 the txalaparta (, ) is a specialized basque music device of wood or stone. in some regions of the  basque country , zalaparta (with ) means "racket", while in others (in navarre) txalaparta has been attested as meaning the trot of the horse, a sense closely related to the sound of the instrument. ==communication== thumb|txalaparta players on the gudari eguna (2006). during the last 150 years, txalaparta has been attested as a communication device used for funeral (hileta), celebration (jai) or the making of slaked lime (kare), or cider (sagardo). after the making of cider, the same board that pressed the apples was beaten to summon the neighbours. then, a celebration was held and txalaparta played cheerfully, while cider was drunk. article in spanish translated from basque evidence gathered in this cider making context reveals that sound emitting ox horns were sometimes blown alongside txalaparta. actually, cider and cider houses are the only traditional context for the txalaparta we have got to know first-hand. the same background applies to a related basque percussion instrument, the kirikoketa, a re-enactment of the pounding used to grind down the apples. another instance of the same instrument class and geographical area should be noted here, the toberak. some claim that txalaparta has been used this way for millennia, but notwithstanding different assumptions its origins remain shrouded in mystery. it is worth mentioning that the very similar romanian toacÄ or greek semantron is used as a call for prayer, so less epic interpretations link txalaparta with a common christian practice before the schism between the catholic church and the eastern orthodox church. bells were not used in christian churches before the 10th century. ==instrument and music== thumb|two board txalaparta the txalaparta's musical use evolved out of its original use. traditional txalaparta was almost extinct in the 1950s with a handful of pairs of peasants maintaining the tradition. it was then revived by folklorists, such as jesus and jose antonio artze from the group ez dok amairu. innovators started to labour and assemble the boards to achieve some melody.
Basque_musical_instruments European_percussion_instruments Percussion_idiophones Percussion_instruments_played_with_specialised_beaters Unpitched_percussion