Bertsolaristic movement What is a bertso? Difficulty of bertso

Difficulty of bertso

Leaving aside exceptions, the rhyme of a bertso always belongs to the same family and always has consonance. The greatest challenge confronting bertsolaris is the choosing of rhymes appropriate for the discourse in question. If the two rhymed words in the same verse turn out to be the same, the bertsolari is considered to have committed a poto. It is simply the act of repeating a rhyming word but is undoubtedly the most penalised mistake both for a judging panel and for the public.

The metre gives no quarter – but the Basque bertsolari is used to thinking in 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5 syllables.

Rhyme History: Pre-history