EncyclopediaViolin

The violin is a rubbed chordophone. It has been called arrabita in Basque, although this has also been given to another rubbed chordophone (the rebec). Surely the function formerly performed by the rebec was later acquired by the violin, which caused the confusion of s.

Description of the instrument

The standard violin consists of a wooden soundboard and neck. It has four strings stretched from the headstock to the bridge.

Way of playing

The neck is held with one hand, so that the fingers press the notes on the strings. The other hand grasps the bow, which rubs the violin's strings.

History

Despite its notable use in Basque popular music, it has suffered a setback and has been losing presence in the last century, at least compared to other countries.

The presence of violins in different regions of the Basque Country is documented in writing since the 16th Century.

Father Donostia (1952) provided some details on the denomination of this type of rubbed chordophones: "Arrabit = violin, rebec; arrabitari = the one who plays the violin; arrabit-egile = luthier, stringed instrument player; xirribita = violin, rabel; xirribitari = the one who plays.// Also "soinu", "Soñu" (Son) The same term is also used to refer to ttunttun and "music" in general. "Sun.", "Sonülari" = Violinist people " (p. 283).

In the same work we can find news about its ancient use:

"Pamplona, 1641.// and Juan de Gorroz, jular rabelista and Guillén de Garroch psaltery, basques, making music in the streets with vigolín and psaltery and dancing the violinist saying." (Bascos = from French Navarre) (p. 275).

"E. Boucher, speaking of the Basques in general and of the shortened region in particular, says: (1819) .- L 'orchester ... est composé pour l' ordinaire d 'un violon ou d' une flûte à trois trous (chirola) // tambourin ou sur une espece de tympanon ..."  (p. 275).

In the work of Jesús Ramos (1990), we see the list of musicians who came to the feasts of Pamplona in the 18th Century. This list mentions the of the musician, what they play, where they come from, the year and sometimes the type of group (pages 101 to 120):

• Francisco Andrés - Violín - Mondragón - 1763 - ciego.
• Mateo Aristoráin - Violín - Betelu - 1761.
• Pedro Arizpe - Rabel, salterio y violín - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1708, 1716 ac(5r).
• Beltrán de Aróstegui - Rabel - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1708.
• Juan Bautista Arrien - Violín - Francia - 1792.
• Pablo Astolja - Violines y salterios - Vitoria - 1743.
• Joseph Bascaran - (ikus. kitarra atala)
• Pedro de Bidagain - Rabel - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1701, 1704, 1708 - ac(r+4salterios, 3r)
• Juan Chocoz - Violín - Francia - 1778.
• Fernando Cildoz - Flautas y rabel, chirimía, trompetilla - Aizoáin - 1770 ac(2 flautas y rabel) / Cildoz - 1774 - toca trompetilla / Berriozar - 1775 - toca la “gaita o chirimía”.
• Pedro de Contua - Violín - Bayona - 1790.
• Bernardo Echeverría - Rabel - Baigorri - 1702,1707 - ac(2r, 2r+s).
• Juan de Echeverría - Salterios y violines - Errazu - 1747 ac(4).
• Juan Elizalde - Violín - Baja Navarra - 1778-79.
• Fermín Esteban - Violín - Bayona - 1779.
• Juan de Eyalar - Salterios y violín - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1764 - ac(4s+v).
• Sebastián de Grez (ciego) - Violín - Muruzabal - 1773 / Pamplona - 1775.
• Domingo Hermendi - Rabel - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1708 - ac(5).
• Miguel de Ilaregui - Violín y salterio - Legirreta - 1743 - ac(2).
• Pedro de Inda - Violín - Francia - 1779.
• Lorenzo Iturralde - Salterios y violines - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1766-67 - ac(7,6).
• Pedro Iturralde - Salterio y violín - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1760-61, 1763-64 - ac(5s, 6s+violines, en 1764 toca junto a su hijo salterio y violín.
• Simón Labat - Salterios y violín - Baja Navarra - 1782 - ac(4s+1v).
• Juanes de Lecumberri - Violín - Baja Navarra - (tañe poco).
• Juan de Leralde - Salterio y violín - Baja Navarra - 1770 - ac(s+v).
• Bernardo Llego - Violín - Soule - 1776 - ac(v+2s).
• Miguel de Maistruarena - Violines y salterios - Arizcun - 1743, 1746 -ac(4,3).
• Antonio de la Mata - Violín - Francia - 1782-84.
• Pedro Mendibe - Violín - Baja Navarra - 1780.
• Ramón de Mendibe - Violín - Mendive - 1792 - ciego.
• Xavier Moreno - Violín - Pamplona - 1775, 77, 81-85, 87 - (ikus. kitarra.-Luis de la Cadena).
• Martín Xavier de Murillo - Violín - Aoiz - 1789-94 - ciego.
• Joaquín Vicente Orrio - Violín, guitarra - Pamplona - 1774-75, 78, 81-89 - (ikus. kitarra.- Luis de la Cadena).
• Juanes de Recarte - Rabel - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1707-08 - ac(2v+r, 5r). (2 violines-rabel)
• Pedro Recarte - Salterio y violín - Baja Navarra - 1716, 1723 - ac(s+v, 4) en 1716 toca junto a Pedro Arizpe.
• Esteban de Requena - Violín - Villanueva de Araquil - 1757-1763 - ac(v+guitarra que toca un muchacho) - ciego.
• Fermín Esteban de Roncal - Violín - Roncal - 1780.
• Juanis de San Juan - Salterio y violín - San Juan de Pie de Puerto - 1767 - ac(2v+s).
• Juan de Urtes - Violín - Francia - 1770.
• Francisco Ustáriz - Violines y salterios - Berroeta - 1743 - ac(3).

