Bertsolaritza

Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various bertsolaris onstage in an event arranged for the purpose or as a sideshow, in homage ceremonies, in benefit lunches and suppers, with friends or at a competition.

The famous modern-day bertsolari Xabier Amuriza defined it in a bertso as: Neurriz eta errimaz kantatzea itza orra or zer kirol mota den bertsolaritza.

An example of a Zortziko Txiki is the first stanza of the bertso Aitorren Izkuntz Zarra "Aitor's Ancient Language" by Z. Andonegi: Aitorren izkuntz zarra nai degu zabaldu munduaren aurrean gizonki azaldu baldin gure zainetan odolik badegu euskaldunak euskeraz itz egin bear degu.

There are scores of possible tunes which can be used for singing a bertso, stemming from traditional songs that once caught on and embedded themselves in folk culture.

At a formal competition the bertsolari are called upon to compose and sing different kinds of bertsos by the gai-jartzaile, the "subject setter".

A bertsolari might for example be asked to pretend to be a 17-year-old girl who has come home at 3 am to realise she has lost her house keys and must ring the doorbell.

Repression and hunger demoted the performances to low-key events, basically in a friend and family environment, since the new Francoist rule regarded this cultural activity with suspicion.

As the tight regime opened up in the 1950s, on-stage performances alongside provincial championships started to be held, with the bertsolaritza taking on a higher public profile.

In 1967, a controversial national championship took place in San Sebastian, when sadly frictions over the language gap between the eastern (French) and western dialects came to a head (contender Uztapide vs Xalbador).

New ways of learning the art of singing extemporaneous verses were set up, i.e. schools, resulting in new generations of bertsolaris, such as the young Jon Sarasua, who qualified to the final in the 1986 national championship.

Furthermore, especially in the 2000s, young bertsolaris show a concern in forms and in opening up to new trends, like hip-hop or theatrical performances, instead of staying put on the stage.

On December 13, 2009, the Main or National Contest (Txapelketa Nagusia) held on a 4-year basis took place at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), with a massive turnout of 15,000.

Both Navarre and the Northern provinces have begun to participate in the renaissance of the bertsolari tradition but with some conspicuous differences, mainly due to sociolinguistic issues.

In addition, the tradition in these parts of the Basque Country played down technical aspects of the verse (especially the rhyme), taking on forms closer to extemporaneous song.

In the 90s, bertsolaritza began to show a renewed vitality in the north of Navarre thanks to young people keen on the practice, while at the turn of the century concerted efforts were made in the northern provinces aimed at restoring the bertsolaritza tradition by establishing bertso learning as an extracurricular activity in Basque language schools.

The bertso school of Oiartzun, a town with close ties to the bordering areas of Navarre and nearby Labourd has played a major role in the efforts to sustain the bertsolaritza tradition.

Bertsolaritza is practised both formally at competitions and informally at a wide variety of occasions, for example when visiting a Basque cider house, to give voice to a particular emotion or to settle a debate.

Elkarri nola deitzen dioten “burusoiltxo!” Eta “kalbo”, minbizi duten bi umeeri begira-begira nago.

Denborarako egin zieten laguntxoei despedida eta orain biak hemen dabiltza juerga, salto, buelta, biba.

Zuen umeak indartsu dira hemen ez da deus amaitu ze bizitzeko gogoa dunak bizitzea lortzen baitu I am left mouth agape and with eyes wide you have been in this hospital for a long time August, September and October have turned into November, and them wondering when it's time to leave or call an end Calling each other "baldie" and "baldielocks", I am looking after two children with cancer.

Not wanting to cry in front of them and unable to control their tears they move away from the children and then their eyes turn wet.

Amongst them are the Austro-Bavarian Gstanzl, the Italian improvvisatori, and the Sardinian mutos (also known as mutettus, repentina or ottada in different parts of the island.