Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

OT - Found on facebook - a Joshua Bell experiment

9 views
Skip to first unread message

Melanie Sands

unread,
Feb 11, 2012, 12:30:02 PM2/11/12
to
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC 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 3 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 6 people stopped and
stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk
their normal pace. He collected $32. 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 top
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces
ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a
theater in Boston and the seats average $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?

neufer

unread,
Feb 11, 2012, 2:08:42 PM2/11/12
to
The story of Edward de Vere.
------------------------------
Art Neuendorffer

David L. Webb

unread,
Feb 11, 2012, 5:53:04 PM2/11/12
to
In article
<cce10d89-3f15-42d9...@s7g2000vby.googlegroups.com>,
neufer <acne...@gmail.com> (aka Noonedafter) wrote:

> The story of Edward de Vere.

No, Art; Joshua Bell is best known as an artist, while Edward de Vere
was best known as a fartist.

For another noteworthy difference, see this link:

<http://www.pbs.org/weta/onstage/rodgers/performers_bell.html>.

Plainly, Bell buoyed the Rodgers, whereas Oxford rogered the boys.

> ------------------------------
> Art Neuendorffer

neufer

unread,
Feb 12, 2012, 8:39:02 AM2/12/12
to
>  neufer <acneu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> The story of Edward de Vere.

"David L. Webb" <david.l.w...@dartmouth.edu> wrote:
>
>   No, Art; Joshua Bell is best known as an artist,
> while Edward de Vere was best known as a fartist.

<<In earnest thus: there is a Doctor and his *FART* that have kept
a foule stinking stirre in Paules Churchyard: I crie him mercie. I
slaundered him; he is scarse a Doctor till he hath done his Acts:
This dodipoule, this didopper, this professed poetical braggart,
hath raild upon me, without wit or Art, in certain foure penniworth
of Letters and three farthing-worth of Sonnets: now do I meane to
present him and *SHAKErley* to the Queens foole-taker for coatch-
horses: for two that draw more equallie in one Oratoriall yoke
of vaine-glorie, there is not under heaven.>> - T. NASHE
---------------------------------------------------
__ Hamlet (1603: Bad Quarto 1) Act 5 Scene 1
.
enter Clowne and an other.
.
Clowne: I say no, she ought not to be buried
. In christian buriall.
.
2: Why sir?
.
Clowne: Mary more's the pitty, that great folke
. Should haue more authoritie to hang or drowne
. Themselues, more than other people:
. Goe fetch me a stope of drinke, but before thou
. Goest, tell me one thing, who buildes strongest,
. Of a [MASON], a Shipwright, or a Carpenter?
.
2: Why a [MASON], for he buildes all of stone,
. And will indure long.
.
Clowne: That's prety, too't agen, too't agen.
.
2: Why then a Carpenter, for he buildes the gallowes,
. And that brings many a one to his long home.
.
Clowne: Prety agen, the gallowes doth well, mary howe dooes it well?
. the gallowes dooes well to them that doe ill, goe
. ge[T] thee go[N]e: And if [A]ny one a[S]ke thee [H]ereaft[E]r,
. say, A Graue-maker, for the houses he buildes
. Last till Doomes-day. Fetch me a stope of beere, goe.
.......................................................
_ <= 7 =>
.
. g e [T] t h e e
. g o [N] e A n d
__ i f [A] n y o n
. e a [S] k e t h
. e e [H] e r e a
__ f t [E] r
.
[TNASHE] 7 {233,000}
------------------------------------------------------
. _The Knights_ (424 BC) by *ARISTOPHANES*
......................................................
NICIAS How loudly the *PAPHLAGONIAN FARTS* and snores!
. I was able to seize the sacred oracle, which he was
. guarding with the greatest care, without his seeing me.
......................................................
SAUSAGE-SELLER: VERy well!
. it was *CLEON* who had caused the price to fall so low,
. that all might eat it, and the jurymen in the Courts were
. almost asphyxiated from *FARTING* in each others' faces.
.
DEMOS: Hah! why, indeed, a *DUNGTOWNITE* told me the same thing.
.
SAUSAGE-SELLER: Were you not yourself in those days
. quite red in the gills with *FARTING*?
.
DEMOS: Why, it was a trick *WORTHY* of Pyrrhandrus!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Barnes published the only English edition of *ARISTOPHANES*
prior to 1640, a Greek edition published in *OXENford* in 1593.
.........................................................
*OZONE* is derived from the Greek *OXEiN* meaning *to SMELL*
.........................................................
<<This Earle of Oxford, making his *LOW* obeisance to Queen
Elizabeth, happened to let a FART, at which he was so
abashed and ashamed that he went to Travell, *7 yeares* .
On his returne the Queen welcomed him home, and sayd,
My Lord, I had forgott the FART.>> -- John Aubrey
--------------------------------------------------
__ Hamlet (1603: Bad Quarto 1) Act 5 Scene 1
.
Hamlet: An excellent fellow by the Lord Horatio,
. This *SEAUEN YEARES* haue I noted it: the toe of the pesant,
. *COMES so neere the heele of the courtier* ,
. That hee gawles his kibe, I prethee tell mee one thing,
. How long will a man lie in the ground before hee rots?
.
Clowne: I faith sir, if hee be not rotten [B]efore
. *HE BE* laide in, [A]s we haue many pocky [C]orses,
. He will last y[O]u, eight yeares, *a tan[N]er*
. Will last you eight yeares full out, or nine.
.
Hamlet: And why *A TANNER* ?
.
Clowne: Why his hide is so tanned with his trade,
. That it will holde out water, that's a parlous
. Deuourer of your dead body, a great soaker.
.............................................
Clowne: I faith sir, <= 17 =>
.
. --- i f h e e b e n o t {R} o t t e n
. [B] e f o r e*H E B E*l {A} i d e i n
. [A] s w e h a u e m a n {Y} p o c k y
. [C] o r s e s H e w i l {L} l a s t y
. [O] u e i g h t y e a r {E} s a t a n
. [N] e r W i l l l a s t {Y} o u
.
[BACON] 17 {244,000}
--------------------------------------------------------
Greek political satires were written that ridiculed
Pericles' *non-aristocratic* successor:
the war-mongering demagogue *CLEON* .
.
thE WaSPS [Sphekes] (422 BC) Philonides
thE KnigHts. (424 BC) Aristophanes
thE AchARnians (425 BC) Callistratus
.
But Philonides & Callistratus were
pseudonym/front men used by Aristophanes.
.
Unfortunately, Aristophanes was unable to hide behind
a pseudonym in _The Knights_ because Aristophanes,
himself, was *forced to play the CLEON character*
(a scheming *PAPHLAGONIAN LEATHER-MONGER* )
after EVERyone else refused.
.
(We know for certain that this character was
intended to be *CLEON* because *CLEON's father*
Cleaenetus was, in fact, *A TANNER* .)
-----------------------------------------------------
__ Hamlet (1603: Bad Quarto 1) Act 1 Scene 4

