Editing Music of Spain (section)

===Basque Country===
{{main article|Basque music}}
[[File:Basque dancers 01.jpg|right|thumb|''Ezpatadantza'' of the Basque Country.]]

The most popular kind of [[Basque music]] is named after the dance [[trikitixa]], which is based on the [[accordion]] and [[tambourine]]. Popular performers are [[Joseba Tapia]] and [[Kepa Junkera]]. Highly appreciated folk instruments are the [[txistu]] (a [[tabor pipe]] similar to Occitanian [[Pipe (instrument)|galoubet]] recorder), [[alboka]] (a double [[clarinet]] played in circular-breathing technique, similar to other Mediterranean instruments like [[launeddas]]) and [[txalaparta]] (a huge [[xylophone]], similar to the Romanian [[toacă]] and played by two performers in a fascinating game-performance). As in many parts of the Iberian peninsula, there are ritual dances with sticks, swords and arches made from vegetation. Other popular dances are the [[fandango]], [[jota (music)|jota]] and 5/8 [[zortziko]].

Basques on both sides of the Spanish-French border have been known for their singing since the [[Middle Ages]], and a surge of Basque nationalism at the end of the 19th century led to the establishment of large Basque-language [[choirs]] that helped preserve their language and songs. Even during the persecution of the [[Francisco Franco]] era (1939–1975), when the Basque language was outlawed, traditional songs and dances were defiantly preserved in secret, and they continue to thrive despite the popularity of commercially marketed pop music.