Joxe Miguel Iztueta Cortajarena (September 15, 1926 – April 3, 1993), better known as Lazkao Txiki was a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

bertsolari Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing extemporaneously composed songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various '' ...

'' poet and musician. Iztueta was born in

Lazkao :''See Lazcano (disambiguation) (a variant form) for people with this surname.'' Lazkao ( es, Lazcano) is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country. Location Lazkao is located in ...

, in the

Goierri Goierri ("Highland(s)" in Basque; es, Goyerri) or "Basque Highlands" is one of the eight ''comarcas'' (''Eskualdea'' in the Basque language) in the Spanish province of Gipuzkoa. It is composed of 18 municipalities, Beasain, Ordizia Ordizia, for ...

region of the province of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

, in the

Basque Autonomous Community The Basque Country (; eu, Euskadi ; es, País Vasco ), also called Basque Autonomous Community ( eu, Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa, links=no, EAE; es, Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, links=no, CAPV), is an autonomous community of Spain. It ...

in northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He had six brothers. He started attending school when he was 8. When he was 9, he watched

s for the first time, from which he developed an early and lasting enthusiasm for Basque '' bertsolaritza'' music.(in Spanish
Turisno
''lazkao.net'' Early in his life Lazkao Txiki worked as a bricklayer and farmer, and sold fodder for cows. His first public performance as a ''bertsolari'' took place in

Legorreta Legorreta is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque ...

in 1936. He came first in a competition for young improvisational musicians in 1950. Twelve years later he entered the prestigious contest (''txapelketa''), reaching the finals. He ranked second in the same event three years later, coming up finalist again in 1967. He continued to perform regularly until January 1993, when he suffered a heart attack following a public performance which included a tribute to Aita Santiago Onaindia and Alfonso Irigoyen. He died in San Sebastián in April 1993 following three months in a coma. A bertsolari contest named after Lazkao Txiki, the ''Lazkao Txiki Bertsopaper Lehiaketa'', was launched in 2007.(in Basque
Lazkao Txiki Bertsopaper Lehiaketa abian Argi Berri elkartearen eskutik. diariovasco.com
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Txiki, Lazkao 1926 births 1993 deaths Bertsolaris Basque farmers 20th-century poets People from Goierri