naBASQUE.org

Izan zirelako, gara, eta girelako izango dira.

Website of the North American Basque Organizations, Inc.

"Because they were, we are, and because we are they will be."

KANTAK: Basque songs

Basque Choirs | Singers NABO's mini-songbook Basque song lyrics website
Bertsolaritza-Improvisation Top 5 Basque songs Basque music videos
NABO's "Kantuketan" Song Exhibit

There is a saying that three Basques make a choir. Basques are noted music fans and singers, at least from what we know from recent history. Earlier it appears that song remained outside the mainstream; the attachment became stronger when Basques were challenged by outsiders. This is what prompted the works of the two priest "song-catchers:" Azkue and Donostia. Azkue was more fortunate and his work was disseminated further. The misfortune is that after them no real ethno-musical movement emerged; consequently our musical tradition remained in the realm of fantasy and legend moreso than reality until quite recently.

Is there Basque music? Besides the defining characteristic of the lyrics in the Basque language, there was a massive debate over this at the beginning of the 20^th century. Two representative perspectives included Francisco Gaskue and Azkue. Gaskue noted that many tunes were not only sung in the Basque Country [e.g., Uso Zuria, Agur Jaunak] and he hypothesized that Basque music was a hybrid of borrowed material. Azkue meanwhile took the opposite tack. While acknowledging borrowing, Azkue emphasized the primacy of indigenous works. The debate endures. Basque music remains related to, yet distinct from, other song forms.

Basque-American (Bertsolari) Poets

Jesus Goni, Jesus Arriada, Johnny Curutchet & Martin Goicoechea,
National Endowment For The Arts Announces the 2003 Recipients of the Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

Basque songs online

Click here to go to the Basque Government's webpage to promote Basque music.

Click on www.Musikazblai.com for the lyrics to 1,400 Basque songs.

Here is some Basque song links to download and sample:

Gabon kantak: Christmas songs:

Recreate + 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. Please send inquiries to info@naBASQUE.org For links to all our pages on this website click on SITEMAP