Bertsolaritza, or bertsolarism, is the art of singing improvised songs, called bertsos, in the Basque language according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. A bertso may be composed for a variety of occasions and is generally performed onstage by one or more bertsolaris, whether in a dedicated competition, a homage ceremony or informally among friends, a tradition historically dominated by men but increasingly practiced by women today.
Facts
Place of Origin Notable ExampleBertsolari Txapelketa Nagusia (Great Bertsolari Championship) 1 Defining TraitImprovised verse combined with a melody 1 FAQs
Who decides what a bertsolari has to sing in a competition?
A subject setter sets the challenge.
At a formal bertsolari competition a person called the gai-jartzaile, the subject setter, tells the singer what type of challenge to meet, which tune to use and which metre to follow. The verse itself is improvised on the spot within those limits.
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Source Bertsolaritza, WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Bertsolaritza Basque pronunciation: [berˈts̺olaɾits̻a] or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvised songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns.
Sources
1. Bertsolaritza, Wikipedia
Lead section
the art of singing improvised songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns
Section on the championship
has been held (with considerable gaps due to the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War) since 1935
Section on the structure of a bertso
two main components: the spontaneous verse and the melody to which it is sung
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