

Pearls Before Breakfast (2007) - tshtf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

======
lmm
You can see this guy at the Met for what, $200? Could I pay you $200 to be an
hour late for work? (Maybe I could - the HN crowd of startuppy professionals
often doesn't have to be in on time - but not the kind of people who were
listening in the article).

I wonder what would've happened if they'd done it in the evening rush hour
rather than the morning one.

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ColinDabritz
This was a delightful article, that provided a real window in human behavior
and perception. Such fun!

I am reminded of a story that I am unable to locate, about a violinist who
composed works and passed them off as more obscure classical music by big
names (Mozart, Bach and similar). He liked composing music in the style, but
he couldn't get people interested in the pieces. By passing them off as more
obscure famous works from the period, people would listen to them, and respond
favorably. A very similar problem, from a different perspective.

If anyone recalls the article or names, I would appreciate a link.

~~~
gjm11
Sounds like Fritz Kreisler, though generally the composers he "credited" were
one or two notches down from Mozart and (J S) Bach -- Vivaldi, Boccherini,
Couperin, W F Bach, Tartini, Pugnani, etc. You can find a list by going to
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Fritz_K...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Fritz_Kreisler)
and searching for "falsely".

Apparently, when called on his deception he said "The name changes, the value
remains".

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tunesmith
Gene Weingarten is an amazing writer. He won a Pulitzer for this article in
2008. He won one other Pulitzer in 2010, for his (very harrowing) article
about parents who forget their children in the back seat of their car.

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html)

~~~
oneiric
I don't know much about Pulitzers, but I'm shocked by this. I thought this
piece was terrible. Maybe the people who award Pulitzers are into symphonic
music.

Specifically I thought the writing had a forced enthusiasm. I think the whole
premise is dull and obvious. I really didn't like the philosophical allusions.
And I like classical music, DFW essays (long, poetic), and philosophy.

Maybe I'll check out what it was up against...

[http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2008-Feature-
Writing](http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2008-Feature-Writing)

Fellow finalists (seem equally boring): Also nominated as finalists in this
category were: Thomas Curwen of the Los Angeles Times for his vivid account of
a grizzly bear attack and the recovery of the two victims, and Kevin Vaughan
of the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colo., for his sensitive retelling of a
school bus and train collision at a rural crossing in 1961 that killed 20
children.

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Rangi42
I wonder what would happen in a similar experiment where a large sign makes it
clear how high-status the violinist is. Would people be persuaded to stop, or
are the passers-by in a Metro station naturally going to be too busy and
hurried to take in a performance?

~~~
seandougall
I also wonder what would have happened if it were an instrument other than
violin. I've long been an orchestral musician myself, and I'm one of a great
many people who feel unaccompanied solo violin sounds scratchy and annoying
(or thin and lacking in context at best), no matter how skillfully it's
played. A really great cellist, however, would grab my attention much more
effectively. Or imagine a top-notch bassoonist launching into Rite of Spring
out of nowhere. I'd stop to listen.

~~~
omegaham
I agree. My dad _loves_ solo violin, and I personally don't care for the
sound. I definitely prefer a cello or someone playing a woodwind.

Alto sax is my personal favorite solo instrument.

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sashanna
I assure Beyoncé would have drawn a crowd.

~~~
rurounijones
Only because people would recognize her from face or music or voice.

To replicate this you would need to put some make-up / prosthetics on to hide
the fact it was her and make her sing something not particularly famous on her
own.

I think the result would be the same assuming no one recognized her voice.

~~~
hkmurakami
I think we might be able to get the. Same effect by transporting her to
somewhere else in the world where American popular music isn't as popular.

~~~
tinkerdol
Serious question: where would this be? Outside of North America, I've only
been to Brazil and multiple European countries, and American pop music is
still ubiquitous in these places.

~~~
hkmurakami
I'm having a hard time coming up with something concrete myself. The
'cheating' answer would of course be North Korea.

For something more practical, targeting an older segment of the population, or
a remote area in a non-English speaking country might do it.

~~~
rurounijones
Lady GaGa playing a piano in the same location is probably your best bet.

Practically no one recognises her without here insane make-up and get-ups
(Which I think is a pretty smart ploy) and a piano is a piano yet she is in
the same "Generally recognised superstar" category as beyonce and she is a
very good pianist.

