After 3 minutes:
A middle-aged man noticed a musician playing.
At 4 minutes:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman tossed the money into a hat without stopping.
At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen then noticed his watch and moved quickly down the hall.
At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped to observed but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.
At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people had stopped to listen for a short time. 20 gave money but kept walking at a normal pace. The man collected $32.
After 1 hour:
He finished his solo and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded. There was not a single recognition of his extraordinary performance.
No one knew, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the finest musicians in the world. Dressing incognito, he played one of the most intricate pieces ever written by Johann Sebastian Bach on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out at a Boston Theater where seats averaged over $100 for those to sit and listen to him play the exact music.
