In January 2007, The Washington Post decided to find out. Writer Gene Weingarten persuaded the famous violinist Joshua Bell to dress in plain clothes and a baseball cap and play near the entrance of the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station during the morning rush hour.
Bell brought his Stradivarius violin, made in 1713, which he reportedly bought for around $3.5 million. He opened his case on the floor for tips and began to play some of the most beautiful and difficult music ever written.
The editors had worried about crowds forming. They needn’t have.
In the 43 minutes he played, more than 1,000 people walked past. Only seven stopped to listen for a minute or more. Twenty-seven people dropped money in his case, for a total of about $32. Some even tossed pennies. Only one person recognized him, and she arrived near the very end.
One man, John Picarello, did stay for about nine minutes. He had played the violin himself and could tell this was a gifted musician.
Weingarten didn’t think the experiment proved people can’t see beauty. As he told NPR, “I think it means that we’re in too much of a hurry.”
His story, called “Pearls Before Breakfast,” won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2008.
Watch the video and see how many people hurry past. Then ask yourself: what beautiful things might we be missing every day?
Would you have stopped to listen? Share this with someone who always takes time to smell the roses.