Keyword: Busk (Jess Maxwell/Amsterdam)

Busk

A universally applicable English term most often cited in reference to public performances in urban spaces undertaken with the intention of soliciting tips. A wide range of activities is encompassed within the conception of Busking, the common feature of all being that they are exhibited within a public space, for public consumption and with economic gain serving as a primary motivator for undertaking the task.

Common examples of busking include skilled spectacle driven acts, unskilled novelty stunts and crafted musical and theatrical performances thereby making this form of performance accessible to a wide community of individuals due to the autonomy in choosing content and performance sites.

Particular buskers may rise as figures of great prominence and recognition within their local communities for a myriad of reasons, particularly the unusual content or the durability over time of their performances.

For many performers busking is a primary source of income and as such Busking has become associated in the mainstream with urban semi-migrant populations and the homeless as a form of "begging". There are Buskers who seek to transcend this label, seeking out not only monetary rewards but gratuity in the form of experential contact or publicity, while others do use it as a primary means of economic survival.

New Oxford American Dictionary Definition

busk ¹ |bəsk|

verb [ intrans. ]

play music or otherwise perform for voluntary donations in the street or in subways : the group began by busking on Philadelphia sidewalks | [as n. ] ( busking) busking was a real means of living.

• ( busk it) informal improvise.

DERIVATIVES

busker |ˈbəskər| noun

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from obsolete French busquer ‘seek,’ from Italian buscare or Spanish buscar, of Germanic origin. Originally in nautical use in the sense [cruise about, tack,] the term later meant [go around selling,] hence [go around performing] (mid 19th cent.).

Video Examples