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Basque music

Basque music refers to the music made in the Basque Country, reflecting traits related to its society/tradition, and devised by people from that territory. While traditionally more closely associated to rural based and Basque language music, the growing diversification of its production during the last decades has tipped the scale in favour of a broad definition.

a difficult double clarinet played in a circular breathing technique similar to that used for the Sardinian launeddas.

Alboka

a wooden xylophone-like percussion instrument for two players.

Txalaparta

a wooden percussion device akin to the txalaparta associated with the cider making process.

Kirikoketa

a percussion instrument made of horizontal metal bars.

Toberak

a local pipe.

Txistu

Drum, called danbolin, and usually accompanying the txistu.

a double sided, portable flat drum played together with aerophones.

Atabal

a three-hole flute, shorter and more high-pitched than txistu.

Xirula

a vertical stringed drum played usually together with the xirula.

Ttun-ttun

or eskusoinua, a lively diatonic button accordion.

Trikitixa

usually played together with the trikitixa.

Tambourine

a Navarre-based pipe belonging to the shawm family.

Dulzaina

an instrument made of ox horn.

Blowing horn

(1462–1523): Composer of the Renaissance hailing from the area of Azpeitia.

Juan de Anchieta

Santiago de Herdoiza (, c. 1700)

Durango

(Bilbao, 1806 – Paris, 1826)

Juan Crisostomo Arriaga

(Donostia/San Sebastian, 1887–1915): He is considered along with J. Guridi the father of Basque opera. He drew up orchestral and chamber pieces, like the celebrated Cuarteto de cuerda en Sol, Op. 31, shifting to elaborate zarzuela as well as opera works at the end of his life (Mendi-Mendiyan, 1910: Las Golondrinas, 1914). He had his increasingly successful career cut short by an early death.

Jose Maria Usandizaga

(Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1881 – Madrid, 1961): Himself a friend of Usandizaga, whom he met in Paris while attending the Schola Cantorum, he was appointed manager of Bilbao's Sociedad Coral choir in 1912. Influenced by Wagner and musicians of the Late Romanticism, he found inspiration and phrases for his compositions in Basque folklore. His rich musical education enabled him to deal with different types of music, e.g. zarzuela, opera, compositions for choir as well as religious pieces for organ. Some acclaimed works include El caserío (1926), Diez melodías vascas (1940), La meiga (1929), Seis canciones castellanas (1939) and Sinfonía pirenaica (1945).

Jesús Guridi

Nemesio Otaño (, 1880 – San Sebastian, 1956 ): Composer, organist and musicologist. One of the most important figures in 20th century Spanish music history. Director of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid between 1939 and 1956. Among his most known works is 'Saint Ignatius March' ('Marcha de San Ignacio'), the patron saint of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. In 1894, he studied in the Colegio Preceptoría of Baliarrain, in which he composed two of his first litanies and a zortziko for piano; he was then only fourteen years old, but already played the organ in the school parish. In 1896 he joined the Society of Jesus and began his ecclesiastical studies along with the music classes. In 1911, he founded the Schola Cantorum at Comillas: His performances in plainsong and polyphony were highly influential. His works range from popular sacred songs (e.g. Estrella hermosa, Anima Christi, Baldako) to large-scale choral pieces.

Azkoitia

(Donostia/San Sebastian, 1897 – Madrid, 1988)

Pablo Sorozábal

(Ziburu, 1875 – Paris, 1937): Basque French composer and arranger

Maurice Ravel

(Otxandio, 1929 – Madrid, 2002)

Carmelo Bernaola

(Donostia/San Sebastian, 1912–2002), composer of Zigor and Gernika), operas with Basque librettos

Francisco Escudero

(Lanciego, 1809 – Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1865)

Sebastian Iradier

(Tolosa, 1920- San Sebastian, 2004)

Javier Bello-Portu

The Basque Country has been home to various notable composers, writing mainly in the 20th century. Much in step with the artistic trends of the first half of the century (painting,...), some of them developed a liking for Basque customs, manners and subjects.

Basque musical revival[edit]

Postwar desolation and first sprouts[edit]

In the wake of the Civil War (1936–1937 in the Basque territory), headway made in the Basque culture in the pre-war period ground to a halt: Fear grew amidst harsh repression, famine became an overriding concern, and former cultural figures died or ran for their lives to exile. As an individual singing figure of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Luis Mariano and his powerful tenor voice should be highlighted. Born in Irun and moving in his 20s to Bordeaux, he jumped onto the Spanish and international scene with light-hearted songs in Spanish and French (and, occasionally, in Basque).


After the hardest postwar years, the younger generation set about putting together duos and small musical groups in Gipuzkoa and Biscay, who gradually began singing original tunes in Basque. Notable bands from the 1960s include Urretxindorrak, Enarak, Soroak and Estitxu (female singer born to fleeing parents near Bayonne). These new bands sought to take advantage of the regime's increasing liberalization, despite the fact that major obstacles that still hindered cultural activity associated with anything Basque. Cultural and political awareness, social rebelliousness and an urge for action emerged in the following generations, resulting in a new left-leaning Basque nationalist movement.

A footage of Saint Agatha's Eve

Khteian-Keeton, Teddy (1994). Guide to Basque Music. Idaho Arts Archives & Research Center Filer P.  0-9675042-0-1.

ISBN

Martija, José Antonio Aran (1985). Basque Music. Basque Government.  84-7568-071-2.

ISBN

Basque Music and Art (Buber's Basque Page)

in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

Free scores of Basque music

Badok, information on Basque music run by the daily newspaper Berria