Basque music

Last updated

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.

Contents

Traditional music

Txistu ensemble in the streets of Leioa Leioako txistulariak kalejiran.jpg
Txistu ensemble in the streets of Leioa
Alboka players and a tambourine man playing a tune together Albokariak eta pandero-jolea.JPG
Alboka players and a tambourine man playing a tune together
Txalaparta players in a festival Two txalaparta players at a performance in a fiesta.jpg
Txalaparta players in a festival

Basque traditional music is a product of the region's historic development and strategic geographical position on the Atlantic arch at a crossroads between mountains (Cantabrian mountain range, Pyrenees) and plains (Ebro basin), ocean and inland, European continent and Iberian Peninsula. Its culture and music has thus been exposed to a wide number of influences throughout history, ranging from British and northern European to Mediterranean to Arabic. For example, traditional overseas commerce with England, or international pilgrimage on the Way of St James added greatly to leave an imprint in both instruments and tunes.

Instruments

Folk instruments widespread in Europe ceased to be used in some places at some point of history and only remained in specific areas, where they took hold and adopted features and a character associated with the region, e.g. the three-hole pipe or tabor pipe in widespread use in Europe ultimately resulted in two specific instruments in the Basque Country: the txistu and the xirula. Accordingly, different instruments may have evolved out of one, such as Navarrese dulzaina and Souletin txanbela, with slight differences between them. [1]

Most instruments adopted in rural and folk circles do not go back more than six centuries, with some having been introduced as late as the 19th century, such as the trikitixa, or the txistu, shaped in its present-day form during that period, despite the fact that it resulted from a long evolution. Most Basque instruments originated outside the Basque Country and became popular in the territory at some stage, but the txalaparta is not one of them.

Some traditional Basque instruments are the following:

Singing tradition

A collective soul

Basque traditional choir GaraizarkoMahatsorriakBasilikarekin 01.jpg
Basque traditional choir

The Basque people are especially given to singing. Basque language has stuck to the oral tradition stronger than Romance languages, and its literature was first recorded in writing in the 16th century. There are ballads dating from the 15th century that have been passed from parents to children by word of mouth, e.g. Ozaze Jaurgainian from Soule, which relates events six centuries ago and has come down to us in different versions (the best known was popularized by Benito Lertxundi), or Alostorrea, from Biscay. These ballads were crafted and spread by minstrels or bertsolaris, were kept in popular memory, and were transmitted in the so-called kopla zaharrak, sets of poems with a characteristic rhythmic pattern that could be sung: this is similar to traditional practices elsewhere in Europe. So, for example, the first work of literature in Basque Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ (1545) by Bernard Etxepare shows long verses that, while deceptively fashioned in metres resembling those used in Romance poetry, follow an internal rhythmic pattern similar to a kopla, so they can be popularly sung. Even today, it is not unusual to see groups of people marching around a town at some local festival singing and asking the neighbours for a food, drink or money donation, while the most famous celebrations following this pattern across the whole Basque Country may be those taking place on Christmas Eve (Olentzero) and the Saint Agatha's Eve, with singers dressing up in traditional costumes.

Holding hands in the traditional Saint Agatha's Eve (Altsasu) Santa Agenda 2004.jpg
Holding hands in the traditional Saint Agatha's Eve (Altsasu)
A pastoral, traditional sung theatre of Soule, focused on Etxahun-Iruri Etxahun koblakari pastorala3.jpg
A pastoral, traditional sung theatre of Soule, focused on Etxahun-Iruri

It follows that traditional singing is closely related to bertsolaris, improvising bards, who even nowadays hold an important status in Basque culture. They voice the people's concerns by means of a formal tradition coming from the people (tunes, linguistic devices), and act as their spokespersons. A considerable corpus of traditional songs was gathered by Resurrección María de Azkue and Aita Donostia, two religious scholars interested in Basque folk culture, at the turn of the 20th century; and also later on, in Cancionero popular vasco (1918) and Euskal Eres-Sorta. Cancionero Vasco (1922), to mention but a few works.

In the present day, the band Hiru Truku (comprising the celebrated musicians Joseba Tapia, Ruper Ordorika and Bixente Martinez) has chosen several ancient songs from all over the Basque Country, updated the music brilliantly and released them in a number of albums. Another current long-standing and renowned group who elaborate on traditional songs is Oskorri: The band set about singing traditional songs in public performances previously handing out to the audience a repertoire bill including the lyrics and encouraging them to sing along. The band has launched a couple of albums of this kind so far and performed on various tours to public acclaim, becoming especially popular with middle-aged parents.

A key figure bridging the old singing tradition of Soule and the folk song revival of the 20th century is Pierre Bordazaharre (1907–1979), aka Etxahun Iruri. A xirula player and singer, he collected old songs and fashioned new ones, which eventually caught on and spread, take for instance, Agur Xiberoa. He also contributed to new pastoral plays in the tradition of Soule, reshaping the pastoral and adding new topics.

There is also a tradition of choral music all over the Basque Country. Church choirs were set up in some towns to meet the religious musical needs. Yet at the turn of the 20th century some ensembles became established outside the ecclesiastical context, e.g. the Sociedad Coral de Bilbao (founded in 1886), Orfeón Donostiarra (founded in 1897) or the Coral Santa Cecilia from Donostia (founded in 1928). Later on, other ensembles were formed, such as Oldarra Abesbatza from Biarritz (founded in 1947), made up of men and sometimes putting on performances as an ochote (see below), [2] or the reputed Coral Andra Mari from Errenteria, established in 1966, featuring Basque folk music and Aita Donostia's several scores. [3] Nowadays many minor choral ensembles, largely offering the Basque folk repertoire, dot the Basque territory. In Bayonne and Donostia a cheerful informal initiative has grown popular with amateurs in the late noughties, who meet once a month and go bar hopping around the streets of the respective Old Quarters while singing traditional songs.

Another Basque choral phenomenon is represented by the so-called ochotes, which became popular in the 1930s in the Bilbao region: Eight men with deep voices, with a marked taste for local and folk subjects, singing in Spanish and Basque. This may stem from summer ecclesiastic seminaries and they thrived on the warm atmosphere of the bars after the work shift was over. [4] Eventually a branch of this genre evolved out into bilbainadas (up to the 1960s, nowadays much in decay).

Classical soloists

Awash in the same singing tradition, but shifting towards the refined European trends prevailing in the higher levels of society, certain Basques became renowned as individual singers. Some soloists worth highlighting include:

Composers

J.M. Usandizaga, a celebrated Basque composer (early 20th century) Jose Maria Usandizaga.jpg
J.M. Usandizaga, a celebrated Basque composer (early 20th century)

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

Postwar desolation and first sprouts

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.

Mixel Labeguerie during the 1960s Mixel Labegerie.jpg
Mixel Labeguerie during the 1960s
Group "Ez dok amairu" Zazpiribai.jpg
Group "Ez dok amairu"
Benito Lertxundi in 1971 Benito Lertxundi 1971.jpg
Benito Lertxundi in 1971

Music as identity assertion

Some people from the southern Basque Country fled the territory to the French Northern Basque Country and seeking shelter. They left their imprint in the traditional Basque society of the Northern Basque Country, contributing to the rise of cultural and political awareness. In this category falls Mixel Labeguerie, who worked and lived in Kanbo, its mayor for more than a decade (1965–1980), Councillor General of the department and a founder of Basque nationalist movement Embata (he walked out later). He had a musical education, soaked up the new European musical trends, e.g. Brassens, folk music from England and France, and released an album in 1961 with songs that struck a chord, such as Gu gira Euskadiko, Primaderako liliak, etc. [5] He was to have influence on the new artistic Basque artist collective "Ez dok amairu" put together in 1965, largely made up of folk singer-songwriters concerned with Basque culture: Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa (popular song "Txoriak txori"), Xabier Lete, Lourdes Iriondo, etc.

Lourdes Iriondo took up singing accompanied on a guitar for the first time in Basque music, a fact that came in for much criticism on the grounds that the instrument was alien to the native culture. "Ez Dok Amairu" broke up in 1972 and its members took up separate paths that eventually confirmed some of them as acclaimed and key folk Basque singers up to the 2000s. Along the lines of singer-songwriter style, Guk, Larralde eta Etxamendi or the beloved duo Pantxoa eta Peio provide the musical background for the 1970s period of struggle, repression and turmoil across the Northern Basque Country. Especially in the provinces of Álava and Navarre, Enrike Zelaia (Altsasu) and Gorka Knörr struck a chord with a more folkloric and nuanced approach.

A shift towards urban music

Meanwhile, new and more urban style musical ensembles and bands sprang up in the 1970s, performing first to other's songs of the time at summer local festivals. They gradually developed their own repertoire fashioned in line with the Basque revival and activism (special focus on the lyrics) and ongoing Western musical trends, e.g. folk (Gwendal for one), progressive rock (Pink Floyd,...). As regards choral bands, Mocedades from Bilbao should be highlighted, founded in 1967 initially by Amaya Uranga and two sisters of her. They soon gained public notability by ranking second at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest.

In the same city, the prolific band Oskorri (see above) got together featuring folk music, launching first album in 1976, where they paid homage to poet Gabriel Aresti, while in the Northern Basque Country Michel Ducau and Anje Duhalde teamed up and put together the first Basque rock band, the celebrated and politically committed Errobi, releasing album Errobi (1975) to critic and public acclaim, Bizi bizian ensued, probably its best, with the record company CBS considering signing up a contract with them. The group disbanded (not definitely) at the top of their popularity (1979); the split came to be regarded as a "suicide". [6]

Beginning in the mid-60s, Imanol Larzabal led a solo career as a singer/songwriter, featuring a deep voice as well as a socially committed and poetic subjects, with the collaboration of domestic and foreign poets and singers. He went through a short period in prison and came back from exile in 1977. Friend of his and son of emigrant Souletin parents, Niko Etxart came back to the Basque Country from Paris with brand-new ideas about music in 1972, so turning into a forerunner of Basque rock music (Euskal Rock&Roll in 1973, released in 1979) alongside Errobi, while especially in the traditional Northern Basque Country some lashed out at his looks, manners and music. He alternately performed onstage in verbenas (dancing music in local festivals) with the band Minxoriak up to 1994. [7]

In the area of Mutriku, Itoiz, a milestone in Basque folk-pop music, was formed in 1978, with Juan Carlos Perez as its lead vocalist and front-man, releasing that very year the critically acclaimed album Itoiz, which contained such poignant tracks as Hilzori, Lau teilatu etc. Akin ensemble Haizea delivered a couple of good albums during this period. [8]

The rise of Basque punk music

Rock band Zarama live Zarama.jpg
Rock band Zarama live

Up to that point, Basque music bands from the Southern Basque Country resorted to labels from Spain to record and release their works. Yet at the end of the 1970s and notably in the early 1980s, new regional publishers arose (Xoxoa, Soñua...), providing a springboard for small bands that previously found it difficult to see their works come to light.

At the same time, a whole network of youth squats, the gaztetxes, sprang up all over the Basque Country, so furnishing small bands with premises to rehearse and a venue to stage concerts. For the first time, a younger disaffected and unruly generation stemming from urban sprawls and towns could find an outlet to voice its protest along the lines of a punk outlook ("do it yourself"), but could not avoid being badly shaken by drugs. [9] 1984 saw the surge of Basque punk rock, or Basque Radical Rock (Rock Radical Vasco in Spanish).

Kortatu onstage in their early years Kortatu 1.jpg
Kortatu onstage in their early years

Some popular bands jumping onto the rock scene were Zarama and Eskorbuto from Santurtzi, hard rock band Barricada and whimsical Tijuana in Blue from Pamplona, La Polla Records from Agurain, Kortatu and Baldin Bada from Irun, Hertzainak, Cicatriz and Potato from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Jotakie, RIP, Naste Borraste, MCD, BAP, Zer Bizio, Delirium Tremens, etc. Most of the times Spanish language was used, sometimes Basque, while other times bands were bilingual.

This new musical trend clashed with the previous singer-songwriter tradition (generation gap), with both linking to different degrees to the leftist and Basque nationalist movement. Meanwhile, Itoiz kept its low-profile musical path switching to pop in the accomplished album Musikaz blai (three more LP albums followed), featuring internationally acclaimed songs like To Alice, As Noites da Radio Lisboa or the catchy Marea gora. [10]

Other bands of the late 1980s stack to a different path, gentle and even naïve, using Spanish-language lyrics and combining Spanish and international pop trends, take for instance, Duncan Dhu (with leading figure Mikel Erentxun), 21 Japonesas or Sanchis y Jocano, bands from the area of Donostia. Duncan Dhu especially attained big levels of popularity on the Spanish and international pop scene, giving rise to a tradition in ensuing years that was to be called "Donosti Sound" (Le Mans, La Oreja de Van Gogh,...).

A Negu Gorriak concert in Pamplona (1992) Negu Gorriak 2.jpg
A Negu Gorriak concert in Pamplona (1992)

In 1990, Basque-language public radio station Euskadi Gaztea was born, intending to target the youth in a young, dynamic and informal manner, besides adding information, dealing with subjects Basque young people may be interested in and encouraging Basque groups. Basque music definitely opened its mind to trends all over the world.

The flagship Basque rock band Kortatu broke up in 1988 (live album Azken guda dantza), and soon after brothers Muguruza put together project Negu Gorriak. They showed a different outlook compared to previous band Kortatu: The new band sang entirely in Basque, their approach showed an open mind, while sticking to the Muguruzas' signature protest song, as showed in their acclaimed video clip Radio Rahim, that conjures up American hip-hop manners. [11] Punk fell much in decay, while reggae as well as hardcore took over, e.g. Anestesia, Etsaiak, Sociedad Alkoholika, Su Ta Gar (heavy), etc. M-ak launched its best album Barkatu ama to critical acclaim, featuring styles ranging from hardcore to gentle tracks.

Trikitixa player Joseba Tapia JosebaTapia.JPG
Trikitixa player Joseba Tapia
Skalariak in a 2006 concert Skalariak 06.jpg
Skalariak in a 2006 concert

Folk and triki pop music

Early in the 1990s, younger generations took up folk again, finding a public that was eager to listen to milder tunes in Basque, e.g. Sorotan Bele, Mikel Markez, etc. Trikitixa schools finally bore fruit in the 1990s: The novelties brought about by the duo Tapia eta Leturia and Kepa Junkera confirmed them as compelling folk references in the Basque Country and even abroad. Novel trikitixa duos tried new ways that caught on, sometimes setting up bands including bass guitar and drums besides the set pair of diatonic button accordion and tambourine (triki pop), e.g. Maixa eta Ixiar, Alaitz eta Maider, Gozategi. [12] They usually offered a cheerful repertoire, with Gozategi's song Nirekin ("Emoixtaxux muxutxuek...") hitting the summer charts in 2000 beyond language boundaries.

Specialization and diversification

Rock band Hertzainak disbanded in 1993, while its members followed their own projects. Hertzainak frontman and controversial singer Gari started up a solo and very personal career with some accomplished songs that has established him as a compelling reference in Basque music, while Josu Zabala collaborated with other singers and a bertsolari group project, i.e. the original brass band Karidadeko Benta (first album 2003). Power pop band Urtz, formed in 1988, dealt with personal stories that slightly differed from the still prevailing protest topics and harsh language of the late 1980s, besides featuring an unprecedented chorus line that delivered some charming, upbeat and catchy songs. The band broke up in the early 2000s, but staged a comeback in 2013.

Berri Txarrak in the youth squat Kortxoenea, Donostia 2015 berri txarrak kortxoenea 01.jpg
Berri Txarrak in the youth squat Kortxoenea, Donostia

In step with the hardcore punk tradition, the band Berri Txarrak from Lekunberri got together in 1994, releasing various albums and touring on Europe, where they come in for good reviews and gradually get a reputation that earned them performances and collaborations with important figures of indie rock all over the world. In August 2017, the band announced the recording of its ninth album at The Blasting Room studio in Colorado. [13]

The band PiLT (Mungia), who showed a taste for metal and hard sounds (Clawfinger, Soundgarden), jumped into spotlight in 1995 after winning the bootleg contest "Gaztea Sariak" granted by radio station Euskadi Gaztea, while the definite hit came in 1996 with single Hil da jainkoa, earning them widespread recognition. [14] Likewise heavy metal band Latzen came to public prominence after winning with the popular ballad Laztana the 1997 edition of the "Gaztea Sariak".

The bands Skalariak (1994) and Betagarri (1992) took over the ska tradition, offering boogie inciting and swinging live concerts. In step with other multicultural experiences, such as Fermin Muguruza from Negu Gorriak or festive Joxe Ripiau to highlight but a few, in 2003 members of Etsaiak put together Pin pan pun band, a band with good connections in Latin America, releasing in 2005 the DVD Kuba-Mexiko Rock Tour 04, which bore witness to their experience and live powerful concerts. Etsaiak got together again in 2008 (launched album Apurtu arte). [15] In the French Basque Country, the festive band Sustraia attained great popularity after 15 years on the road, while the sudden death of charismatic frontman Patrick Mixelena in January 2009, a.k.a. Mixu, made the group's future uncertain.

Doctor Deseo was set up in Bilbao in 1986, releasing thereafter various albums during a period that spans more than 20 years. They deal with everyday and personal subjects in a rather poetic manner. Fito y los Fitipaldis (Bilbao) was formed in 1998 by Platero y Tú's frontman Fito Cabrales, comprising a variety of styles ranging soul, blues, swing, flamenco, tex-mex or Hawaiian guitars. The project kicked off with A puerta cerrada (40,000 albums sold so far) and grew steadily in popularity, one of the latest hit song being Rojitas las orejas. [16]

La Oreja de Van Gogh live Oreja De Van Gogh - Guapa y Mas Guapa.jpg
La Oreja de Van Gogh live

In Donostia, youths from university gathered together in the mid-90s to rehearse. Yet they were in need of a singer for the band, so they fixed up a casting meeting with Amaia Montero that resulted in the creation of La Oreja de Van Gogh, who after launching album Dile al sol took off boosted by Amaia's mighty voice and catchy soft tunes trimmed with beautiful arrangements. New hit songs and albums followed.

Anari at the youth squat of Ordizia AnariOrdizian.jpg
Anari at the youth squat of Ordizia

The band hailing from Zarautz Delorean does electronic&rock with enthralling and trance raising live performances since 2000. It went international setting out on tours abroad including the United States. The band cancelled its 2013 international tour while in Mexico after a strange kidnapping attempt. A consistent career and musical know-how have confirmed several bands as compelling references as of 2014: Gatibu (Gernika), We Are Standard (Getxo), Atom Rhumba (Bilbao), Ken 7 ('minus seven', Gernika), Berri Txarrak (Lekunberri), Capsula (Bilbao), to mention but a few.

Singer-songwriters and gentle music

Hertzainak's reunion concert staged by Gari eta Josu Zabala (Euskalduna, Bilbao, 2019) Gari - Josu - Hertzainak Euskaldunan (05).jpg
Hertzainak's reunion concert staged by Gari eta Josu Zabala (Euskalduna, Bilbao, 2019)

The singer-songwriter approach that waned in the late 1980s shows presently a sound condition in the Basque scene, with some very outstanding figures, like poignant Anari, renowned for her intense, heartbreaking voice and songs, who is now taking off (live recording Anari Kafe Antzokian Zuzenean released in 2008). Other singer-songwriters include Petti, from Bera (Navarre), with four albums published up to 2008, or the bertsolari Mikel Urdangarin, featuring somewhat melancholic songs often accompanied on string and brass instruments.

Following the folk and singer-songwriter tradition, Jabier Muguruza (born 1960) took up a solo career in 1994 after quitting other projects (Les Mecaniciens,...). The veteran musician composes and performs personal, mild songs with strong broody and literary lyrics. Meanwhile, some renowned figures of Basque folk music have kept on performing and creating, e.g. Benito Lertxundi, or Oskorri (fresh album Banda band in 2007, about to celebrate the ensemble's 35 anniversary). The celebrated singer-songwriter Mikel Laboa, considered a father figure of modern Basque music, died in December 2008.

The ensemble Bidaia, i.e. the couple Mixel Ducau and Caroline Phillips, offers gentle and elaborate folk music, while percussionist Benat Achiary (born 1947) provides an experimental approach, often featuring improvised passages in his performances (several albums released in the 1990s). Amaia Zubiria (born 1947 in Zubieta -Gipuzkoa-), who has occasionally collaborated with him, holds a long and prolific career in the Basque song panorama: She came to the spotlight with progressive-folk group Haizea, having published some solo albums since and featuring a very pure mezzo-soprano voice. Her latest work is the album Nabil (2008). [17]

Samples

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic music</span> Grouping of folk music genres

Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song</span> Musical composition for human voice

A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tambourine</span> Handheld drum with metal jingles

The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head. Tambourines are often used with regular percussion sets. They can be mounted, for example on a stand as part of a drum kit, or they can be held in the hand and played by tapping, hitting, or shaking the instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Spain</span> Music and musical traditions of Spain

In Spain, music has a long history. It has played an important role in the development of Western music, and has greatly influenced Latin American music. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical guitar. While these forms of music are common, there are many different traditional musical and dance styles across the regions. For example, music from the north-west regions is heavily reliant on bagpipes, the jota is widespread in the centre and north of the country, and flamenco originated in the south. Spanish music played a notable part in the early developments of western classical music, from the 15th through the early 17th century. The breadth of musical innovation can be seen in composers like Tomás Luis de Victoria, styles like the zarzuela of Spanish opera, the ballet of Manuel de Falla, and the classical guitar music of Francisco Tárrega. Nowadays commercial pop music dominates.

In France, music reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field of classical music, France has produced several prominent romantic composers, while folk and popular music have seen the rise of the chanson and cabaret style. The oldest playable musical recordings were made in France using the earlist known sound recording device in the world, the phonautograph, which was patented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in 1857. France is also the 5th largest market by value in the world, and its music industry has produced many internationally renowned artists, especially in the nouvelle chanson and electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Afghanistan</span> Music and musical traditions of Afghanistan

The music of Afghanistan comprises many varieties of classical music, folk music, and modern popular music. Afghanistan has a rich musical heritage and features a mix of Persian melodies, Indian compositional principles, and sounds from ethnic groups such as the Pashtuns, Tajiks and Hazaras. Instruments used range from Indian tablas to long-necked lutes. Afghanistan's classical music is closely related to Hindustani classical music while sourcing much of its lyrics directly from classical Persian poetry such as Mawlana Balkhi (Rumi) and the Iranian tradition indigenous to central Asia. Lyrics throughout most of Afghanistan are typically in Dari (Persian) and Pashto. The multi-ethnic city of Kabul has long been the regional cultural capital, but outsiders have tended to focus on the city of Herat, which is home to traditions more closely related to Iranian music than in the rest of the country.

The music of the Philippines includes the musical performance arts in the Philippines and the music of Filipinos composed in various local and international genres and styles. Philippine musical compositions are often a mixture of indigenous styles, and various Asian styles, as well as Spanish/Latin American and (US) American influences through foreign rule from those countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Portugal</span> Overview of music traditions in Portugal

Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its history. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/folk music and popular music and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with the country seeing a recent expansion in musical styles, especially in popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Wales</span> Music associated with Wales

The Music of Wales, particularly singing, is a significant part of Welsh national identity, and the country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song".

Northwest Iberian folk music is a traditional highly distinctive folk style, located along Spain's north-west Atlantic coast, mostly Galicia and Asturias, that has some similarities with the neighbouring area of Cantabria. The music is characterized by the use of bagpipes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Txalaparta</span> Musical instrument

The txalaparta is a specialized Basque music device of wood or stone. In some regions of the Basque Country, zalaparta means "racket", while in others txalaparta has been attested as meaning the trot of the horse, a sense closely related to the sound of the instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trikiti</span> Basque diatonic button accordion

The trikititrikitixa, or eskusoinu txiki ) is a two-row Basque diatonic button accordion with right-hand rows keyed a fifth apart and twelve unisonoric bass buttons. The onomatopoeia trikitixa, apparently stemming from the sound emitted by the tambourine, originally referred to a traditional Basque ensemble, made up of the instrument which now bears the name as well as alboka, txistu and other instruments.

Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" musical traditions of all the Celtic nations, as well as from all styles of popular music, it is thus sometimes associated with the Pan-Celtic movement. Celtic fusion may or may not include authentic traditional music from any one tradition under the Celtic umbrella, but its common characteristic is the inspiration by Celtic identity.

Americana is an amalgam of American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States, with particular emphasis on music historically developed in the American South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian folk music</span> Music genre

Ukrainian folk music includes a number of varieties of traditional, folkloric, folk-inspired popular music, and folk-inspired European classical music traditions.

Jesús Arámbarri Gárate was a Spanish classical music conductor and composer native to the Basque Country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xirula</span>

The xirula is a small three holed woodwind instrument or flute usually made of wood akin to the Basque txistu or three-hole pipe, but more high pitched and strident, tuned to D/G and an octave higher than the silbote. The sound that flows from the flute has often been perceived as a metaphor for the tweet cadences of bird songs. Some scholars point out that flutes found in the Caverns of Isturitz and Oxozelaia going back to a period spanning 35,000 to 10,000 years ago bear witness to the early presence of the instrument's forerunner in the region, while this view has been disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Txistu</span>

The txistu is a kind of fipple flute that became a symbol for the Basque folk revival. The name may stem from the general Basque word ziztu "to whistle" with palatalisation of the z. This three-hole pipe can be played with one hand, leaving the other one free to play a percussion instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basque Radical Rock</span> Musical genre

Basque Radical Rock, was a musical genre born in the Southern Basque Country at the beginning of the 1980s and, although there was no specific event, it is considered to have ended in the last years of the decade. Basque Radical Rock bands were particularly influenced by punk bands like Sex Pistols and The Clash. It was considered an underground movement, born in opposition to the values proclaimed by Francisco Franco and spread by thousands of people who felt with the Spanish transition to democracy their Basque national and social aspirations were betrayed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the Basque Country</span>

The Basque Country is a cross-border cultural region that has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, festivals, and music.

References

  1. "Basque Instruments". Xarnege. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  2. "OLDARRA (Biarritz)". Euskadiko Zortzikote Elkartea. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008. Site in Basque and Spanish
  3. "Coral Andra Mari Abesbatza". Coral Andra Mari Abesbatza. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008. Site in Basque and Spanish
  4. "Historia del Ochote". Festival Internacional de Ochotes de Portugalete. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008. Site in Spanish
  5. "Mixel Labeguerie (1921–1980)" (PDF). Eusko Jaurlaritzaren Argitalpen Zerbitzu Nagusia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2008. Site in Basque
  6. Lopez Aguirre, Elena (2009). Historia del Rock Vasco. Vitoria-Gasteiz: Ediciones AIANAI. pp. 114–115. ISBN   9788461516049.
  7. Lopez Aguirre, E. (2009), pp. 123-124
  8. "Basque Progressive Music". Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  9. Lopez Aguirre, E. (2009), pp. 161-164
  10. Lopez Aguirre, E. (2009), pp. 121-123
  11. Lopez Aguirre, E. (2009), pp. 291-292
  12. Lopez Aguirre, E. (2009), pp. 356-357
  13. Velez, Nacho (21 August 2017). "Berri Txarrak, disko berria grabatzen". EITB. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  14. "PiLT, Al Grano". MONDOSONORO. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008. Site in Spanish
  15. ""APURTU ARTE", ETSAIAK-EN ZORTZIGARREN DISKOA". ENTZUN. Retrieved 7 February 2008. Site in Basque
  16. "Fito y Fitipaldis". TodoMúsica. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008. Site in Spanish
  17. "Amaia Zubiria". Producciones Serrano. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008. Site in Spanish

Further reading