The art of sung improvised verse

Improvisers, or bertsolaris, are experts in the Basque language. They have to be capable of spontaneously creating verse on a given subject, whilst paying attention to both rhythm and rhyme. They usually improvise in twosomes, answering each other back.

This very ancient tradition has become so popular in the Basque Country that there are even competitions and championships organised.

The younger generations, who studied at improvisation schools, have significantly raised the standard of the discipline and some now even combine it with other forms of art.