Joshua Bell's experiment

Joshua Bell, 41, is a highly-acclaimed American violinist who at the age of 14, performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and later received the Avery Fisher Prize in New York City in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a classical instrumentalist.

In January two years ago, Bell was involved in an experiment conceived by Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten. He put on a baseball cap and played his 300-year-old Stradivariius at a Metro subway station in Washington, D. C. without calling attention to his persona.

Over 1,000 people passed Bell as he played and the only one who recognized him dropped a $20 bill. After his 45-minute performance, Bell collected $32.17, excluding the $20 contribution.

This wasn’t an original stunt. In 1930, violinist Jacques Gordon disguised himself as a beggar and played at a curb in Chicago. Passersby gave him $5.61 for his music.

Xavier and Ateneo alumnus Robin Tong forwarded an e-mail sent by a former classmate Robert Choa-Yu commenting on the Bell experience. Robin said the source of the commentary was unidentified.

As our New Year’s greeting, we are reprinting the thought-provoking Bell commentary that Robin forwarded:

“A man sat at a 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 musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and 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 without stopping continued to walk.

“A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but 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 three-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head 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 six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

“No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth $3.5 million.

Two days before playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

“This is a real 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 commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour – Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the 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 best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”

Happy New Year to all.