Hamlet: King, Father, Royall Dane,
. O answere mee, let mee not burst in ignorance,
. But say why thy *CANONizd BONES* hearsed in death
. Haue burst their ceremonies: why thy Sepulcher,
. In which wee saw thee quietly interr'd,
. Hath burst his ponderous and marble Iawes,
. To cast thee vp againe: what may this meane,
. That thou, dead corse, againe in compleate steele,
. Reuissets [T]hus the glimses of the Moone,
. Maki[N]g night hideous, and we fooles of n[A]ture,
. So horridely to *SHAKE* our di[S]position,
. With thoughts beyond t[H]e reaches of our soules?
. Say, speak[E], wherefore, what may this meane?
..........................................................
______________ <= 28 =>
.
[T] h u s t h e g l i m s e s o f t h e M o o n e,M a k i
[N] g n i g h t h i d e o u s,a n d w e f o o l e s o f n
[A] t u r e,S o h o r r i d e l y t o*S H A K E*o u r d i
[S] p o s i t i o n,W i t h t h o u g h t s b e y o n d t
[H] e r e a c h e s o f o u r s o u l e s?S a y,s p e a k
[E]
.
wherefore, what may this meane?
.
[TNASHE] 28 {52,000}
---------------------------------------------------
__ Hamlet Q1 (1603: Bad Quarto 1) Act 1 Scene 1
.
Mar.: So nightly toyles the su[B]iect of the l[A]nd,
. And why su[C]h dayly cost [O]f *BRAZEN Can[N]on*
. And forra[I]ne marte, for implements of warre,
.................................................
So nightly toyles the su-
.
____ <= 10 =>
.
. [B] i e c t o f t h e
. l [A] n d,A n d w h y
. s u [C] h d a y l y c
. o s t [O] f B R A Z E
. N C A N [N] O N A n d
. f o r r a [I] n e
.
marte, for implements of warre,
.
[BACONI] 11 {2,900,000}
--------------------------------------------------------
____ *OBSCURIS VERA INVOLVENS*
http://www.fbrt.org.uk/pages/athena/frameset-athena.html
.
. <<Inscribed on Athena's shield is a Latin motto,
.
____ *OBSCURIS VERA INVOLVENS*
.
. meaning *TRUTH is enveloped in obscurity* , which explains
. the imagery on the shield-the central sun representing
. *TRUTH* and the surrounding clouds obscurity.>>
...................................................
__ *OBSCURIS VERA INVOLVENS*
_______. {anagram}
__ *BACONVS {S} NIL VERO VERIUS*
__ *BACON {SVS} NIL VERO VERIUS*
---------------------------------------------------
The DOUBLE AA (_Faerie Queene_) headpiece.
http://fly.hiwaay.net/~paul/aa/alpha.html
...................................................
A = ALPHa/ALePH = bull/ox
A = "stream" (Danish)
.
A-A = OX-Ford = Bull-beck
.....................................................
<<The BOAR, a symbol of Apollo, the divine SWINEHERD,
is said to imprint the ground with the sign of 'AA'..."
.
. Bacon, from his "Masculine Birth of Time"...
. "Why, *even COUNTRY BUMPKINS have proverbs*
. which are *APT expressions of TRUTH*
.
A PIG might print the letter A with his snout in the mud, but you
would not on that account expect it to go on to compose a tragedy.">>
------------------------------------------
Art Neuendorffer

