Music can often stir up strong emotions in us, but there’s some evidence to suggest that some animals might feel similarly when they hear it. Classically trained concert pianist Paul Barton moved to Thailand to teach, but soon discovered a surprising and grateful audience in elephants. He now frequently plays for blind elephants at Elephant’s World, a rescue sanctuary in Kanchanaburi.
Barton often shares his outdoor performances on YouTube, where he’s gained a strong following of almost 800,000 subscribers. His videos reveal touching, intimate moments between him and the elephants he plays for, who often seem to find comfort in the music. In some cases, the gentle giants even appear to cry. Elephants may not shed tears like humans, but they’re deeply emotional and social animals. They respond to grief and distress with vocal sounds and physical signs, including eyes that can appear watery. Elephants also use their ears to express themselves, often holding them still when they’re focused and listening closely—a behavior which is often captured in Barton’s videos.
In his YouTube channel, Barton shares the heartbreaking stories of the elephants he plays for, such as 61-year-old Mongkol, a former logging elephant. “His captive-held life was spent hauling trees in the Thai forest,” he reveals. “His body shape is deformed through hard labor, he lost his right eye and tusk in this brutal logging practice.”
Mongkol was rescued and given a new home at Elephant’s World, where he can now live out his remaining years in peace and freedom along the River Kwai. Barton adds, “I discovered Mongkol is an extremely gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music, especially this slow movement by Beethoven which I play to him occasionally in the day and night.”
A female elephant named Ampan is another devoted fan of Barton’s music. At 80 years old, she has far outlived the typical lifespan of elephants in the wild by about a decade. In a video of Barton playing Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” gentle Ampan is captured happily appreciating every note, standing up-close to Barton and his piano.
Many people on YouTube continually point out how incredible these moments between two different species really are. One person wrote, “It makes me so happy to know that somewhere in the world, instead of killing them, elephants are so loved there is a guy who lives just to sit and entertain them on a piano.” Another pointed out that the connection goes both ways: “I'm sure the pianist felt it was a privilege to play the piano for this beautiful creature.” For Barton, this might just be the most meaningful audience he’s ever performed for.
Check out some of the pianist’s videos below and find even more by following Paul Barton on YouTube.
Classically trained concert pianist Paul Barton frequently plays for blind elephants at Elephant’s World, a rescue sanctuary in Thailand.
His videos reveal touching, intimate moments between him and the elephants he plays for, who often seem to find comfort in the music.
Paul Barton: Website | Facebook | YouTube
Source: Beethoven “Moonlight Sonata” for Old Elephant
Related Articles:
Orphaned Baby Elephant Playfully Interrupts TV Journalist in the Middle of a Report
Learn More About How Elephants, One of the World’s Smartest Animals, Grieve
Elephants Have Been Found to Give Each Other Names in the Form of Rumbling Sounds
Man Quits Job to Travel the World While Playing Piano on the Street
