1886 LA CANCIÓN EN EL PAÍS VASCO

As Isabel Díaz Morlán explains in her book La Canción para voz y piano en el País Vasco, entre 1870 y 1939 (Songs for voice and piano in the Basque Country between 1870 and 1939) (2013), the Basque Country consumed a large number and wide variety of songs for voice and piano around this time. The role played by salon music in this period was not only broad but fluctuated between original creations and the need to circulate these works. The repertoire of the Basque bourgeoisie featured classic songs in Spanish and French, dances that changed according to the fashion, and very frequently, songs based on folk tunes that sprang from a romantic and nostalgic vision of the concept of the people and popular classes. On the other hand, towards the end of the 19th century, many regions of Europe actively sought to recover their folk music traditions, particularly songs that were used for a long time as an inexhaustible resource to compose artistic songs.

In this song genre, there is a clear trend to leave out the name of the writer, seeking to promote the music over the lyrics. Although it is true that if we think about the composer of songs as the ‘reader’ of a poem, its music is an interpretation of this poem, so that text is a fundamental element to understand the song. Aita Donostia, Jesús Guridi, Emma Chacón and Anita Idiartborde share the programme and we hope to restore credit to women that they were once denied.

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