The Anaiki Men's Choir (France)

TRADITIONAL AND SACRED SONGS OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

The Anaiki Men's choir was founded in 1987 by Father Jean Eliçagaray, chaplain of the Basques in Paris. Anaiki in the Basque language means "amongst brothers." The repertoire for men's choirs is vast in the Basque Country. The profusion of melodies, harmonisations, and orchestrations is a sign of a rich musical spirit.

Most of the harmonisations date from the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century and have their origin in a secular tradition initiated by a few bertsolari, ( poets, versifiers, and improvisers) by the people themselves or else by fisherman's guilds or other craft guilds. The melodies are much older and some can be traced back to the mediaeval era, describing the deep feelings of man and situations of daily life.

Anaiki has been under the direction of Jean-Marie Guezala since 1990 and is made up of 35 chorists who interpret the great "classics" of Basque song, and also a number of ancient Basque songs, some of which are nearly forgotten. M. Guezala also collaborates with other Basque choirs such as the famous Coro Easo of San Sebastian.

Deeply attached to their land, language and history, the Basques, be they French or Spanish, have developed a patrimony of very rich songs just like those of the Corsicans or Sardinians. Vocal practice is a part of daily life and contributes greatly to strengthening their identity. In this register, there are many songs linked to the religious calendar and it is these that the Anaiki choir will perform for us at Volubilis.

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