Music in the Streets

A view of Cornmarket Street from Carfax Tower

One thing that I find remarkable about England other than the beautiful and seemingly ancient buildings is the impressive talent of the street performers. From underground tube stations to outdoor markets to main streets, the buskers are amazing (well, most of them). Most of the time, they have a professional set-up which includes microphones and amps. Another thing that impresses me is the variety of performers. I have heard everything from jazz to Celtic and I have seen everything from living statues to acrobats.

A popular location for street performers here in Oxford is Cornmarket Street. Today, I saw a guitar and recorder duo who played and sang traditional Celtic music. They were selling CDs and spoke with distinctly Irish accents. Along this same street, I heard a tuba and guitar duo who played everything from "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You". I also saw a fire juggler and an acrobat today. These are acts that you never see in Regina. Occasionally, you may see some good acts on Scarth Street but more commonly, you hear mediocre musicians who perform in front of liquor stores.

I have only seen one questionable performer in Europe. There was a man in London who was standing with a guitar while a CD recording was playing. He wasn't pretending to even play it. I believe that this is the exception. Most of the musicians and street performers I have seen are of a very high caliber.

Perhaps it is just because I live in Regina where street performers are not very common, but I believe that the standard in Europe for buskers is much higher than it is in Canada. I am simply astounded at the quality of the performers that I have seen.