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musika tresnak

Traditional Basque Instruments

Here are various links to traditional Basque instruments:


Txistu

Tronpa

Mouth Harp

Wind instruments String
instruments
Trikitixa
Accordion


Percussion

Alboka   Xirularru

Euskal Etxeak article on Musical Instruments (pdf)

FOLK INSTRUMENTS OF EUSKAL HERRIA

The following classification is mostly based on the system employed by Padre Donostia in his work entitled "Instrumentos de Música Popular Española" (Spanish Folk Instruments), in turn based on the E. Hornbostel and C. Sachs instrument classification.  This list we includes instruments still played today, instruments found up until fairly recently, and instruments which fell into disuse a long time ago; also included are instruments and toys used for different purposes.

1.- IDIOPHONES

A) Struck directly:

   Txalaparta, toberas, kirikoketa, percussion with gorse: hands, heels; sticks, swords
struck against one another; triangle.
B) Struck indirectly:
   Artxalus (small pieces of a hard material placed between the fingers and knocked against each other to make sound), castanets, spoons, kalaka (a kind of wooden rattle), hammer-rattle, bells, chimes, jingling disks of a tambourine, reed, kaskabeleta, kilikalaska, fingers (snapping), wren eggs, coconuts.
D) Rubbed or scraped:
   Carraca (rattle-type noise maker), bottles scraped with a stick or other instrument, bones, squeaking axle of a farm cart.
E) Plucked (flexible):
  
Trump/Jew's harp/musugitarra/musumusika, rana (frog-shaped clacker toy with a metal tongue, which when pressed makes a clicking noise).

2.- MEMBRANOPHONES

We will further classify this group according to how the sound is activated.
A) Struck with a stick or drumstick, or the hands:
   Tamboril, atabal, tambor, caja, bombo, pandero (different types and sizes of drums or tambourines).
B) Rubbed:  Directly: pandero (tambourine); Indirectly, with vibrations emitted by means of a stick or string: eltzegorra, ttipiontzia/zambomba.
D) Vibrated by air (mirlitons): Tulurte, turuta/orrazia, paper instruments.

3.- CHORDOPHONES

The music from these instruments is produced from the vibration of one or more taut strings. They may be either monodic or polyphonic, and usually have a resonating chamber. They can be classified into three groups, according to how the string or strings are activated:
A) Plucked:  Lute, bandurria (Spanish mandolin), guitar, maniura (harp).
B) Bowed: Rabete (revel), violin, zarrabete, Arizkun "harp".
D) Struck: Ttun-ttun.

4.- AEROPHONES
These instruments are classified according to how the air is vibrated.
A) Flutes:
   Vertical nose flutes:
   Toy whistles: txulubitas, txilibitu
   One-handed flutes: txistu, txirula, silbote
   Two-handed flutes: txilibito/txilibitu/txiflo
   Transverse flutes: cross flute, fife
   Other types of flutes and whistles: Zikiratzaile/txilibitu (panpipes), txulubita (piston), ocarina, txulubita (whistle made from an apricot stone), txulubita (tin whistle).
B) Reed instruments:
   Double-reed (oboe type): turuta, tutubi, sunpriñu, txanbela, dulzaina, gaita navarra
   Single-reed:
   - (dampered holes-clarinet type): turuta, cornet, alboka, clarinet
   - (free-playing): harmonica, accordion, diatonic accordion, small diatonic accordion, chromatic accordion
   Xirolarrus (bagpipe family): Xirolarru-bota (double reed), xirolarru-boha (single reed)
   Other types: lapwing birdcall
D) Buzzing lips/trumpet:
   Natural (no mechanical device): horn
   Chromatic (band instruments): trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba.
E) Free aerophones:
   Burrun, firringila, ziria

 

OSPATU + HEZITU = BETIKOTU:
Celebrate + Educate = Perpetuate

 

OSPATU + HEZITU = BETIKOTU:  Celebrate + Educate = Perpetuate

 

naBASQUE.org is the website of the North American Basque Organizations, Inc. (N.A.B.O.) a federation of organizations for the promotion of Basque culture. Helping to make this website possible is the Basque Autonomous Government of Euskadi.  N.A.B.O. is a part of the global Basque Diaspora whose presence is online at www.euskaletxeak.net.  Please send inquiries to info@naBASQUE.org   For links to all our pages on this website click on SITEMAP