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Battling Vandalism with Violas
From today’s Transom, in which Peter’s love of classical is vindicated yet again.
AT THE CORNER of 8th and Market in San Francisco, by a shuttered subway escalator outside a Burger King, an unusual soundtrack plays. A beige speaker, mounted atop a tall window, blasts Baroque harpsichord at deafening volumes. The music never stops. Night and day, Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi rain down from Burger King rooftops onto empty streets.
Empty streets, however, are the target audience for this concert. The playlist has been selected to repel sidewalk listeners — specifically, the mid-Market homeless…
Experts trace the practice’s origins back to a drowsy 7-Eleven in British Columbia in 1985, where some clever Canadian manager played Mozart outside the store to repel parking-lot loiterers. Mozart-in-the-Parking-Lot was so successful at discouraging teenage reprobates that 7-Eleven implemented the program at over 150 stores, becoming the first company to battle vandalism with the viola.
Reason #785 why classical music is still valuable in our time. It lives on.
Published in Policing
Yeah, I would like this. I am a classical musician, and would linger outside a store that played classical music. Mostly, stores have a rock music soundtrack, and I have always wondered why.
Cheers, Bereket!
I’m sure there’s some marketing/psych research showing rock music makes you more likely to spend money. But I’m right there with you. I couldn’t leave if Bach’s cello suites were bellowing out of speakers.
These may not be the best of speakers. Probably the music has been remastered with pops and skips to obtain that vintage vinyl ambience.
Thanks for this.
I think you would enjoy the story of the Baltimore Symphony’s program OrchKids that appeared in the NYTimes this weekend.
As I always say, If it ain’t Baroque, fix it.
The harpsichord in its natural habitat is not capable of deafening volume. But it wasn’t always this way. After numerous complaints from Baroque singers and instrumentalists, volume restrictions were codified by the rules committee of the Leipzig Kunstwerkgeselschaft of 1717.
OK, I made that up. But endless harpsichord music at “deafening volume” would probably keep me away.
Oh my goodness that’s clever…
Who knows, maybe that classical music would intrigue a young passer-by enough to go inside and ask the store owner what it was. It might just snare a new classical-music lover. I’m guessing that most people who live in low-earning neighborhoods haven’t heard much classical music in their lives.
If it’s “at deafening volumes”, how does it not drive away customers? Is it merely less uncomfortable for customers than stepping over homeless?
Harkins theaters use this tactic as well. The Malls could use a good dose of Stravinsky; just saying.
Watch for some liberal to complain it’s unfair to the homeless. Before you know it, we’ll see bumper stickers:
“If violas are outlawed, only outlaws will have violas.”
I would argue that, among musicians, violists are the least likely to break the law.
Not horn players, eh? Noted…
Not sure about how much money I would spend, but it would be hard to pry me away during the Bach Suites.
Mozart? Pure Joy!
Stravinsky – maybe or maybe not – there’s something about 5/4.
Wagner? Depends on when the fat lady sings.
True. I’m tired of all the violins on our streets today . . .
(please don’t groan)
We did.
This was exactly what I was thinking of! Hat’s off!
Well, I’m not wearing a hat. I have on a tee shirt and gym shorts, so I can’t really take anything off in a salute. Oh wait, my coozey . . . (yes, this is how I spell it)
Coozey’s off!
Do I want to know what that is?
I think he must mean a beer cozy?
Can I get the name of that doctor?
Not soothing the savage beast, but repelling him.
This might work, too:
It appears to be Dr. Harold Feelgood.
Vandals and Handel’s.
You, sir, are a genius.
You rang?
Au contraire. 5/4 is beasutiful!
Tchaikovsky 6th 2nd mvt.