To see someone captivated by music isn’t a particularly unusual thing to see.
However, if a musician can tame an enormous elephant by means of music, that’s a little more unusual—and that’s exactly what happened in the video we’re talking about today. This video on YouTube circulated the internet about a man serenading a gigantic elephant using his piano.
Sweet, heartwarming and delightful are all understatements to describe what happens in this adorable clip! Since it was uploaded, the video has amassed some 5.4 million views on YouTube, though it’s sure to go up from there. In the video, a man plays piano to an 80-year old elephant.
The elephant in the clip is named Ampan, while the pianist is Paul Barton.
Barton is a former concert pianist known around Europe, though he decided to take a turn in his career. Now, he sets his piano outside to play for the elephants at the Elephant World Sanctuary in Thailand—and Ampan is one of them.
Ampan is an 80-year old female who is blind in one eye. She is way past the average elephant’s lifespan, though the age range can differ among different species of elephant.
Because Ampan is such a majestic creature, it was only right that Barton play a beautiful piece of music for her.
Barton gently led Ampan to his set-up and pet her trunk before taking a seat to get ready. He decided to play “Claire de Lune,” the third movement of Claude Debussy’s famous piano suites called “Suite bergamasque.” It is to be played very softly, which in music dynamics is called a pianissimo.
Barton made sure to make it sound as soothing as it could get to avoid startling Ampan. How he played it was like a personalized lullaby to soothe this gentle giant.
The elephant loves classical music too!
“The elephants are free to walk about around the piano; they are not chained or tethered in any way,” Barton said in an interview. “If they don’t like the music, they can simply wander off.” This is what Barton said when he was interviewed about this 2 years ago. WHERE WAS HE INTERVIEWED? NEEDS A LINK
When the first note hits, Ampan starts to flap her ears. Some people say elephants flap their ears when they are agitated or getting rid of flies, but this is clearly not the case for this one—these are definitely happy flaps! Not only did her ears flap with enjoyment, but her trunk also wiggled with joy. Throughout the entire performance, Ampan stayed put to listen.
It’s clear that Barton has a special bond with these elephants!
It’s clear to observe the bond they have with one another. Towards the end, it even looks like Ampan sheds a tear from the beautiful melodies! Without a doubt, this is a touching video for anyone who watches it—and not just Ampan and Barton!
Although elephants face an unclear future, there are still people out there who care about other species and want to make sure they have a place in this world. Judging from this video, that’s definitely the case for Barton as well. Towards the end, Barton puts his head and hands on Ampan’s trunk to show his love..and it will warm your heart.
Congratulations to Paul Barton on this awesome performance! Be sure to watch the whole thing in the link below:
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