Music or noise? Ear of the beholder

(Photo by Pko)

It just goes to show:  One woman's music is another woman's noise.

MSN News reports that a woman from Spain has taken her downstairs neighbor to court because of so-called incessant piano playing.  The plaintiff (Sonia Bosom) accused the defendant (concert pianist Laia Martin) of tickling those ivories for "five-days-a-week, eight-hour practice sessions."

Now we're not talking Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at top volume here.  We're referring instead to gentler pieces that are played at an intensity no greater than 40 decibels.

Forty decibels is not generally thought of as excessively loud, considering that "normal conversation produces 55-60 decibels…"  However, there has been a "30-decibel limit laid down for musical instruments" in the town where these neighbors reside.

Bosom is claiming "psychological injury" from "years of hearing constant playing."  She allegedly told the court that "she now hates pianos so much she can't even stand to see them in a film."

Constitutional Law Professor Fernando Simon Yarza has claimed the following:  Protection against noise and environmental quality is considered a human right.

The prosecutors of this case are requesting a six-year jail sentence "for noise pollution," plus "an additional one-and-a-half years for psychological damage."

At the end of this trial, someone will no doubt be facing the music.  Who that someone will be remains a mystery for now.

Resources

http://news.msn.com/world/spanish-pianist-could-face-jail-for-practicing

Copyright November 14, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved