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.
The mythology of the ancient Basques largely did not survive the arrival of Christianity in the Basque Country between the 4th and 12th century AD. Most of what is known about elements of this original belief system is based on the analysis of legends, the study of place names and scant historical references to pagan rituals practised by the Basques.
Cicatriz was a punk rock band from the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) formed in 1983. The band had a big significance for the Basque Radical Rock. The band reached a huge degree of influence in Spanish punk, alongside other bands like La Polla Records, Kortatu and Eskorbuto, which rose to fame in the 80's underground scene.
Gabriel Aresti Segurola was one of the most important writers and poets in Basque language in the 20th century.
Joseba Sarrionandia Uribelarrea is a Basque writer who has published a large number of books of poetry and short stories, as well as novels. He has been awarded on numerous occasions for his work, and is nowadays a respected literary personality in the Basque Country.
Although the first instances of coherent Basque phrases and sentences go as far back as the San Millán glosses of around 950, the large-scale damage done by periods of great instability and warfare, such as the clan wars of the Middle Ages, the Carlist Wars and the Spanish Civil War, led to the scarcity of written material predating the 16th century.
Erromintxela is the distinctive language of a group of Romani living in the Basque Country, who also go by the name Erromintxela. It is sometimes called Basque Caló or Errumantxela in English; caló vasco, romaní vasco, or errominchela in Spanish; and euskado-rromani or euskado-romani in French. Although detailed accounts of the language date to the end of the 19th century, linguistic research began only in the 1990s.
José Luis Álvarez Enparantza, better known by his pseudonym Txillardegi, was a Basque linguist, politician, and writer. He was born and raised in the Basque Country, and although he did not learn the Basque language until the age of 17, he later came to be considered one of the most influential figures in Basque nationalism and culture in the second half of the 20th century. He was one of the founders of ETA, but in 1967 he left because he did not agree with its political line.
The Basque conflict, also known as the Spain–ETA conflict, was an armed and political conflict from 1959 to 2011 between Spain and the Basque National Liberation Movement, a group of social and political Basque organizations which sought independence from Spain and France. The movement was built around the separatist organization ETA, which had launched a campaign of attacks against Spanish administrations since 1959. ETA had been proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Spanish, British, French and American authorities at different moments. The conflict took place mostly on Spanish soil, although to a smaller degree it was also present in France, which was primarily used as a safe haven by ETA members. It was the longest running violent conflict in modern Western Europe. It has been sometimes referred to as "Europe's longest war".
Joxe Azurmendi Otaegi is a Basque writer, philosopher, essayist and poet. He has published numerous articles and books on ethics, politics, the philosophy of language, technique, Basque literature and philosophy in general.
Xabier Lete Bergaretxe was a Basque writer, poet, singer and politician. He started to write from an early age and he often published articles in the magazine "Zeruko Argia". In 1965 he created a band of Basque Music with Mikel Laboa, Benito Lertxundi, Joxean Artze, Jose Angel Irigarai and Lourdes Iriondo. The band, which was called "Ez Dok Amairu", disappeared in 1972, but Xabier Lete kept on singing with Lourdes Iriondo, who, by that time, had become his wife.
Hesian was created in the spring of 2006. The music they play is a mix of punk rock, hardcore and a bit of ska style. The most distinctive feature of the group is the contrast of the female and the male voices. The aim of Hesian is to reflect through their lyrics real situations in their lives, including the political conflicts of the Basque Country, love, women´s situation and poverty.
The Basque Country is a cross-border cultural region that has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, festivals, and music.
Esperanza Martínez de Lezea García is a Spanish writer who writes both in Spanish and Basque. She is a certified translator in French, English and German. She is also a television presenter and actor; she is one of the founders of the Kukubiltxo theatre company.
Araba Euskaraz is the festivity that ikastola-s of Álava celebrate. The Ikastola-s' Association organizes it annually in mid-June, and it was first organized in 1981 in Vitoria, capital of Álava.
Gotzon Garate Goihartzun was a Basque and Spanish writer and linguist, collector of Basque dialects, Jesuit theologian.
Nire aitaren etxea defendituko dut is the best known poem by Basque language poet Gabriel Aresti (1933–1975). It was first published in the book Harri eta Herri in 1964. Gabriel Aresti, using the metaphor of the "father's house" makes a claim to defend the Basque Country.
Mariasun Landa Etxebeste is a Spanish writer. Most of her literary production has been developed in the Basque language in the field of children's and young people's literature. She is one of the writers in Basque language more translated to other languages.
Mikel Zalbide Elustondo is a Basque linguist and sociolinguist.
Marijane Minaberri or Marie-Jeanne Minaberry was a Basque author and radio broadcaster. She began writing articles for herself at the age of 20 and then worked as Banca's town hall municipal secretary for a decade. Minaberri then taught 10 and 11-year-old students at Bayonne's Saint Louis de Gonzague church before beginning a broadcasting career on Radio Côte Basque, Gure Irratia and Lapurdi Irratia. She wrote a series of poems and children's stories in both Basque in French and was a member of the Euskaltzaindia. Minaberri is considered a pioneer in Basque radio broadcasting and researchers consider two of her works the beginning of learning of Basque children's literature.