David L. Webb

unread,
Feb 12, 2012, 2:46:36 PM2/12/12
to
In article
<cec6dfe9-31fe-49a8...@gr6g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>,
neufer <acne...@gmail.com> (aka Noonedafter) wrote:

> >  neufer <acneu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> The story of Edward de Vere.

> "David L. Webb" <david.l.w...@dartmouth.edu> wrote:
> >
> >   No, Art; Joshua Bell is best known as an artist,
> > while Edward de Vere was best known as a fartist.

> <<In earnest thus: there is a Doctor and his *FART* that have kept
> a foule stinking stirre in Paules Churchyard: I crie him mercie. I
> slaundered him; he is scarse a Doctor till he hath done his Acts:
> This dodipoule, this didopper, this professed poetical braggart,
> hath raild upon me, without wit or Art,

This is an error of omitted punctuation, Art; it should read
"...without wit, or, Art..." -- that is, a serviceable synonym for
"without wit" is "Art".

[Lunatic logorrhea snipped]

> <<This Earle of Oxford, making his *LOW* obeisance to Queen
> Elizabeth, happened to let a FART, at which he was so
> abashed and ashamed that he went to Travell, *7 yeares* .
> On his returne the Queen welcomed him home, and sayd,
> My Lord, I had forgott the FART.>> -- John Aubrey

You underscore my point emphatically, Art: Oxford's chief claim to
fame was as a fartist, not an artist.

[Lunatic logorrhea snipped]

> ______________ <= 28 =>
> .
> [T] h u s t h e g l i m s e s o f t h e M o o n e,M a k i
> [N] g n i g h t h i d e o u s,a n d w e f o o l e s o f n
> [A] t u r e,S o h o r r i d e l y t o*S H A K E*o u r d i
> [S] p o s i t i o n,W i t h t h o u g h t s b e y o n d t
> [H] e r e a c h e s o f o u r s o u l e s?S a y,s p e a k
> [E]
> .
> wherefore, what may this meane?

It means nothing, Art; short character strings that make sense are
routinely found in equidistant letter sequences in texts of reasonable
length. Only loons or morons -- not that the two categories are by any
means disjoint, as one can easily demonstrate in District Heights --
regard such chance strings as secret Masonic/Rosicrucian codes.

[...]

> A-A = OX-Ford = Bull-beck

= bull-dreck.

Incidentally, Art, you appear to have oVERlooked another stark
contrast between Joshua Bell and Oxford -- from the accounts of the
performance at

<http://www.pbs.org/weta/onstage/rodgers/performers_bell.html>,

it seems clear that Bell buoyed the Rodgers, whereas Oxford rogered the
boys.

[Lunatic logorrhea snipped]

> Art Neuendorffer

laraine

unread,
Feb 13, 2012, 2:23:33 PM2/13/12
to
Here is part of it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc

So if he had played for several hours,
he would have made maybe $200 or so,
which I'd guess is quite a bit higher
than average for buskers.

So... people must have sensed that he
was a good or appealing player, but not
exactly how good, or how hard the piece
was.

C.

marc hanson

unread,
Feb 13, 2012, 3:51:01 PM2/13/12
to
I like the violin,
but I may not be in love with Bach.

Wasn't there something done in Chicago,
where a dude was giving away money,
and there were very few takers?
[they assumed he was nuts, and stayed clear]

marc

laraine

unread,
Feb 13, 2012, 6:01:00 PM2/13/12
to
I haven't heard of that one, but here is
a better planned idea:

The Money Tree- hang $1's on a tree
http://laughingsquid.com/the-money-tree-an-experiment-in-giving-away-dollar-bills/

I was surprised that people mostly only
took one or two and not a whole bunch.
Midwesterners are definitely polite.
(My generalization for the day)

C.
0 new messages