Brittany Music of France
Clearly Celtic in character, the traditional music of lower Brittany has had perhaps the most successful revival of its traditions. Partly...
https://worldhitz4u.blogspot.com/2014/01/brittany-music-of-france.html
Clearly
Celtic in character, the traditional music of lower Brittany has had perhaps
the most successful revival of its traditions. Partly thanks to the city of
Lorient, which hosts France’s most famous music festival; Festival
interceltique de Lorient.
source of picture: gitelink.com
The
history of Breton music starts with the publication of Barzaz-Breizh in the
year 1839; a collection of traditional songs complied by Hersart de la
Villemarquem Barzaz-Breizh re-banded and promoted Breton folks and helped
ensure their continuity. Couples de sommeurs, comprised of a bombarde and
biniou, is usually played at festou-noz (fest-noz) festivities (some are
popular, such as Printemps de Chateaunef). It is swift dance music and has an
older vocal counterpart known as kan ha diskan. Unaccompanied call and response
singing was spread with the gwerrz, a way of ballad.
Probably
the most renowned form of Breton tradition is the bagad pipe band, which
features native instrument such as Nombarde and biniou alongside drums and in
more recent orchestras, biniou braz pipes. The recent revivalists include Bagad
Kemper and Kevrenn Alre Bagad. Alan Stivell is perhaps the most powerful
folk-rock performer of continental Europe, after 1971’s Renaissance of the
Celtic harp, Breton and other Celtic folk music gained mainstream success
internationally. With Dan Ar Bras, he then produced Chemins de Terre in the
year 1974, which launched Breton folk-rock; this set the stage for musicians
like Malicorne in the ensuring years.
In
later years, much has been done to collect and popularize the musical folks of
the Pays Gallo of Upper Brittany, for which the singer Bertran Obree, his
orchestra Obree Alie and the association DASTUM must take much credit, the rhythms
of upper Brittany are either in French or in Gallo.
The
current Breton traditional musicians includes harpist such as Anne Auffret,
Myrdhin and Anne-Marie Jan, while singer Andrea Ar Gouilh, Kristen Nikolas and
Yann-Franch Kemener have become mainstream musicians, the instrumental bands,
however, have been the most successful, and they include Bleizi Ruz, Tud,
Gwerz, Sonerien Du and Strobinell.
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