Coconut
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- Joined
- Feb 17, 2005
- Messages
- 4,663
A Violinist in the Metro
A man stood in the lobby area of the metro station in Washington, D.C. 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 thousands 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 a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds,
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 continued to walk without stopping. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but then 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 pulled him along hurriedly, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head back toward the violinist 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 7 people actually stopped and stayed for a while. Twenty-seven people out of a total of 1,097 passing travelers gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected a total of $32.17 for his efforts.
When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any other recognition. No one knew, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, and he played it on a violin that was worth $3.5 million.
Three days before this performance in the subway, Joshua Bell had played to a full house at Boston's Symphony Hall, where good seats sold for $100 each.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by The Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.
The outlines were:
In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?
Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize 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 finest musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written,
how many other things are we missing every day...?
God is playing at all the stations of our lives...
And still we keep looking for Him only in the Symphony.
A man stood in the lobby area of the metro station in Washington, D.C. 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 thousands 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 a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds,
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 continued to walk without stopping. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but then 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 pulled him along hurriedly, but the boy stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head back toward the violinist 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 7 people actually stopped and stayed for a while. Twenty-seven people out of a total of 1,097 passing travelers gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected a total of $32.17 for his efforts.
When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any other recognition. No one knew, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, and he played it on a violin that was worth $3.5 million.
Three days before this performance in the subway, Joshua Bell had played to a full house at Boston's Symphony Hall, where good seats sold for $100 each.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by The Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.
The outlines were:
In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?
Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize 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 finest musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written,
how many other things are we missing every day...?
God is playing at all the stations of our lives...
And still we keep looking for Him only in the Symphony.
