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59-410: Following that, from Friday to Sunday, there are live musicians, buskers , arts & crafts , games, vendors and even some charity gambling to entertain the public. The Dundas Cactus Festival began in 1976 as a festival to mark the beginning of summer. In 1979 the festival was moved to August with local downtown merchants having sidewalk sales to coincide with it. The name 'Dundas Cactus Festival'

118-474: A fairground organ , band organ or orchestrion . In the United Kingdom , many use the term street organ to refer to a mechanically played, piano -like instrument also known as a barrel piano . Dutch street organs (unlike the simple street organ) are large organs that play book music . They are equipped with multiple ranks of pipes and percussion. As originally built the organ was operated by

177-536: A busy street corner. Modern Dutch street organs are frequently trailer mounted, and sized for towing behind a pickup or other light truck. Some have a small engine on the front of the chassis allowing them to be self-propelled. Dutch street organs are on display at the Museum Speelklok (formerly 'Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement') in Utrecht. German-style street organs are usually operated by

236-428: A common sight until the beginning of the 21st century; they have all but vanished, since. In Paris there were a limited number of permits for organ grinders, and entry in that reserved circle was based on a waiting list or seniority system. According to Ord-Hume the disappearance of organ grinders from European streets was in large part due to the early application of national and international copyright laws. At

295-405: A companion a white-headed capuchin monkey, tethered to a string, to do tricks and attract attention, as well as the important task of collecting money from passers-by. In an article from 1929, George Orwell wrote of the organ-grinders of London: "To ask outright for money is a crime, yet it is perfectly legal to annoy one's fellow citizens by pretending to entertain them. Their dreadful music

354-510: A crosswalk while the traffic lights are red. A variety of disciplines can be used in such a format (juggling, break dancing, even magic tricks). Because of the short period of time available to them, stoplight performers must have a very brief, condensed routine. This form is seen more commonly in Latin America than elsewhere. Buskers collect donations and tips from the public in a variety of containers and by different methods depending on

413-400: A group of musicians as part of a story-telling street act, together with brightly coloured posters and sing-along sessions. In New York City , the massive influx of Italian immigrants led to a situation where, by 1880, nearly one in 20 Italian men in certain areas were organ grinders. The barrels used were heavy, held only a limited number of tunes, and could not easily be upgraded to play

472-527: A guitar, a harmonica, a drum and a tambourine. They may also include singing. Many still busk but some are booked to play at festivals and other events. Folk music has always been an important part of the busking scene. Cafe, restaurant, bar and pub busking is a mainstay of this art form. The delta bluesmen were mostly itinerant musicians emanating from the Mississippi Delta region of the USA around

531-412: A hinged or removable wooden stick or leg that was strapped to the back of the organ. The strap around his neck would balance the organ, leaving one hand free to turn the crank and the other to steady the organ. A tin cup on top of the organ, or in the hand of a companion, was used to solicit payments for his performance. Moving away from the stereotype, in reality the size of the street organ varied from

590-564: A little to come and see us. But it all started on street corners, and that is still very connected to what we do. It's such a validating musical experience. Busking is a very humble and brave act that takes courage to do well. It's also about the energy of music being alive outside in a city ... You can walk right by it right in front of you. Sure, to some people you're just another guy with his hand out, so sometimes busking can be great social barometer. You're able to gauge who you live with on earth. Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show Around

649-531: A performance occurs is called a "pitch". A good pitch can be the key to success as a busker. An act that might make money at one place and time may not work at all in another setting. Popular pitches tend to be public places with large volumes of pedestrian traffic, high visibility, low background noise and as few elements of interference as possible. Good locations may include tourist spots, popular parks, entertainment districts including many restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs and theaters, subways and bus stops, outside

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708-423: A person had to produce any music or entertainment, save for a few mechanical devices such as the barrel organ , the music box , and the piano roll . Organ grinders were commonly found busking in the 19th century and early 20th century. Busking is common among some Romani people . Romantic mention of Romani music, dancers and fortune tellers are found in all forms of song poetry, prose and lore. The Roma brought

