A project called for Sing for Hope has placed 88 pianos in public places around New York City for people to play before the instruments are auctioned off for charity. We found Eric Donnelly tuning this one not far from our office.
This being New York City, someone stole one of the 88 hopeful pianos not long after it was set up in a park. This being New York City, strangers and neighbors and anonymous angels found a way to replace it. We love this town.
UPDATE on the stolen piano: The mystery has been solved. It turns out that, this being New York City, someone had vandalized the piano and the Parks Department mistook it for garbage and hauled it away. This is a very big and wonderful place.
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Winston: I LOVE THIS TOWN!!!
How fun is that?
It seemed that no one nearby was reacting to him playing the piano. Is that just typical New Yorker "meh" response?
The story of different people pitching in to get the donated piano relocated was nice. And Donnelly looked relaxed and 'in the moment' playing.
I noticed that too. It could be everyone was mentally occupied, in a hurry, or have been experiencing the playing of the pianos all week.
Maybe a well known person pointing would have created a different reaction, and gathered the flocks. I'm not sure what to think about that... our reaction dependent observations and actions. To the better portion, do they weaken or strengthen our experience; or society for that matter.
I'll confess that the music the fellow was playing was not the sort of thing that would make me pay much attention.
Is anyone else reminded here of the experiment by the Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten, who (in 2007) asked an internationally famous classical music superstar to play violin at a Washington Metro station? Violinist Joshua Bell played some rather demanding material, including Bach's Chaconne, and got only minimal attention from harried D.C. commuters. That, and $32 in his violin case.
This idea can be fun indeed.
Here in the Tampa Bay area, the idea of planting pianos decorated in funky ways by artists was implemented in a much more modest way (only ten pianos, not 88) in 2009 in the historic Ybor City district of Tampa (pronounce it "Ee-bor"). The project was sponsored by several gay-oriented businesses located in an enclave in Ybor City informally known as "GaYbor."
I sometimes have occasion to be in the Ybor neighborhood, and I can attest that it really brightened my day to see those weird but delightful pianos. And yes, I did see the instruments being played from time to time. Even I, with my very limited pianistic prowess, could not resist strumming a few chords on the instruments.
Did the project change the world? No. (I mean, look who we elected as governor in 2010. . . .) But it was fun.
The guy's playing Loving Cup, by the Stones, although I think he's doing it in the style of Phish. He kind of looks like Merri the hobbit from Lord of the Rings! ;)
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