Pearls Before Breakfast

Pearls Before Breakfast

Joshua Bell plays his Stradivarius impromptu in a D.C. Metro station during Friday morning rush-hour…what happens?

Gene Weingarten of the Post (Washington) Magazine describes the response of the passersby in “Pearls Before Breakfast,” a wry adaptation of Matthew’s warning against casting “pearls before swine.” The central conflict is tough, whether or not commuters will set aside what drives them for a few minutes to enjoy a master’s performance (of great pieces on a fabulous instrument). This toughness makes the piece. Were he to have experimented on a sunny day in a popular park, the choice made by passersby would be far less interesting for ease.

And yet, at second glance, is the central choice really that tough? Most who stopped had some background in music that allowed them to appreciate what they heard. A people unprepared to appreciate something are not likely to sample the unknown in the midst of other pressures. Maybe at their leisure…

Gene engaged in a 1-hour live chat on the Post’s site. He answered a similar objection, “I think this poster is arguing, really, that there was no way to have conducted this experiment in a way that was meaningful, since musical tastes are so individualized. I disagree, and I disagree not because the poster’s logic is faulty, but because I was there. Go back to the story online and click on that first video clip of Bell performing Bach’s gavotte. You don’t need to know or care anything about classical music to have been mesmerized by that.”

I understand his premise, that the genius of Bell and the music and the violin should objectively capture anyone’s attention. I just don’t think I agree. Regardless, I enjoyed the writing and the story.