767-413: A portion of the take to the owner. Charles Dickens wrote to a friend that he could not write for more than half an hour without being disturbed by the most excruciating sounds imaginable, coming in from barrel organs on the street. Charles Babbage was a particularly virulent enemy of the organ grinders. He would chase them around town, complain to authorities about their noisy presence, and forever ask

826-463: A special permit to use electronically amplified sound and may have limits on the volume of sound produced. It is common law that buskers or others should not impede pedestrian traffic flow, block or otherwise obstruct entrances or exits, or do things that endanger the public. It is common law that any disturbing or noisy behaviors may not be conducted after certain hours in the night. These curfew limitations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It

885-485: A tiny barrel organ with only 20 or fewer pipes, weighing only a few pounds, through medium-sized instruments containing forty or more pipes, mounted on a hand-pushed trolley, up to large ornately decorated book-operated organs, with hundreds of pipes weighing several hundred pounds. The largest organs were usually mounted on a cart, and required a team of operators to move, particularly in the Netherlands when crossing

944-492: A way of drawing in potential clients and relaxing them. The people would often associate this feeling of well-being with the products sold. After these performances, they would "pass the hat". One-man bands have historically performed as buskers playing a variety of instruments simultaneously. One-man bands proliferated in urban areas in the 19th and early 20th centuries and still perform to this day. A current one-man band plays all their instruments acoustically usually combining

1003-424: A youthful busker this way: Sometimes the customers threw something in the hats. Sometimes they took something out of the hats. Sometimes they took the hats. Organisations Press Other Organ grinder A street organ ( French : orgue de rue or orgue de barbarie ) played by an organ grinder is a French automatic mechanical pneumatic organ designed to be mobile enough to play its music in

1062-544: Is common law that "performing blue" (i.e. using material that is sexually explicit or any vulgar or obscene remarks or gestures) is generally prohibited unless performing for an adults-only environment such as in a bar or pub. In London, busking is prohibited in the entire area of the City of London. The London Underground provides busking permits for up to 39 pitches across 25 central London stations. Most London boroughs do not license busking, but they have optional powers, under

1121-475: Is inspired by the activities of Barend (Ben) Veldhuis, a Dutch immigrant who ran a large greenhouse specializing in cacti, who was the reason Dundas became known as "the cactus capital of the universe". Dundas Cactus Festival official website Article on the veldhuis cactus greenhouse. [2] This article related to a Canadian festival is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Busking Street performance or busking

1180-593: Is mostly to be found in France, the Netherlands or Belgium) and sometimes even electronic microchip - and/or MIDI -systems. Organ grinders are a common sight in Mexico City, and the related street organs are common in Germany and the Netherlands. Some modern day organ grinders like to dress in period costumes , albeit not necessarily those of an organ-grinder. Such performers may perform at "organ rallies" (such as

1239-529: Is open to the general public and busking does not interfere with its function and management allows it or other forms of free speech behaviors or has a history of doing so. While there is no universal code of conduct for buskers, there are common law practices that buskers must conform to. Most jurisdictions have corresponding statutory laws . In the UK busking regulation is not universal with most laws (if there are any) being governed by local councils. Some towns in

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1298-1108: Is the act of performing in public places for gratuities . In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity . People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers . Buskers is not a term generally used in American English. Performances are anything that people find entertaining , including acrobatics , animal tricks , balloon twisting , caricatures , clowning , comedy , contortions , escapology , dance , singing , fire skills , flea circus , fortune-telling , juggling , magic , mime , living statue , musical performance, one man band , puppeteering , snake charming , storytelling or reciting poetry or prose , street art such as sketching and painting, street theatre , sword swallowing , ventriloquism , weightlifting and washboarding . Buskers may be solo performers or small groups. The term busking

1357-501: Is the result of a purely mechanical gesture, and is only intended to keep them on the right side of the law. There are in London around a dozen firms specialising in the manufacture of piano organs, which they hire out for 15 shillings a week. The poor devil drags his instrument around from ten in the morning till eight or nine at night [–] the public only tolerates them grudgingly – and this is only possible in working-class districts, for in

