Most people seem to think of street performers as poor artists trying to eek out a living. In 2008, the Washington Post set out to prove just how little people really paid attention to public performances by enlisting the help of Joshua Bell, one of the world’s top violinists. Armed with a multi-million dollar Stradivarius from 1713, Bell performed in the L’Enfant Plaza subway station and played a variety of pieces for 43 minutes to include Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne. As one of the world’s foremost musicians playing one of the most challenging pieces on a priceless instrument … he made $32.17 while passed by nearly everyone at rush hour. The experiment eventually won a Pulitzer Prize for its exposure of our collective, artistic ignorance.

It does make one wonder, are the masses stupid for not recognizing aural beauty or is it beautiful because the elites tell us it is?

This article was edited after publication by the author on 21 Feb 2012. View changes.