Sepia Saturday
This week's prompt first inspired me to look for photos of harps, but the Library of Congress had numerous covers of Harper's magazine. Thus street musicians seemed easier. Here's what I found in their archive.
United States Resettlement Administration, Shahn, Ben, photographer. Street musicians, Maynardville, Tennessee. United States Tennessee Maynardville, 1935. Oct. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017730463/.
A Couple Cartoons
Pughe, J. S. , Artist. No rest for the wicked / J.S. Pughe. , 1897. N.Y.: Published by Keppler & Schwarzmann. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012647686/
Pughe, J. S. , Artist. Bad for business / J.S. Pughe. , 1896. N.Y.: Published by Keppler & Schwarzmann. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012648511/.
So not everyone appreciates street musics. I particularly like ho Pughe used street musicians to represent yellow journalism in 1896 as explained on the LOC website:
Print shows a band of street musicians comprised of yellow journalism newspaper editors/publishers; two men are playing "The War Wave" on horns labeled "Daily Sensation" (Joseph Pulitzer) and "Morning Exciter" (possibly James Gordon Bennett, Jr.), and a man (possibly Charles A. Dana) is playing a tune labeled "Rumblings of War" on a bass drum labeled "Daily Brawler", and two other men are playing tunes labeled "War Talk" and "War News". A man with one hand over his right ear is standing at the entrance to a building labeled "Business Interests" and "Commerce and Manufactures"; with his left hand he gestures toward them to stop or move on.
What?
Waters & Son, and Business Mirror Print. Prof. Frederick Hap-e-man playing on two violins at once. United States New York, 1863. N.J.: Waters & Son. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/201365967Hard for me to believe.
Italian Street Musicians and Their Masters. , 1873. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2004678608/.The life of a street musician wasn't all fun. Here's an image showing a young street musician getting beaten. I'm not sure why. However, based on reading Horatio Alger's Phil the Fiddler, Story of a Street Musician that often young boys were recruited by exploitive masters who'd employ boys as street musicians. These boys had to come back to their lodgings with a certain amount of earnings. If they made the required amount, they got to eat dinner. If not, tough luck. These masters kept most of the earnings. In the story the boy was sent from Italy with the understanding that he'd be in good hands and that the master would send his parents money periodically. The parents were in dire straits and had no means of checking on their son's wellbeing.
YouTube Street Musicians
Døvydas, "When Someone Yells Fleetwood Mac and This Singer Steals the Show," YouTube.com, July 8, 2021.
I happened upon Døvydas' street music while surfing YouTube.
Bo Rodda, "Subway performer stuns crowd with Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide"- Chicago, Il- Blue Line, Washington S" YouTube.com, April, 2016.
When I rode the CTA, I loved the street musicians. Since the lockdown, I haven't ridden the subway much. I haven't seen any musicians down there when I have. I hope they return.
This was a terrific spin on our Sepia Theme and I liked your selection of images and videos too. Busking is hard work for tough critics, but with talent and determination it builds real musicianship. Here's another video of the great violin virtuoso Joshua Bell doing an experiment for the Washington Post by busking in a D.C. Metro station. Hundreds of people pass by ignoring his music and only one or two actually stop to listen. < https://youtu.be/hnOPu0_YWhw >
ReplyDeleteI can't think it's easy being a street musician. If you're very good, perhaps you can make enough coin to eat on that day. Not sure about the others? The first fellow's video was interesting in showing how different artists' styles, and different music eras can be duplicated by machine.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your take on the prompt. You got it all covered - even a street musician with a harp. I enjoyed the modern take on street musicians as well.
ReplyDeleteWe have so many street musicians in New York City (as shown in your last photo) that I was particularly taken with the photo of the harp and violin players in 1899 Russia. That is true ambition to take a harp out onto the street! Agree with everyone, great take on the prompt.
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