1416-635: The London Local Authorities Act 2000 , if there is sufficient reason to do so. Where these powers have not been adopted, councils can rely on other legislation including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to deal with noise nuisance from buskers and the Highways Act 1980 to deal with obstructions. Camden Council is currently looking into further options to control the problem of nuisance buskers and

1475-455: The serinette , could play more than one tune, and were considerably larger, in sizes up to 75 cm (29 in) long and 40 cm (16 in) deep. Wooden bass pipes were placed underneath the organ and on the front were often mounted a set of pan-flutes or piccolo pipes, with decorative finishes. In many towns in Europe the barrel street organ was not just a solo performer, but used by

1534-552: The "MEMUSI" event in Vienna ), where many enthusiasts would assemble and entertain on the streets. Such dress may also be used at a wedding, where the organ grinder may perform the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin or at any other event where a solo performer might be chosen over hiring an entire band or a deejay . Larger organs are not usually turned by hand, but use an electric motor. Such larger instruments are called

1593-496: The 'organ grinder' turning a large handle to operate both the bellows/reservoir and the card feed mechanism. Almost all examples in the Netherlands have now been converted to belt drive from a small battery powered motor or donkey engine , allowing the organ grinder to collect money. Slightly smaller than the semi-trailer-sized fairground organ the Dutch street organ is nevertheless able to produce enough volume to be heard easily on

1652-494: The British Isles limit the licenses issued to bagpipers because of the volume and difficulty of the instrument. In Great Britain places requiring licenses for buskers may also require auditions of anyone applying for a busking license. Oxford City Council have decided to enact a public spaces protection order . Some venues that do not regulate busking may still ask performers to abide by voluntary rules. Some places require

1711-681: The Hollywood area, in Chicago on Maxwell Street , in the Delmar Loop district of St. Louis , and many other locations throughout the US. Busking is still quite common in Scotland, Ireland ( Grafton Street , Dublin ), and England with musicians and other street performers of varying talent levels. The first recorded instances of laws affecting buskers were in ancient Rome in 462 BC. The Law of

1770-559: The Internet for people to download or "stream" and if people like it they make a donation using PayPal . There are three basic forms of street performance: circle shows, walk-by acts, and stoplight performances. " Circle shows " are shows that tend to gather a crowd around them. They usually have a distinct beginning and end. Usually these are done in conjunction with street theatre , puppeteering , magicians , comedians, acrobats , jugglers and sometimes musicians. Circle shows can be

1829-567: The Republic of Ireland, the traditional Wren Boys, and in England Morris Dancing can be considered part of the busking tradition. In India and Pakistan's Gujarati region, Bhavai is a form of street art where there are plays enacted in the village, the barot or the village singer also is part of the local entertainment scene. In the 2000s, some performers have begun "Cyber Busking". Artists post work or performances on

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1888-631: The Twelve Tables made it a crime to sing about or make parodies of the government or its officials in public places; the penalty was death. Louis the Pious "excluded histriones and scurrae , which included all entertainers without noble protection, from the privilege of justice". In 1530 Henry VIII ordered the licensing of minstrels and players, fortune-tellers, pardoners and fencers, as well as beggars who could not work. If they did not obey they could be whipped on two consecutive days. In

1947-909: The United States have particular areas known to be popular spots for buskers. Performers are found at many locations like Mallory Square in Key West , in New Orleans , in New York around Central Park , Washington Square , and the subway systems, in San Francisco, in Washington, D.C. around the transit centers, in Los Angeles around Venice Beach , the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade , and

2006-403: The United States under constitutional law and most European common law , the protection of artistic free speech extends to busking. In the U.S. and many countries, the designated places for free speech behavior are the public parks , streets, sidewalks , thoroughfares and town squares or plazas. Under certain circumstances even private property may be open to buskers, particularly if it

2065-515: The adage "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast" plays out in regards to busking. Her sociological studies showed that in areas where buskers regularly perform, crime rates tended to go down, and that those with higher education attainment tended to have a more positive view of buskers than did those of lesser educational attainment. Some cities encourage busking in particular areas, giving preference to city government-approved buskers and even publishing schedules of performances. Many cities in

