Txoria Txori is a poem written in Basque by Joxean Artze and set to music ( folk ) by Mikel Laboa , member of the band Ez Dok Amairu .
Mikel Laboa knew Joxean Artze for collaborating on songs like Zilbor-hesteak (The Umbilical Cord ) for example, but did not know him as a poet.
In 1968 , he went to dinner one evening with his wife in a restaurant in San Sebastián . The Txoria Txori poem by Joxean Artze (then about 25 years old), which had not yet appeared, was printed on the towels. It was an act of resistance against the prohibition made by the Franco regime to use the Basque language. His wife read it to him, and told him it was a beautiful poem. He read it in his turn, and he liked it a lot too. When they got home, he set it to music in a very short time. ” 1
Mikel Laboa presented for the first time the song at the Astoria Theater in San Sebastián .
Lyrics
Hegoak ebaki banizkio
Neuria izango zen
Ez zuen aldegingo.
Bainan Honela
Ez Zen Gehiago Xoria Izango.
Eta nik,
Xoria nuen maite.
Translation
If I had cut off his wings
He would have been mine
He would not have gone
Yes but now,
He would not have been a bird
Yes but me,
It was the bird that I loved
Meaning of words
The bird is taken as a symbol of freedom and the words evoke the dilemma that exists when there is a close person that one wishes to possess: Or you tie and possess it like a bird in a cage , or you like it as it is, and then if she wants to go, you must let her go 2 .
The political context has involuntarily made a sort of protest song
The song is easy to sing and memorize, its rhythmic structure is slow and repetitive.
He was taken from his first performances for a traditional song .
Popularly, the piece was renamed Hegoak (the wings ), the first word of the poem and it is also known as Neria izango zen , one of the sentences that compose it, in its version arranged for the choir .
The piece is often played accompanied on the guitar or sung just a cappella . It’s a strong song that carries us away but when we look at the lyrics in French the song is much sadder. The song is composed of three stanzas: two of these stanzas have 2 verses and the first has three. The lallallalllalllalal is repeated many times. The worms are crossed.
Some versions and covers
Note that this piece was taken over by Joan Baez .
| Artist | title | Album | Year | Label |
| Mikel Laboa | Txoria txori | Bat hiru | 1974 | Elkarlanean |
| The Arcusgi | Egoak | Resistenza | 1988 | Ricordu |
| Hegoak | Hegoak | Hegoak | 1989 | Agorila |
| Etsaiak | Txoria txori | Gerra Zikina | 1990 | Esan Ozenki |
| Ángel Katarain | Txoria txori (Lekeitio) | Txerokee, Mikel Laboaren Kantak | 1990 | Elkar |
| Joan Baez | Txoria txori | Diamonds & Rust in the bullring, recorded at the arena of Bilbao | 1998 | Gold Castle |
| Portobello Bones | Hasta cierto punto | Refuse to keep silence | 1998 | PBB / Crash Disc |
| Errobi Kanta – Men’s Basques | Txoria txori – Oi gu hemen | Euskal Kulturaren Mezulari – Baiona | 1998 | Idol / Agorila |
| 2B2R | The auzel (Hegoak), version in Occitan | “D’aii, by the way” | 2003 | |
| Ester Formosa | Txoria txori | Perquè vull i other imprescindible canons. | 2004 | Ventilador Music |
| Ontuak | Hegoak | Hola Festa! | 2004 | Idol / Agorila |
| M aialen (Errotabehere), M ixu (singer of Sustraia ), and X abaltx | Hegoak | MMX | 2008 | Agorila |
| John Kelly & Maite Itoiz from Kelly Family Group | Txoria txori | The Blue Elf’s Dream – The Live Show | 2009 | |
| Kepa Junkera (guest: Pablo Milanés ) | Txoria txori | Kalea | 2009 | Warner |
| Hak’Amarra | Txoria txori | Bidaian | 2011 | Elkar |
| Primaderan | Hegoak | PRIMADERAN | 2012 | ? |
| Anne Etchegoyen & The Aizkoa Choir 3 | Hegoak (The wings) | The Basque Voices | 2013 | Otentik Produons / Sony Music |
| Battista Acquaviva | Hegoak – Txoria Txori | The songs of freedom | 2015 | Decca Records / Universal Music Group |
External links
- Hegoak [ archive ] by The Hall of the Song
- Lyrics and Chords [ archive ]
References
- ↑ “The Little History”, by Mikel Laboa [ archive ]
- ↑ Response Joxean Artze the question “Where did the bird Hegoak?” during an interview [ archive ]
- ↑ Anne Etchegoyen clip & Aizkoa choir on Youtube [ archive ]