This man serenades tourists in a Boston park with a taste of their homeland : NPR

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A historic national park in Massachusetts attracts tourists from around the world. And no matter how far they have traveled, a local man welcomes them with a few notes from home in the form of a song. Craig LeMoult of member station GBH met him and tells this story.

CRAIG LEMOULT, BYLINE: John Muresianu was diagnosed with congestive heart failure about 10 years ago.

JOHN MURESIANU: And my cardiologist said you need to get away from your computer and go for a walk.

LEMOULT: So he began a daily ritual of walking through Minute Man National Historical Park. Muresianu was a history teacher, then had a career in finance. He launched wild bids for the U.S. Senate and even the presidency, and he always loved learning languages. So one day, he decides to introduce himself to one of the park’s many international tourists.

MURESIANU: And I say hello. Where are you from? And the lady says: France. And I didn’t have a plan, but something inside me told me to sing him “La Marseillaise” – the French national anthem.

LEMOULT: So that’s what he did.

MURESIANU: And I finish, and she says, you made my day.

LEMOULT: He said it was in a hurry.

MURESIANU: So, I’m hooked, right? I have to keep doing this.

LEMOULT: He started learning songs in other languages, including those he doesn’t speak.

MURESIANU: Hello. Hi. Where are you from?

LEMOULT: Muresianu, now 72, introduces himself to John Hu (ph), originally from Chengdu, China.

MURESIANU: My favorite Chinese poem is this one. Let me know if you recognize it.

(Singing in a language other than English).

LEMOULT: Hu smiles broadly and takes out his phone to start recording. He says these words while Muresianu looks up to the sky, arms outstretched, and sings.

JOHN HU: Oh. Good.

MURESIANU: Thank you.

LEMOULT: Muresianu walks through this park almost every day, wearing a neon yellow vest that makes it look like he’s there in an official capacity, even though he’s not. On this cold day, he wears a hat with fuzzy earmuffs.

MURESIANU: Well, I’m like a Walmart greeter. I welcome tourists from all over the world in their native language with their favorite song, prayer or poem in 46 languages.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Wow.

MURESIANU: So if for some reason you want to hear the most loved song from any country on the planet, pick a country. I’ll sing you the song.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Netherlands.

MURESIANU: (Singing in a language other than English).

LEMOULT: He says his superpower breaks down cultural barriers. He can sing in Ukrainian.

MURESIANU: (Singing in Ukrainian).

LEMOULT: Sanskrit.

MURESIANU: (Song in Sanskrit).

LEMOULT: Swahili.

MURESIANU: (Singing in Swahili).

LEMOULT: But he doesn’t sing at home.

MURESIANU: One of the reasons I sing in front of strangers is because my family hates it when I sing. And so that’s my outlet.

LEMOULT: Even here, it’s a bit of a gamble.

MURESIANU: Hello friends. Where are you all from?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: All right. We will continue.

MURESIANU: Okay.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Excuse us. Thanks though.

MURESIANU: Oops. Well, here we are.

(Singing in a language other than English).

LEMOULT: But a lot of people love it.

MURESIANU: (Singing in a language other than English).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Very nice.

MURESIANU: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: It’s incredible.

LEMOULT: And that’s what keeps him going.

MURESIANU: I believe, in fact, that in our DNA we are programmed to derive our greatest joy from bringing joy to others. I think it’s a biological fact.

(Singing in Italian).

LEMOULT: For NPR News, I’m Craig LeMoult in Concord, Massachusetts.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “VOLARE (NEL BLU DIPINTO DI BLU)”)

DEAN MARTIN: (Singing in Italian).

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