a Joshua Bell fan and have many of his cd’s – so I would probably recognize him. But even if I didn’t, it just wouldn’t be like us to skip a chance to see someone rock out like that. But then, I’m raising musicians. 😉