How often have you strolled by a street musician, barely acknowledging their presence?
This particular musician was met with indifference from almost everyone as he began to play in the
city square. However, when a little girl chose to offer him some money, he surprised everyone.
This musician stood out from the typical street performers. Instead of the usual rough appearance,
he donned a complete tuxedo and cradled a shiny, pristine string instrument in his hands.
Passersby were puzzled to see such an elegant presence in the city square,
as they were more accustomed to musicians with a grittier look.
The city square in Spain had gained notoriety for its abundance of beggars and street musicians, who
often gathered there on sunny days, capitalizing on the tourist influx. Just a month before this
video emerged, a skirmish erupted between two street musicians right on this very square.
The locals were wary of encountering another performer causing trouble.
When this street musician was setting up to start playing his string instrument, some of the locals
came up to him and warned him against playing. They told him that nobody wanted him there. They
had all had enough of street musicians and told him to seek his luck somewhere else.
The musician came up with a clever idea. The street musician told the locals that he would only
play if someone wanted him to play. He promised he would not play unless someone paid him to play.
Until then, he would remain completely frozen and bother nobody. The locals laughed and
agreed. They were sure that nobody was in the mood for street music, but they would soon be
proven wrong in a fantastic way. As promised, the street musician remained completely still.
Pretty much everyone in the city square was confused by this odd behaviour, especially since
the musician didn't look like a regular vagabond. He was wearing an expensive tuxedo. Still, none
of the people on the square were excited to hear some second-rate music from a street musician.
They would rather listen to the music on their phones. Everyone ignored him. The musician started
to lose faith in his plan. The musician saw a lot of people walking past with earphones in.
They were all enjoying music on their phones, but nobody had yet asked him to play any music. He was
starting to lose faith. What if the locals had been right and nobody wanted to hear his music?
That was not what he had been expecting when he decided to go to the Square in
the first place, but everything would soon change. Nobody knew that the street musician was actually
a very talented classical musician from the Orchestra Sinfonica del Valles, a local symphony
orchestra that is known around the world for its amazing renditions of classical compositions.
Even though this man was very talented, he had planned to share
some music with the world for a few cents. But as of yet, nobody was interested.
The musician had been standing there for quite a while, yet nobody had asked him to play any
music yet. He was still frozen in place, looking more like a living statue than a street musician.
Ten more minutes, he said to himself. That's the amount of time he was going to remain there.
After those ten minutes, he was going to give up. Maybe the locals had been right.
But then everything changed. Because on the square, there was one person who was extremely
excited to hear him play his string instrument. Angelica, a four-year-old girl from Madrid,
had been visiting the city with her parents. They were enjoying their lunch on the square
when her eyes fell on the strangely dressed street musician. She asked her parents if
she could give him a coin. Angelica's parents told her that they were not going to give her
any money to give to the street musician. Knowing Angelica, they told her, that's a waste of money.
This trip has been expensive enough. Angelica was extremely disappointed and turned away from her
parents, so they could not see the tears in her eyes. But then she saw something. On the square,
there was a fountain. Angelica and her parents had been sitting on its edge,
enjoying their homemade sandwiches. When Angelica turned away from her parents,
after they had denied her request, she saw something glitter on the bottom of the fountain.
What was that? The bottom of the fountain was littered with coins. dropped there by people
making a wish. In Angelica's eyes, there was a fortune in the fountain. Her parents had already
taken their eyes off her and were busy looking around the square, so Angelica was able to grab
a coin out of the fountain without being seen. Now she needed to get the coin to the musician.
Angelica held the coin firmly clenched in her fist as she walked towards the musician. Her
parents called after her, but she kept on walking. She started to draw other people's attention.
Apparently, more people had been waiting to see the musician play. But nobody wanted
to be the first to approach. She dropped the coin in his hat and then everything changed.
Resembling a jukebox coming to life, the musician begins to play, basking in the realization that
there are indeed people eager to hear his music. He proves the doubting locals wrong, gracefully
producing beautiful notes from his string instrument, starting off with a gentle tempo.
Yet, there's more to come – a startling surprise awaits everyone present in the city square. Out of
nowhere, another street musician arrives, carrying a cello. Taking a seat beside the first musician,
she joins in the performance. Their music blends harmoniously, captivating the onlookers.
But the amazement doesn't end there. More and more musicians make their way to the
scene – violinists, horn players, and drummers – it's as if an entire orchestra has assembled.
Within moments, they launch into Beethoven's Ninth Symphony,
Ode to Joy. Who could have anticipated such a grand spectacle? A choir emerges,
adding their melodious voices to the symphony, while a conductor masterfully guides the
orchestral arrangement. And all of this wondrous display traces back to Angelica's humble coin.