In Spain, Playing the Piano Could Land a Musician in Jail

Though music is commonly known to soothe the soul, professional pianist Laia Martin is being charged with causing her neighbor in Girona psychological damage with her constant playing. If found guilty of extreme counts of noise pollution, Martin will spend up to 20 months in prison.

It may seem a bit drastic to want your neighbor to do time just because her music irritated you, but Sonia Bosom insists that Martin’s piano practicing traumatized her to the point that she’s not even able to catch a glimpse of the instrument in a movie.

According to the BBC:

Prosecutors are…demanding that the 27-year-old [Martin] be banned from professional piano playing for six months….

Ms Martin’s parents are also being sued and face a fine if found guilty.

Ms Bosom alleges that the pianist – a conservatoire student at the time – practised her piano for eight hours, five days a week from 2003-2007….

Ms Bosom’s lawyer said she had endured “four years of suffering,” the Associated Press news agency reports.

In their defence, the Martin family said they had tried to soundproof the room, and that the practice had not been as constant as claimed.

Martin will have to face the music, so to speak, two weeks from now when the Spanish court is expected to rule on the case that’s causing quite the ruckus across the pond. But as harsh as the 20-month jail term may seem, Bosom’s lawyers originally sought to incarcerate the pianist for more than seven years. Insert Beethoven’s 5th here.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi