STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
Christianity created the new liturgy which – often happening outside – was some kind of a
performance (costumes, incense, candles, music). Even later the service moved to basilicas and
churches (theatres of mystery and faith) but some services still took place outside the church
(burials). Liturgical drama used to one of them becoming very popular in 12 th century
everywhere in the Christian Europe. There were several days long passion plays as part of urban
festivities (Alps, Flanders, France), some of them developed into separated scenes such as Three
Marias, Ungentarius, Nativity, Three Kings, some were positioned to the certain place like the
Way of Cross or Calvary. The oldest note of Sacre rappresentazioni in Florence dates back to
1448. During the Easter play in 1583 the whole market place in Luzern was taken for the
performance. Also, such church ceremonies like translatio Sancti (Saint’s relics translation),
pilgrimage and street preachers contributed to the street performing.
At the same time the church was banning any pagan or profane art. The more the repeated
prohibitions against barnstormers and homeless acrobats and musicians, histrions, jackeurs,
minstrels, mimes, spilmans, spilwîps, charmers (with animals), migrant quacks and homeless
followed the early medieval Europe. It was easy to get the audience within the medieval
settlement, where people were living and working on the street (still typical for back roads in
Rome, Naples, Venice and Spain) and markets. The Wheel of Fortune, illusionists and street
magicians attracted the crowd. Even in 1986 A. K. Lingo attempts to deter people from
watching street theatre or procuring the services of healer-actors in the street 253 even now-adays,
which was very efficient method to sell medicine. Medieval announcements, witch
burning and public executions were considered as a theatre as well – look at the Campo di Fiore
in Rome where executions were made even in 18 th century (giustizia de’ condannati a morte per
causa di Religione, e per altre cause gravissime). Even in 1722 Piazza Navona in Rome was
mentioned as the place ‘dove stanno Ciarlatani’ – another street spectacle. Knight carousels,
tournaments, traveling suits of kings, bishops or knight as well as crusades and battles turned
into theatrum on the street and roads for viewers. Alborada, a ‘dawn song’ was a morning
serenade or song performed in honour of an individual or to celebrate a festival; it is similar to
the albada, an open-air concert performed at daybreak under the balcony or windows of an
honoured individual. In the mid-15th century it was customary for the instrumentalists of noble
Spanish households to perform the alvorada at dawn on the most solemn festival days of the
religious calendar and on other important days.
Renaissance celebrations. The coronation entry belonged among typical capital-city events.
During the festive entries of Charles IX and his wife Elisabeth, Archduchess of Austria, into
Paris for her coronation (1571) a ‘Chariot triomphant’ decorated with statues of Cybil, Neptune,
Pluto and Juno was presented to the King by the city besides five triumph arches built in Paris.
There was a dumb-show after the entry of William, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau into
Ghent (1577) where allegorical figures were handing the power of the city to him. A letter
survived describing the festivities at the Old Prague Square (1570) with and artificial ‘mountain
and devils on it spitting fire, launching rockets and surrounded by fantastic girds’. There was
also a procession of historical and mythical figures and horrifying Gods directed by Giuseppe
Arcimboldo.
Journey of Margaret of Austria through Italy to marry Philip III in 1598 lead through Italian
cities Hostia, Ferrara, Mantua, Cremona and Milan. Of course it was the nobility Habsburg
dynasty trip including Philip III (Felipe III) (1578-1621), King of Spain, Margaret (Margarita)
of Austria (1584-1611), m. Philip III, King of Spain, Albrecht (Albert), Archduke of Austria
253 Lingo, Alison Klairmont: Empirics and charlatans in early modern France: the genesis of the classification of
the 'other' in medical practice. Journal of Social History; Summer 1986, Vol. 19, Issue 4, p. 583.
147
PE 375.307