Busking is an act which has a long and rich history. From the streets of Ancient Rome, to the London of Shakespeare’s day, to the present day; busking has endured throughout the ages, evolving as time has gone by.

The word ‘busk’ comes from the Spanish ‘buscar’, meaning ‘to seek’. It was first used in this sense in England around 1530 and referred to making or seeking informal music or poetry. The word evolved during the seventeenth century to mean any musical performance in a public place.

Busking developed out of the tradition of minstrels who would perform for their supper. In medieval times travelling musicians were often vagrants and beggars who played traditional folk tunes on flutes and fiddles. As towns grew and markets developed it became common for musicians to play there for money and food. Street musicians were also often employed as parade musicians for weddings and funerals where they would play traditional songs associated with these events.

During this period a number of well known musicians made their name as buskers including famous composer George Frideric Handel who would play violin in local inns and taverns when he was a young man in Halle, Germany.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558

Busking, which is also known as street performing and street music, has been around for thousands of years. Busking was first seen in Ancient Egypt, Roman Times and Medieval Europe. But Busking only became very popular in the 19th century when it became more socially acceptable.

London was the centre of busking culture in the UK until the 1950s when it started to spread across the country.

In current times busking is still a cultural phenomenon that is enjoyed all over the world.

Busking is the act of performing in public places for donations of money or other gratuities. It has been practiced by men and women, young and old, throughout history. Buskers include street performers, fortune tellers and many other types of performance artists.

The word busking comes from the Spanish root word buscar which means “to seek”. Busking was traditionally a form of begging, but today is more often seen as a way to earn money for musicians and performers who play in public. One reason for this change in attitude is that buskers can now use portable amplifiers to draw a larger crowd.

Busking has a long history. The term was first used in England during the early 19th century. In the United States, it was first mentioned as early as 1848 when it was associated with street musicians. By the late 1800s there were many different kinds of street performances including impersonations, singing, dancing and acting.

In England during the Victorian era, buskers were known as “street musicians” or “penny-gaffs”. They would perform on street corners or outside pubs and taverns for tips and drinks. These street musicians were usually dressed in rags and wore fake beards made out of paper to disguise themselves

Basically busking is street performance and the word derives from the Spanish ‘buscar’ to seek or look for. The first buskers may have started out as troubadours who sang for their supper, but the tradition of singing and performing in public has been around for thousands of years and on a wide scale since at least medieval times.

Busking was a popular pastime from the 16th century onwards. Street musicians varied from blind beggars, to wandering minstrels who would sing for money at market stalls. By 1794 professional street musicians were known as organ grinders, because they used hand-cranked barrel organs that emited tinny music and could be heard above the chatter of city traffic. By 1843 there were an estimated 2,000 organ grinders working in London alone. They were often accompanied by monkey’s who would dance or collect money from passers-by.

In 1855, Paris banned busking, but in 1864 London followed suit and banned organ grinders from playing outside without a license. This was followed by a crackdown on other types of street performers including Punch and Judy shows. However, by 1880 Paris changed its mind again and welcomed back street performers, who are still very much part of the French culture today. Other

Busking has always been around in one form or another since man first walked the earth. The term busk is derived from the Spanish word for “to seek” and was coined in the 1800s to describe street performers who would perform for tips. Before then, similar acts were known as “beggar men” or “beggar women”. There has even been evidence that points to the ancient Romans as having a form of busking, with acrobats and musicians performing down at the Colosseum.

The Renaissance period saw a huge rise in the number of people performing on the streets. From jugglers and tumblers to magicians and musicians, life was just as exciting outside as it was inside. People were still pretty poor, so they would entertain themselves by watching these street performers.

In 18th century England, buskers were generally classed as beggars or vagrants and along with gypsies, were often arrested. In 1707, an act was passed which gave local authorities the power to arrest anyone found begging or wandering around without visible means of support.

Busking continued to grow throughout Europe during the 19th century and became more organized with new laws being implemented. Many big cities had their own Busker’s Collective which

Busking has long been a part of European street life, dating back to the time of the Middle Ages. From the early 1600s onwards, busking emerged as a popular entertainment in both England and France. Busking was incredibly popular in the 17th century with groups of beggars and vagrants called ‘costermongers’ who would perform songs, poems, or other acts in exchange for spare change.

In the 18th century, busking became even more widespread and garnered much attention from famous historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and King Henry VIII. During this time period, buskers were also commonly known as ‘hawkers’ or ‘patterers’.

In London during the 19th century, busking reached new heights of popularity with performers taking over different areas of the city for their own showmanship. The West End was known for its street bands, while the East End developed into a hotbed of acrobatic performers. In Paris, it was common to see acrobats and fire-eaters performing their acts in front of Notre Dame cathedral.

Busking continued to be a prominent cultural phenomenon throughout the 20th century. In New York City during World War I, street performers would often set

Busking is the act of performing in the street or other public place for voluntary donations. People engaging in this practice are called buskers. Busking is a form of street performance or busking. Most buskers perform on the street, but busking is not limited to the street and can include performance in shops, pubs, bars, cafes and other venues. Buskers may be professionals who perform full-time or part-time for a living, amateurs who do it for the love of it, or aspiring professionals that are looking to use their talents to get noticed by agents and bookers.

Buskers Repertory Theatre started as a “theatre without walls” in New York City in 1972; it later moved to San Francisco where it was active into the 1990s. Some buskers make something resembling a living by playing music on the streets, often at subway stations; there are even articles in mainstream newspapers about making a living that way. Others take advantage of more lucrative opportunities such as being hired to play at private parties or corporate events.

The term busking was first noted in the English language around the middle 1860s in Great Britain.[citation needed] The verb to busk, from the word busker, comes from the Spanish root word