Txirrita
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Jose Manuel Lujanbio Retegi Txirrita, born on Hernani in 1860 and died in Altza in 1936, was a Basque bertsolari.
Life
He was born in the Ereñozu neighborhood of Hernani village, and, being a child, his family moved to a farmhouse in Orereta named Txirrita. His nickname comes from there. In his last years he lived in Gazteluene farmhouse, in Altza.
Altough he was the heir at home, he left the lifestyle of the farm and started working as bricklayer. Since he was 14 years old he started singing from place to place, with bertsolaris that were older than him. He stands out by his sharp and agile tongue, and his witticisms remaining at the memory of people. In the bertsos which spoken about social issues, it is reported over the thinking and feelings of the humble clases. As told to Antonio Zavala, many people usually went to Txirrita and ask him to put bertsos against someone other. The subject of these bertsos, among others, it was the dislove and all kind of animosity which, by any reason, could com. Txirrita composes his bertsos over the ordered subject, and her nephew write it them, to later bring them to printing, and after this, sell them on the fairs. Thanks to collective memory and collectors of bertsopaper like Antonio Zavala, all these bertsos didn't got lost. Txirrita have become the prototype of bertsolari old-bachelor, reveller and rogue. Although he was a skilfull bricklayer, he didn't like to work, and every time he could he rushed to tavern to drink, sing bertsos or bet. Txirrita was unschooled; he was able to read printing characters, but not to write, and he dictated bertsos to her nephew.
In 1935 he was the runner-up in the first Euskal Herriko Bertsolariak championship, and next year he was awarded the championship, paying tribute to those bertsolariak.
Due to a crisis suffered in Goizueta in may of 1936, in June 3 of this year he died in the Gazteluene farmhouse, in Altza.
In Bilbo, Hernani and Altza three streets have his name. On Orereta there is an industrial park called Txirrita-Maleo. This name come from its location, between farmhouses Txirrita and Maleo.