|
INTRODUCTION
2. Principal strategy in the construction of the improvised bertso 3. The soul of bertsolaritza-improvised oral confrontation |
Improvised
verse is, above all, and as its name indicates, an act of improvisation.
“Improvise”
is a verb the pejorative sense of which is often transmitted in present-day
society. Used in this sense, it is the last recourse of those who are
unable to plan or build on what might have been planned; it is a last
minute “everyone for themselves” desperation, the result of
which is always imperfect and ephemeral. The perception
of a positive side to “improvisation”, on the other hand, abounds
in the sporting context, when such-and-such a super sports-person has
been capable of improvising a move here or a strike there, or such-and-such
a manager has been able to solve a problem on the spot, undoubtedly due
to his great capacity and genius for “improvisation”. As far as
bertsolaris are concerned, the act of improvisation has nothing to do
with either of these phenomena. The bertsolari does not improvise for
lack of ability to plan; nor because (s)he is necessarily an extremely
talented person. For the bertsolari improvisation is a way of expressing
her/his ideas and feelings, a form of cultural manifestation which goes
way back in time and is part of the cultural heritage which the bertsolari
has been immersed from childhood. For bertsolaris, improvisation is a
pre-established framework of entertainment wherein their relationship
with themselves and their surroundings can be resolved dialectically.
The improvised
bertso has something magical about it and, although it is in no
magic, this is what the public expects, waiting in expectation for the
white rabbit to appear, knowing full well that the top hat does not have
a false bottom, unless it is the linguistic and dialectic skill of the
bertsolari. Improvising bertsos is neither trickery, on the one hand,
nor is it necessarily the fruit of an extraordinary genius. It may seem
paradoxical, but improvisation for the bertsolaris is very much a thought-out
act. They have continuously lived out and practised situations analogous
to those they may have to face, at any given moment, on the stage of their
extempore art. They have learnt to work the oral and mental skills of
this art form within the rules of improvised bertsolaritza (the given
musical airs, rhyme, meter...) in such a way that the restrictions are
not so for them, but an aid to improvise more freely. They have become
used to soaking up all what may, at some time later, opportunely come
in handy for the moment of improvisation. It is a labour
of management and logistics. The idea is to keep the store well filled
and then put everything in order so that, at the right moment, the most
complete and attractive presentation can be given. It is known that pure
improvisation does not exist; that nobody improvises anything starting
from scratch. So where does the beauty of improvised bertsolaritza lie?
It comes from the fact that it is one of the few cultural expressions
wherein the moment of artistic creation and that of its exposition to
the public are one and the same. The bertsolari improvises and, as (s)he
does, the public listens. When the interspersing of certain English words into everyday conversation was the fashion, the term “performance” caught our attention quite powerfully. This must be something very unusual, something very innovative, very... Until we realised that it was not anything more or anything less than what we, improvising bertsolaris, had been doing for years and years. |