2124-424: The audience and encourage them to contribute, sometimes by cajoling them in a humorous fashion. The term bottler is a British term that originated from the use of the top half of a bottle to collect money. The bottle had a leather flap inserted in the bottleneck and a leather pouch attached. This design allowed coins to be put in the bottle but did not allow them to be removed easily without the coins jingling against

2183-588: The bands that performed in this manner were Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company , the Grateful Dead , Jefferson Airplane , Quicksilver Messenger Service , Country Joe and the Fish , Moby Grape and Jimi Hendrix . Christmas caroling can also be a form of busking, as wassailing included singing for alms, wassail or some other form of refreshment such as figgy pudding . In

2242-490: The destruction of hundreds of organs, the barrels of which contained a record of the popular music of the day. Before the invention of the cylinder record player, this was the only permanent recording of these tunes. The law that banned barrel organs in New York was repealed in 1975 but that mode of musical performance had become obsolete by then. Many cities in the United Kingdom also had ordinances prohibiting organ grinders. The authorities often encouraged policemen to treat

2301-491: The early 1940s and on. B.B. King is one famous example who came from these roots. The counterculture of the hippies of the 1960s occasionally staged "be-ins", which resembled some present-day buskers festivals . Bands and performers would gather at public places and perform for free, passing the hat to make money. The San Francisco Bay Area was at the epicenter of this movement – be-ins were staged at Golden Gate Park and San Jose 's Bee Stadium and other venues. Some of

2360-400: The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century European publishers of sheet music and the holders of copyrights to the most popular operatic tunes of the day often banded together in order to enforce collection of performance duties from any musician playing their property in any venue. When faced with notaries and the hounding of other legal representatives of the music industry of

2419-473: The entrances to large concerts and sporting events, almost any plaza or town square as well as zócalos in Latin America and piazzas in other regions. Other places include shopping malls, strip malls, and outside supermarkets, although permission is usually required from management for these. In her book, Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York , Susie J. Tanenbaum examined how

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2478-555: The glass. The first use of such contrivances was recorded by the famous Punch and Judy troupe of puppeteers in early Victorian times. The increasing use of cashless payments in the 21st century, and the corresponding lessening of the amount of cash typically carried, has affected buskers, some of whom have begun using electronic payment systems including contactless payment terminals and web or app based payment systems (sometimes reachable by QR code ). This trend accelerated after COVID-19 lockdowns, but predates this. The place where

2537-481: The grinders as beggars or public nuisances . In the Netherlands the street organ was no more popular initially, but thanks to several organ hire companies who took particular pride in the condition, sound and repertoire of their instruments, the public there became more accepting of the orgelman (organ man) and as a result the tradition of playing an organ on the street entered Dutch culture where they remained

2596-401: The latest hits, which greatly limited the musical and practical ability of these instruments. In New York, where monkeys were commonly used by organ grinders, mayor Fiorello La Guardia banned the instruments from the streets in 1935, citing traffic congestion , the "begging" inherent in the profession, and organized crime 's role in renting out the machines. An unfortunate consequence was

2655-672: The mid-19th century Japanese Chindonya started to be seen using their skills for advertising, and these street performers are still occasionally seen in Japan. Another Japanese street performance form dating from the Edo period is Nankin Tamasudare , in which the performer creates large figures using a bamboo mat. In the 19th century, Italian street musicians (mainly from Liguria , Emilia Romagna , Basilicata ) began to roam worldwide in search of fortune. Musicians from Basilicata , especially

2714-553: The most lucrative. Sometimes the crowds attracted can be very large. A good busker will control the crowd so the patrons do not obstruct foot traffic. " Walk-by acts " are acts where the busker performs a musical, living statue or other act that does not have a distinct beginning or end, and the public usually watches for a brief time. A walk-by act may turn into a circle show if the act is unusual or very popular. " Stoplight performances " are performances in which performers present their act and get contributions from vehicle occupants on

2773-464: The playing of amplified music to the detriment of local residents and businesses. Buskers may find themselves targeted by thieves due to the very open and public nature of their craft. Buskers may have their earnings, instruments or props stolen. One particular technique that thieves use against buskers is to pretend to make a donation while actually taking money out instead, a practice known as "dipping" or "skimming". George Burns described his days as

