Spanish Basque Country Txalaparta vs Central African Marimba.
Comparing the techniques used to play the two very different instruments.
Originally, the txalaparta was a communication device used for funeral (hileta), celebration (jai) or the making of slaked lime (kare), or cider (sagardo). After the making of cider, the same board that pressed the apples was beaten to summon the neighbours. Then, a celebration was held and txalaparta played cheerfully, while cider was consumed; evidence gathered in this cider making context reveals that sound emitting ox horns were sometimes blown alongside txalaparta. Actually, cider and cider houses are the only traditional context for the txalaparta we have got to know first-hand. Some claim that txalaparta has been used this way for millennia; the Romans described hearing rhythmic poundings on wood. What they were hearing might be a defensive rallying call going up through the Pyrenees mountains. It is worth mentioning that the very similar Romanian toacă or Greek semantron is used as a call for prayer, so less epical interpretations link txalaparta with a common Christian practice before the schism between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
How it is played
The txalaparta is then hit with 50-cm sticks called "makilak". Like a xylophone according to where it is hit, a different tone is sounded. Music is made using the txalaparta by having one or more performers, known as txalapartariak, txalapartaris or jotzaileak produce differing rhythms, playing with wood knots and spots of the boards for different tones. Nowadays the boards have often been arranged to play notes and even melody along the lines of the score, which may on the one hand further widen for the txalapartaris the possibilities to sophisticate the music. On the other hand, some txalaparta players rule out this novelty as alien to the instrument, which is essentially rhythmical. Both players perform consecutively by striking with the sticks on the boards. The performance is played by ear, except for the main lines of the playing, say rhythmic pattern (binary, ternary), main beat pattern (fours...), which both txalapartaris may agree on in advance of the performance. Much of the success of the performance relies on the instinctive understanding between both players.
There are two distinctive types of beats used on the traditional txalaparta: the ttakuna and the herrena. The former represents the balance (two beats of one of the players), while the latter names the person who tries other combinations that break it or twist it. However, the person playing the regularity can nowadays become a balance-breaker, so triggering an argument between both sides of the performance that struggle to restore the balance. The basics of txalaparta is quite simple as regards the rhythm. Within a binary scheme the player's choice was originally to play two beats each with a different stick, a single beat or none. When no beat is played on the boards, it is called "hutsunea" (rest), or it can be played once, and if the performer opts to strike all two possible beats, then it is "ttakuna", named after the two onomatopoeic sounds emitted.In that pattern, each player may use their own time lapse to play three even strikes on the boards ("ttukuttuna"), or any other combination available, eg strike - rest - strike, strike - rest- rest, etc. (a sort of 6/8 time). As for the order of the hands, the first and the third beat may usually be struck with the same stick, so creating a pendulum like, come-and-go motion with the arms.
Musical InvestigationSpanish Basque Country Txalaparta vs Central African Marimba.
Comparing the techniques used to play the two very different instruments.
Originally, the txalaparta was a communication device used for funeral (hileta), celebration (jai) or the making of slaked lime (kare), or cider (sagardo). After the making of cider, the same board that pressed the apples was beaten to summon the neighbours. Then, a celebration was held and txalaparta played cheerfully, while cider was consumed; evidence gathered in this cider making context reveals that sound emitting ox horns were sometimes blown alongside txalaparta. Actually, cider and cider houses are the only traditional context for the txalaparta we have got to know first-hand. Some claim that txalaparta has been used this way for millennia; the Romans described hearing rhythmic poundings on wood. What they were hearing might be a defensive rallying call going up through the Pyrenees mountains. It is worth mentioning that the very similar Romanian toacă or Greek semantron is used as a call for prayer, so less epical interpretations link txalaparta with a common Christian practice before the schism between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
How it is played
The txalaparta is then hit with 50-cm sticks called "makilak". Like a xylophone according to where it is hit, a different tone is sounded. Music is made using the txalaparta by having one or more performers, known as txalapartariak, txalapartaris or jotzaileak produce differing rhythms, playing with wood knots and spots of the boards for different tones. Nowadays the boards have often been arranged to play notes and even melody along the lines of the score, which may on the one hand further widen for the txalapartaris the possibilities to sophisticate the music. On the other hand, some txalaparta players rule out this novelty as alien to the instrument, which is essentially rhythmical. Both players perform consecutively by striking with the sticks on the boards. The performance is played by ear, except for the main lines of the playing, say rhythmic pattern (binary, ternary), main beat pattern (fours...), which both txalapartaris may agree on in advance of the performance. Much of the success of the performance relies on the instinctive understanding between both players.
There are two distinctive types of beats used on the traditional txalaparta: the ttakuna and the herrena. The former represents the balance (two beats of one of the players), while the latter names the person who tries other combinations that break it or twist it. However, the person playing the regularity can nowadays become a balance-breaker, so triggering an argument between both sides of the performance that struggle to restore the balance. The basics of txalaparta is quite simple as regards the rhythm. Within a binary scheme the player's choice was originally to play two beats each with a different stick, a single beat or none. When no beat is played on the boards, it is called "hutsunea" (rest), or it can be played once, and if the performer opts to strike all two possible beats, then it is "ttakuna", named after the two onomatopoeic sounds emitted.In that pattern, each player may use their own time lapse to play three even strikes on the boards ("ttukuttuna"), or any other combination available, eg strike - rest - strike, strike - rest- rest, etc. (a sort of 6/8 time). As for the order of the hands, the first and the third beat may usually be struck with the same stick, so creating a pendulum like, come-and-go motion with the arms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Txalaparta
Oreka_tx_extrait_Igor_Arkaitz
envoyé par jce64
Arizkun-2006-03
envoyé par jce64
Example with horns too!
Arizkun-janma-Arantxa
envoyé par jce64
Analysis of Txalaparta.