If Amazing Music Is Being Performed And No One Stops To Listen -Is It Being Heard?

[pisanojm]

There was an amazing article in the Washington Post about Joshua Bell. I wrote an article about it on my site and was wondering what you all thought about the original article, or even if you knew about the "experiment".

The post Article is here: (It's the whole study with videos, is very long and very interesting!)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

My article is here:
http://www.mustech.net/2007/04/if-a...and-no-one-stops-to-listen-is-it-being-heard/

In summary the article was about:
"...an OUTRAGEOUS "research experiment" [that] was performed in the midst of downtown Washington D.C. ... Joshua bell, one of the foremost classical violin virtuosos of our time, was asked to pose as a common street musician and play for about an hour, at rush-time (8:00 a.m.), in the lobby of the L'ENFANT Plaza. Yes, you read that right, Joshua Bell as a STREET musician!"

It then goes on to state the reaction and results of over 1,000 people that walked by him. The implications of this and the insights that this "experiment" gives is going to start a great debate...

I'd be happy to know what any of you think about it.

Joseph Pisano

 

[Krummhorn]

Most interesting article ... and I wholly believe every word of it to be true. A case in point at my church where I proved that very few of the people attending actually listen to the music being played. I made a handshake bet with a choir member, who is also an organist, that I could play "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandee" IN CHURCH at the offertory and nobody would take note. I did just that on April 1st this year and nobody (except the other organist) noticed. I played it quite slow, but if someone had been listening, they would have caught the melody as it was very clear as to what I was playing. It was my 'April Fools Day' (an American tradition of sorts) musical spoof during a religious service. And no, I did not get fired from my church position!

So, it's really true - no matter who is playing or what they are playing, it goes to show that most people are completely oblivious to classical music or to an internationally acclaimed artist playing outside of their normal concert stage.

What can we do to make people more aware of classical music? I don't have that answer yet - Thanks to Joseph for posting this.

 

[Gary Blanchard]

It is amazing how much setting, ambience, expectations, etc. impact the hearing of music. There is a big difference between walking into a concert hall and walking through a public area. In the concert hall, we are tuned into the music because we came for the music. In public spaces, we hear so much muzak that we tend to tune music out.

One time, in Ocean City, MD, we were walking the boardwalk and heard a violinist playing some wonderful music, from Bach to Beatles. Because the boardwalk is a more relaxed place where people are "chilling out," people were more likely to stop to listen. A public square in bustling DC is something else again. What would the reaction have been had he been playing on the mall by the Smithsonian, where, again, people are more relaxed.

Eric Satie, Brian Eno and others have explored the concept of "furniture music," music that is not meant to be noticed but to be part of the environment. One of favorite gigs was playing background music at a gallery opening.

Very interesting discussion. Thanks for bringing this up.

 

[zlya]

What can we do to make people more aware of classical music? I don't have that answer yet - Thanks to Joseph for posting this.

I wouldn't necessarily assume that people ignored the violinist because they are unaware of classical music. How many of us have walked past a good classical piece, well played, and just didn't have the time to give it the attention it deserves? I remember a violinist in a tunnel in a London train station playing really quite beautifully. I walked by him, not because I'm not interested in classical music, but because my feet were hurting and my back was hurting and I was carrying about 100 pounds of luggage on my back and people were running in to me and I was afraid I would miss my train and I didn't give him money because I was afraid I would drop something trying to find my wallet. And no, I don't remember the name of the piece he was playing.

But you know what? Just hearing him made my day happier. And I could hear him the entire length of that tunnel. It lightened my bag, my feet, and my attitude. I'm sure it had a similar effect on others who likewise didn't stop to listen. In a concert hall you have time to sit and concentrate on music, and on your way to work you just don't, but just because you can't hang around doesn't mean you don't hear it and appreciate it.

 

[Stronghold]

Plug your Violin into a marshall stack if you want to be noticed Hahah

 

[weir]

Maybe the rush hour just forced people to walk away,or maybe part of the "fast food culture" that simply mades people lose there patience to listen to the world.But what if Joshua Bell had been playing there as himself instead of pretending to be a street musician,wouldn't people just stop and listen,for the seek of the musician's reputation other than the beauty of the music?Even nowadays people enter the concert hall to enjoy a performance,is that everyone motived by the music itself instead of the figure that plays the music?