Iñaki Irigoien (1994) also collects information on the following instruments:

"Book of pre-ecclesiastical accounts of Zeanuri (1749): «to a violinist for the assistance he made in the hermitage of San Pedro»." (p. 53)

"The steward of the parish of San Juan de Orozko (1662) is received and passed in quenta twenty-two reales for as many as it seems they gave Pedro de Bibero the one who played the violin at the feast of Mr. San Juan". The other is found in Lanestosa, almost two hundred years later, in 1853. The tambourine Manuel Ferrero did not leave and on the day of San Justo y Pastor and the following Sunday it is said: "They paid the violinist musician D. Cecilio Chueca", who lived in Bilbao and who paid to play these holidays". (p. 54)

In the book "Del Oyarzun antiguo" (1959), by Manuel Lekuona, we can see a reference to a violinist: "Expenditure made on the occasion of violinist from San Sebastián, 68 Reales" (p. 109).

These musicians appear in almost all of our territories in numerous documents the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pablo Sarasate was the best known Basque violinist of the time, but with him there were many other violinists who were dedicated to popular music.

Father Donostia, in the aforementioned work (1952), says: "Around 1859, in Biarritz the saut Basque was danced, to the sound of «fifre aigu, du sourd tambourin et du violon aigrelet»" (p. 284) .

The music of the violin also sounded in the streets and pilgrimages of Bizkaia. Thus we can see violinists in old photographs, among others in Arteaga (Beltrán, 1996. P. 138) and in the Deusto pilgrimage (Bizkaia, 2004).

This type of musicians were also known in Gipuzkoa (Hernani. Photo from 1894 on Paseo Ezkiaga). In this photograph the violinist appears in a musical group (Beltrán, 1996. P. 133). Also in the square of Lasarte (Gipuzkoa). In an interview with txalapartari Miguel Zuaznabar in 1981, he said that his grandfather played the violin on holidays in the Lasarte square to dance (Beltrán, 1981).

You could also find these musicians in the popular dances of Lower Navarra and in the rondallas of many towns. The violinist Filipe Tafernaberri (Arbona, 1857 - Bidarte, 1919) was a violinist and dance teacher (Sagaseta, 2011, 563). Faustin Bentaberri (Izpura, 1869-1936) was another violinist and dance teacher in the area. Faustin also played the clarinet (Sagaseta, 2011, 81).

From the end of the 19th Century to the 1950s, many Navarrese dulzaineros were violinists and some when they attended the town festivals they went in two ways; two dulzaineros with drums by day and two violinists accompanied by guitar by night, from bar to bar and indoors. Thus, for example, around 1940 the gaiteros Moreno and Jesús Mondejar, who formed the group of gaiteros from Pamplona, played the violin, with Felipe Indurain drummer, the latter playing the guitar (Iruñeko Gaiteroak, 1993).

SOURCES

Bibliography

BELTRAN, Juan Mari. (1996). Soinutresnak euskal herri musikan. Donostia: Orain.

DONOSTIA, Aita. (1952). Instrumentos Musicales Populares Vascos. Obras Completas del P. Donostia. (II. alea, 257-309). Bilbo: Ed. La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca.

IRIGOIEN, Iñaki. (1994). Dultzaina-gaita Bizkaian. Bizkaiko Dultzaina-La dulzaina en Bizkaia. Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia.

IRUÑEKO GAITEROAK. (1993). Gaiteroak Iruñean & Iruñeko gaiteroak / Gaiteros en Pamplona & Gaiteros de Pamplona. Labur Bilduma . Iruñeko Gaiak. Colección Breve. Temas Pamploneses Nº 23.

LEKUONA, Manuel: (1959). Del Oiartzun antiguo. Separata de las “Obras completas de D. Manuel de Lekuona” Seminario de Vitoria. 1978.

RAMOS, Jesus. (1990). Materiales para la elaboración de un censo de músicos populares de Euskal Herria, a partir de los instrumentistas llegados a Iruñea en el Siglo XVIII. Cuadernos de Etnología y Etnografía de Navarra. (55. zk. 91-138). Iruñea: Institución Principe de Viana.

SAGASETA ARIZTEGI, Migel Angel. (2011). Luzaideko dantzak. Baigorri-Gara; Bilbo: Herritar Berri-Astero;

[Deia]. (2004?). XX. Bizkaia. Orain dela mende bat. Hace un siglo. Oroitzapenerako postalak-Postales para el recuerdo.

Discography

ARRIOLA, Juan; MINER, Arkaitz. (2012). Hariari Tiraka. Autoekoizpena. BI-1257/2012.

Other sources

(1981). Interview by Juan Mari Beltran with the txalaparta player Miguel Zuaznabar from Lasarte on 01-01-1981 at his home. Soinuenea- Popular Music Corner. Sound library.