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If You Miss a Train in France, You May Catch a Tune Instead If You Miss a Train in France, You May Catch a Tune Instead
(about 17 hours later)
You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless and sweating on the platform as the train pulls away.You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless and sweating on the platform as the train pulls away.
But at least, if you’re in France, someone may be playing the piano for you.But at least, if you’re in France, someone may be playing the piano for you.
It might be Edith Piaf’s “La Foule” or a burst of Frédéric Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu,” a rousing rendition of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” title song or the Tetris theme. But it won’t be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer busking for coins.It might be Edith Piaf’s “La Foule” or a burst of Frédéric Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu,” a rousing rendition of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” title song or the Tetris theme. But it won’t be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer busking for coins.
It will just be a random passer-by, jamming for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S.N.C.F., has installed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to sit down and play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.It will just be a random passer-by, jamming for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S.N.C.F., has installed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to sit down and play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.
Gares & Connexions, the S.N.C.F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from the manufacturer, Yamaha, which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.Gares & Connexions, the S.N.C.F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from the manufacturer, Yamaha, which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.
The pianos have proved to be very popular, and the music, blending with the sounds of shouting passengers, screeching trains and rolling suitcases, can give French stations a peculiar soundscape. The amateur musicians have included Irish soccer fans singing a folk ballad, complete strangers improvising a duo, and even babies. The pianos have proved to be very popular, and the music, blending with the sounds of shouting passengers, screeching trains and rolling suitcases, can give French stations a peculiar soundscape. The amateur musicians have included Irish soccer fans singing a folk ballad, complete strangers improvising a duet, and even babies.
In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit video clips of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit video clips of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.
Aren’t the railroad and the company taking a big chance? Apparently not: “None of the instruments have been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged,” Claire Fournon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions, said in an email. “They are shared and respected by all.”Aren’t the railroad and the company taking a big chance? Apparently not: “None of the instruments have been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged,” Claire Fournon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions, said in an email. “They are shared and respected by all.”
So if you miss a train in Paris, Bordeaux or Marseille one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease the sting a bit. Or perhaps you’ll sit down, roll up your sleeves and play your frustrations away yourself.So if you miss a train in Paris, Bordeaux or Marseille one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease the sting a bit. Or perhaps you’ll sit down, roll up your sleeves and play your frustrations away yourself.