argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Several musicians ask for the "Tree of Gernika" to be the hymn of the Basque Country
  • On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jose Mari Iparragirre in August, dozens of musicians have joined this date to make the following request: So that the Gernika Tree becomes the official anthem of the Basque Country. Wednesday will be the turn of the manifesto to be presented in Pamplona/Iruña.
Mikel Eizagirre Axier Lopez @axierL 2020ko abuztuaren 11
Argazkia: Gotzon Aranburu / Goierriko Hitza

The manifesto, signed by musicians and singers, will be presented this Wednesday coinciding with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Iparragirre in the Gipuzkoan town. The event will take place at 11:30 hours in the park of the Taconera de Pamplona, next to the state of Julián Gayarre, according to the News Journal.

Signatories

By Navarre, Igor Ijurra (director of the Orfeón Pamplona), Fermin Balentzia (musician), Koldo Pastor Arriazu (composer), Teresa Zabraise (music teacher), Enrike Zelaia (accordionist), Endika Iriso (singer of the Rotten XIII group), Fermin Vasco Arte

By Lapurdi, Behe Nafarroa and Zuberoa, Erramun Martikorena (singer), Jean Mixel Bedaxagar (singer), Eñaut Etxamendi (singer), Anje Duhalde (singer), Peio ospital and Pantxoa Carrere (Pantxo and Peio), Pier Arantz.

By Bizkaia, Gontzal Mendibil (singer-songwriter), Eñaut Elorrieta (Ken zazpi), Tontxu Ipiña (singer), Paula Pérez Bueno (director of choirs and orchestras), Joe González (Doctor Deseo), Ana Bejerano (Mocedades), Javier Ituarte (director of Galla)

By Gipuzkoa, Nuria Loron La Furia (rap singer), Mikel Markez (singer-songwriter), Txomin Artola (singer), Jose Ignazio, Piter, Ansorena (director of the txistularis band of San Sebastian), Hartola (Unidad alavesa), Amaia Vasquez

By Araba, Josu Zabala (Hertzainak), Evaristo Páramos (La Polla Records), Jesús María Alegría Pinttu (Musicians without borders), Gorka Knör (singer-songwriter), Iñaki Urkizu Kerejeta (deputy director of the Bilbao Municipal Band), Patxi Villamor (singer-songwriter).

Gorka Bereziartua writes the following about the song Gernikako arbola:

Gernika tree: the hit that altered public order

The melody of the Tree of Gernika was composed by the pianist Blas Altuna and the words were composed by José Miguel Arrieta Maskarua. Anyway, the hymn is known to Iparragirre and the success he achieves is not the result of chance. A piece that has it all: the god that the Carlists love so much; the world that holds the liberals; the national symbol of the nationalists that will come; the desire for freedom and peace that has left Iparragirre since the revolution of 48 and for living the war... Had YouTube been there at that time, the video clip would have had millions of reproductions guaranteed. As they didn't have, thousands of people gathered together in the romerías.

After chanting on a hill of Gipuzkoa in front of 6,000 people, seeing people warm up their blood – they say they ended up shouting that they were going to give life through the outbreaks – the same general who gave the card back to the Basque Country, Mazarredo, is going to order the arrest of Iparragirre. They will have him in the house of Tolosa –Civilians have told me that the song talks about the experiences of then, “I would cry/my mother knew it”– and then they will drive him out of Euskal Herria. To put it briefly and comprehensively to the public today, Iparragirre was also Valtònyc, 19th century.