영국의 길거리 공연
Two buskers on the street in Newcastle
In Britain, buskers were commonly known as minstrels until the 20th century. It is very common to see buskers on the high streets (shopping areas) of British towns and cities. The most common types of busking are playing music, comedy shows and human statues but many other types of busking take place. In the 20th century the art of busking became very popular and saw acts becoming more vibrant and diverse.
The picture shows two buskers on the streets of Newcastle, North-East England playing music with percussion instruments. The white bowl in front is for people to give them money if they stop to watch the music and the sign is a way to advertise. Busking is also sometimes used by musicians to show themselves off and advertise their music. It gives them the opportunity to play to a large audience of people and create awareness. A musician who started off busking and later became very famous is Bob Dylan.
A popular and historic place for buskers in England is Covent Garden in London. Here, many different buskers can be seen such as musicians, magicians and street circus acts because busking is a cheap way for artists to perform and it is very popular. It also brings a lovely atmosphere to the streets adding sound, colour and excitement and it brings joy and fun to the people watching.
The definition of busking is to play music or to perform in a public place usually whilst asking for donations of money. There is no set date to when busking began, however performances in public places have happened since before the 5th century and busking occurs all over the world, although the term “busking” was only first seen in the English language in the 1860’s. At the time busking was known in other European countries by different names. In French - troubadours, in German - Minnesigners and in Italian - Burscarsi. Busking is different all around the world and comes in many different shapes and forms from acrobatics to singing and dancing to snake charming. Of course the entertainment depends on where you are in the world. I haven’t seen many snake charmers in the UK!
By Ross Brown, Exchange Student, Northumbria University
Ross Brown 교환학생
tribune1968@cnumedia.com