Actio and improvised bertsolaritza

3.7 Delivery and improvised bertsolaritza

Delivery is all that is concerned with the effective delivery of the discourse. In classical rhetoric, delivery was where the non-linguistic elements of discourse were analysed: gestures, body language, the intensity of the voice, the management of pauses, and so on. This was a fundamental part of rhetoric, as the discourses were delivered vive voce, after being written down and memorised.

When rhetoric involves genres the delivery of which is carried out in writing, those aspects related to delivery are relegated almost wholly. This even happened with those pioneers of the rebirth of rhetoric in the middle of the XX century, despite this resurgimiento claiming to represent classical rhetoric in its totality.

Re-establishing the totality of rhetoric means giving equal significance to each and every one of the five canons and putting an end to the abusive predominance of style. In the majority of cases, however, this recovery in its totality is nothing more than a solemn and vain statement. In general this wordy declaration in favour of memory and delivery in the wherewithal of rhetoric is the only mention of the said canons, and the rest of the work is given over to the detailed analysis of invention, arrangement and style.

In improvised bertsolaritza, the elements related to delivery are of vital importance to the success in communication of the bertsolari. A bertso with excellent text can be perceived as unremarkable if the oral artist fails to sing it in an appropriate manner and style. As we have said before, “singing in an appropriate manner” does not, in bertsolaritza, signify singing according to the norms of singing or of musical notation. The manner of delivery of a bertso is, on the contrary, one more rhetorical resource. The success of the bertsolaris also depends on their skills in suitably delivering carrying out their sung and improvised discourses. This involves a number of aspects which make up the action of bertsolaritza:

• It goes without saying that, as a prior condition, diction has to be clear and the melody sung in a way that it is recognisable as such. There have been some bertsolaris who have had to give up the practice of the art because they were unable to achieve a minimum level of singing in tune. Current bertsolaritza, moreover, is known for the great selection of melodies used, unlike in days gone by.
• The timbre and the intensity of the voice. Each performance needs its timbre and its intensity. Although technological gadgetry make any voice audible, one cannot (or should not) sing with the same intensity at a round-the-dinner table event with 50 people as in the final of a championship before an audience of 10,000. Moreover, different themes require different intensities.
• Rhythm and the management of pauses. The bertsolari improvises by and while singing but (s)he is not a singer. The rhythm of the tune has to fit in to the rhetorical requirements of the piece which is being improvised by the bertsolari at each moment and, thus, itself becomes part of the set of resources which the bertsolari can draw upon for her/his art. As we have said, the transcription to a musical notation of the bertsolaris’ melodies is very different from the way in which they are actually sung. A regular comment amongst bertsolaris is that the artist who sings too well cannot be a good improviser. What they are saying is that bertsolaris cannot allow themselves to be dominated by the intrinsic rhythm of the melody, but it is they who have to impose the rhythm and pauses they consider appropriate to the occasion on to the melody. Rhetorical dominance of rhythm is a good indicator of the artistry of the improvising bertsolari. Inexperienced bertsolaris, after struggling through as best they can the improvised part of the bertso, usually sing the memorised part (the final puntu) with a much more lively rhythm, relieved to have got to the end of their sojourn. The experienced bertsolari, however, takes great care that the public is not aware when (s)he is improvising and when not.
• The bertsolaris improvise singing a capella, without any musical accompaniment. There are those who see something lacking in this and to be corrected, particularly when the rich instrumentation adorning other improvisation offers us is considered. On the occasions when we have been able to organise joint performances between bertsolaris and improvisers of other cultures, however, the majority of listeners, although unable to understand the text of the bertsos, have been able to appreciate this musical stylisation in bertsolaritza as an enhancement of the genre and not as a drawback. Experimentation with musical accompaniment in bertsolaritza would appear to be more recommendable, in principle, for the non-improvised format.
• Body language. It is often said that the bertsolari hardly exploits the possibilities of body language at all and there is probably a lot of truth in this. But for a few exceptions, the bertsolari is not for exaggerated gestures of any kind. (S)he stands (or sits) behind the microphone in a more or less static pose. The greatest movement occurs in that lapse of time between the moment the theme is heard and singing is started. They are normally repetitive and mechanical gestures and should be interpreted as nervous tics rather than as expressive mannerisms (stepping on the foot of the microphone stand, adjusting it to the right height, clearing of the throat, perhaps a little sway prior to starting ... and little more). This rite over, every bertsolari generally takes up a typical posture, in which the most outstanding is the position of the hands. The facial expression is practically insignificant, or it has been up to now. With the onset of televised performances, the oral artists have realised that a particular gesture at an opportune moment can be very effective. In important performances, however, the distance between the bertsolari and the audience makes strategies of mimicry practically useless.
• The setting of the bertsolaritza performances are minimal: on the platform or stage there may be a few chairs, the same number as the performers, two or three mikes and, occasionally, a curtain or banner in the background and some flowers either side. Lately, there has been a obsessive trend to incorporate other elements of stage scenery and even, for better or worse, dramaturgical mise en scène. In the experiments carried out to date, it can be seen that the mixing of these elements and the bertso has been complex and problematic. If the dramatic settings are too much, the very exigencies of the script restrict improvisation. Any experimentation is a good thing in principle, we believe, assuming that it is always carried out with a clear idea about what the nature and the conditions required by what is desired with the experiment. Improvised bertsolaritza as a staged art, which it is, has to be aware of new nuances in drama in order to incorporate those elements which are deemed useful to bertsolaritza. In our view, what is useful for improvised bertsolaritza is all that which enhances the act of sung improvisation. If this be the starting point, then all experimentation is welcome. If not, we believe that, in the attempt to improve the art, there is a risk of drowning it.
• Regarding improvised bertsolaritza on television, it should be remembered that, despite the great strides that have been made, we are still a long way away from a completely satisfactory solution to the problems that the televised delivery presents us. We only wish to make it clear that all the aspects relating to television production and setting have to be considered as part and parcel —an added part, perhaps, but in the last analysis, one part— of that hybrid and complex genre which is televised improvised bertsolaritza. For the time being, and until such time as we have a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, we believe the comment above about dramatic staging of performances at least can act as a guideline for the full study of televised improvised bertsolaritza.