2832-446: The police to arrest them. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin , on the other hand, is quoted to have said: "we musicians must stick together" while handing an organ-grinder some change. In addition to a few antique barrel organs, there are many more modern organs that have been built. These do not operate on pinned barrels anymore, but use perforated paper rolls (analogous to player pianos ) or perforated cardboard book music (this method

2891-438: The repetitious nature of the music . Later depictions would stress the romantic or picturesque aspects of the activity. Whereas some organ grinders were very likely itinerants or vagabonds, many, certainly in New York, were Italian immigrants who chose to be street performers in order to support their families. The stereotypical organ grinder was a man, bearing a medium-sized barrel organ held in front of him and supported by

2950-399: The richer districts the police will not allow begging at all, even when it is disguised. As a result, the beggars of London live mainly on the poor." The organ grinder would pick up an organ in a small storefront shop, or livery, and then walk or take the streetcar to his chosen neighborhood. After moving from block to block throughout the day, he would return the organ to the livery and pay

3009-538: The so-called Viggianesi , would later become professional instrumentalists in symphonic orchestras, especially in the United States . The street musicians from Basilicata are sometimes cited as an influence on Hector Malot 's Sans Famille . In the United States, medicine shows proliferated in the 19th century. They were traveling vendors selling elixirs and potions which purportedly improved people's health. They would often employ entertainment acts as

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3068-524: The steep canal bridges of Amsterdam streets. The most elaborate organs would have mechanical figures or automata mounted on top of or in the front of the case, along with percussion instruments. The grinder would crank the organ in any public place (either a business district or in a neighborhood), moving from place to place after collecting a few coins or in order to avoid being arrested for loitering or chased by people who do not appreciate hearing his single tune repeatedly. The grinder would often have as

3127-515: The street. The two most commonly seen types are the smaller German and the larger Dutch street organ. The first descriptions of the street organ, at that time always a barrel organ owing to its use of a pinned cylinder (barrel) to operate levers and play notes, can be found in literature as early as the late 18th century. Many were built by Italian organ builders who had settled in France and Germany, creating companies such as Frati, Gavioli, Gasparini and Fassano. These early organs had more pipes than

3186-553: The time, in addition to the other sources of hostility mentioned above organ grinders soon disappeared. The organ grinder was a musical novelty street performer of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, and refers to the operator of a street or barrel organ. Period literature often represents the grinder as a gentleman of ill repute or as an unfortunate representative of the lower classes. Newspaper reporters would sometimes describe them cynically or jocularly as minor extortionists who were paid to keep silent, given

3245-444: The type of busking they are performing. For walk-by acts, their open, empty instrument case or a special can, box, or hat is often used. For circle shows the performer will typically collect money at the end of the show, although some performers will also collect during the show, as some audience members do not stay for the entire performance. Sometimes a performer will employ a bottler , hat man , or pitch man to collect money from

3304-568: The word busking to England by way of their travels along the Mediterranean coast to Spain and the Atlantic Ocean and then up north to England and the rest of Europe. In medieval France, buskers were known by the terms troubadours and jongleurs . In northern France, they were known as trouveres . In old German, buskers were known as Minnesingers and Spielleute . In obsolete French, it evolved to busquer for "seek, prowl" and

3363-456: The word is still used in Spanish but mostly reserved for female street sex workers , or mistresses of married men. There have been performances in public places for gratuities in every major culture in the world, dating back to antiquity . For many musicians, street performance was the most common means of employment before the advent of recording and personal electronics. Prior to that,

3422-602: Was first noted in the English language around the middle 1860s in Great Britain. The verb to busk , from the word busker , comes from the Spanish root word buscar , with the meaning "to seek". The Spanish word buscar in turn evolved from the Indo-European word *bhudh-skō ("to win, conquer"). It was used for many street acts, and was the title of a famous Spanish book about one of them, El Buscón . Today,

3481-430: Was generally used to describe prostitutes . In Russia, buskers are called skomorokh , and their first recorded history appears around the 11th century. Mariachis , Mexican bands that play a style of music by the same name, frequently busk when they perform while traveling through streets and plazas, as well as in restaurants and bars. We like playing for big crowds, and the goal all along has been for people to pay

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