When one musician in Spain woke up one day and decided to go play his instrument in a plaza, he probably never imagined how well the day would end.

A musician stood in a plaza in Sabadell, Spain, and played his instrument as people started filling the area. He put out a hat for tips as many street musicians do.

A little girl was the first person to put a coin in the man’s hat. He began to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” as she stood there and watched.

What happened next was the beginning of something breathtaking.

A woman from the crowd joined him with her own stringed instrument. She played alongside him to the people in the Plaza.

While two musicians playing together beautifully is a wonderful thing within itself, amazingly, more musicians began to join…and more…and more.

In no time, there was an orchestra of 100 people in Placa de Sant Roc.

The orchestra was a flashmob created by a bank in Spain called Banco Sabadell to celebrate its 130th anniversary. Musicians came from Lieder, Amics de l’Òpera, Vallès Symphony Orchestra, and Coral Belles Arts choirs to play for the crowd. There was even a musical conductor to direct the orchestra.

People in the crowd did what anyone does these days when they see something spectacular…they took out their phones and started taking videos and photos.

Just when the crowd thought things couldn’t get any better, this beautiful scene reached new heights. A choir of voices began singing along to “Ode to Joy”. Some strangers in the crowd were even seen singing along. Children danced and played along as everyone just took in all of the scenes.

This was certainly something you don’t see every day.

Then, just when everyone thought things couldn’t get any better, they did.

The conductor cued the musicians to crank it up a notch for the grand finale as they played louder and louder. The singing and the playing rose to glorious new heights.

To say this was something that no one would soon forget is an understatement. Quickly after it was over, the bank posted the flashmob video online and it went viral. Since it was first posted eight years ago, it has received more than 86 million views.

Even eight years later, people are still commenting about how beautiful this video is and how much it moved them. Here’s a small sample of the more than 17,000 comments this video has received on YouTube.

“The instruments, the singing, the people, the feeling, it’s just really really heartwarming.” -Jade Pedrola

“When people get together, the power is enormous.” -Unknown

“This is maybe the umpteenth time I’ve watched this splendid video. I’ll never tire of seeing it again and again and yet again. It just makes me feel so good inside.” -Michael B.

Many people commented on how they watched the video over and over again because they were touched so deeply. It truly is amazing how inspiring music can truly be.

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Source: Banco Sabadell