BASQUE MUSIC

FROM TRADITION TO MODERNITY

BASQUE TRADITIONAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

• WIND INSTRUMENTS:

- TXISTUA- ALBOKA

- DULTZAINA- TRIKITIXA

• PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS:

- TTUNTTUNA- TXALAPARTA - PANDEROA

- DANBOLINA

http://www.herrimusika.org

TXISTUA eta DANBOLINA

• The best known and widespread musical instrument. 

• A three-holed straight flute.• In the Basque Country it is

usually played accompanied by a danbolina (a type of drum), this way one player alone can provide music and rythm at the same time.

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XIRULA &

TTUNTTUNA

• Similar to the txistu,it is a three-holed straight flute.

• A Xirula is shorter than a txistu, so its sound is high-pitched. Today it is only played in the northeast of the Basque Country.

• Xirula is usually accompanaied by a ttunttuna.

• A ttunttuna has 6 strings which are hit by a stick.

• Xirulariak plays both the xirula and ttunttuna.

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ALBOKA• It’s a Basque wind instrument

from the clarinet family.• It is believed to derive from the

musical instruments that shepherds had.

• Its body is formed by a double reed and cowhorn.

• It’s played by breathing in and out at the same time.(circular breathing).

• It is usually accompanied by a tambourine player.

DULTZAINA & ATABALA• A dultzaina is a

double-reed woodwind instrument.

• Usually accompanied by the rhythm of the atabala (a type of drum).

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TRIKITIXA & PANDEROA• This is the latest Basque wind

instrument called trikitixa. It dates from the end of XIXth century. It was initially well-widespread among farmers, but now it is everywhere.

• Usually accompanied by a tambourine.

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TXALAPARTA• An ancient Basque

instrument. Soundboards that are played with short and thick sticks.

• It is always played by 2 players. Producing a binary sound , one marks the first part called "ttakun”and the other one "errena".

• In ancient times it was used as a means of communication. Today it is just a musical instrument.

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BERTSOLARITZA• It is the art of improvising verses with a given tune,

rhythm and a metrical structure.When you listen to them it is not only the technical part that is important but also the arguments used in the verses.We can say that it belongs to the family of poetry and rhetoric. They are traditional sung verses.

Neurriz eta errimazkantatzea hitza

horra hor zer kirol motaden bertsolaritza.

(Xabier Amuriza)

-EGAÑA, Andoni; GARZIA, Joxerra; SARASUA, Jon (2001). Bat-bateko bertsolaritza: gakoak eta azterbideak.

http://www.bertsozale.com

BERTSOLARITZA The art of sung verses from pubs to the stage

• Even if the earliest written proof of its existence dates from 1452, what we know today as bertsolaritza derives from war verses in the XVIIIth century..

• Originally bertsolariak used to improvise their verses at bars, pubs, inns and cider houses.People used to have a great time with them as they were very funny and teasing at the same time.

• In order to change this reality some famous bertsolaris organised an official competition. Taking it for the first time to the stage.

• In 1935 bertsolaritza started to become a profession.

The new Basque songs

• To create a new personnality• To denounce injustice• To show people a new awareness• To spread hope• To bring literature nearer to people• To have a cultural and social approach

CONSEQUENTLY…

• The new songs became an active tool to claim things.• In 1965 the movement “Ez dok amairu” was born.

OBJECTIVES

The birth of “Ez Dok Amairu

• The movement’s logo was a txalaparta (the ancient musical instrument)

• The name of the movement was given by Jorge Oteiza (the famous sculptor).

• The idea dawn on Mikel Laboa (one of our best known singers) after he had got to know the movement Els Setze Jutges in Catalonia.

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1970: BASQUE FOLK MUSIC

• They started to review traditional music and singing.

• After a lot of research, they wanted to create a new style based on tradition which would be interesting for young people, too. A style that would survive all along the XXth century.

• Oskorri is the icon of this musical revolution. Later on other music bands such as Haizea(1976-1979) and Izukaitz(1977-1981) did the same.

1980: “RRV: Rock Radical Vasco”

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–Punk rock music bands were the winners, soloists tended to disappear.–RRVmusic bands mainly spoke Spanish .Although some music bands tried to do it in Basque such as Zarama and Hertzainak . Even so the best known music band was , Kortatu .

ELABORATE MUSIC– One of the best known polyphonist is Joanes Antxieta from Azpeitia.

– An universal composer was Juan Crisostomo Arriaga (Bilbo, 1806-Paris, 1826). He conducted his first concert at the age of 11.The same as Mozart he was a precocious child.

– Together with him 2 excellent musicians; Pablo Sarasate, a violin player and a composer, and Julian Gayarre , a singer.

– Usandizaga (Donostia, 1887-1915), Guridi (Gasteiz, 1886-Madril 1961) and Escudero (Zarautz, 1912 -Donostia, 2002) are some important opera composers. Some important songs are Mirentxu , Mendi mendian, Amaya, Hamar euskal doinuak or Zigor.

– Choral singing has always been a tradition in the Basque Country , especially thanks to the church and parish. That’s why at the end of the XIXth century big amateur choral societies were created. They would mainly sang symphonic choral music. Some examples of this are the ones from Iruña, Donostia, Errenteria and Bilbao.

Guridi’s Mirentxu

Ordizia’s choir Donostiako Orfeoia

MUSICAL DINNERSIn our country these dinners are very common. We do that in big gastronomic clubs called elkartea. First we have dinner irst we have dinner with our friends, with our friends, later we sing very popular Basque songs or we listen to improvised verse later we sing very popular Basque songs or we listen to improvised verse singers called singers called bertsolariak.They are very special singers because they sing about a topic (given on the spot) and they invent the verses out of the blue. Bertsolariak (verse singers) are very popular in the Basque country and they participate in bertso leihaketak (competitions for improvised verse poets)