BREIZH – Breton Folk Music

By Jack Oughton
 WHAT IS FOLK?
 There is a long running debate into what
constitutes folk music
 Diehard folkies are known to defend their
elitist convictions with the same
ferociousness as Black Metal fans
 For the purpose of this talk I will define folk to
include music where the author is known,
though written in the ‘old style’ and
including use of new instruments.
 Main alternative to classical music in years
past, for the common man, classical was
elite music and was therefore more well
documented, with stricter rules and form.
 WHAT IS FOLK?
 Folk music however was passed by word
of mouth and song tradition over the
years
 There were no strict rules to adhere to,
more musical habits which developed
into regional sounds
 This organic way of spreading means
that folk music is recognisable as a
style, yet varies subtly or drastically
depending on how far you travel from
where you first listen to it.

 CULTURE
Music is tied to culture
Very old music is therefore a link with
the past beyond living memory
Britanny is much like Cornwall or
Wales in the UK. A region where the
native Celtic culture was not fully
absorbed
Folk songs are songs of life written by
people living normal ones. Songs of
hardship and happy days.
 BRETON FOLK MUSIC
 There is a large scene in France,
obviously centred in Britanny. Its not
particularly popular outside France and
used to be hard to come by until the
internet came along
 Fans of other forms of native Celtic music
often enjoy Breton folk music as there
are some similarities in
instrumentation, song structure,
melody and harmony
 Would be heard wherever you could find
people gathering, played in bars, sung
at family get togethers, social
functions, etc.
 ARRANGEMENT + FORM
 As a form of music traditionally played by
amateur musicians, Breton folk is a
theoretically simple form of music.
 Melodic and Harmonic form: Chord progressions
and melodies are usually simple and strongly
tonic. Little deviation from minor and major
scales; as these are best used to clearly
express happy and sad moods..
 Rhythmic Form: 4/4, little deviation from
standard meters though the occasional ¾ waltz
influence from further east in Europe is noticed.
 Technique: Though the use of melody and
harmony are simple the music can be quite
technically demanding to play as some reels
and songs are very fast

 TRAD INSTRUMENTATION +
ORCHESTRATION
Flutes and whistles
Biniou [Bagpipes]
Telen [Celtic Harp]
Violon [either a fiddle or a violin]
Acoustic Guitars
Bombard

 Bombarde Violon
Breton
Bagpipes
 NEW ELECTRIC ADDITIONS
 Since the 1960s folk roots revival and
thank largely to the works of Alan
Stivell, legendary instrumentalist, folk
has been updated and a lot of acts now
combine older instrumentation with
more ‘modern’ sounds.
 Electric Guitars and basses
 Amplification
 Drumkits
 Accordions [not strictly electric]
 Some electronic additions in later albums
such as synths; pads, basses and
textures.
 MOTIFS AND LYRICAL
CONTENT
 The chants de marins [mariner’s
chant] are shanties (sailor songs),
ballads about shipwrecks, sailing and
loss of life, accompanied by
instruments like the fiddle and
accordion. Britanny is close to the sea
and many Breton people where and are
sailors and fishermen.
 Kan ha diskan (call and response
singing) is probably the most common
type of Breton vocal music, often
found in other genres of traditional
music, such as African and blues.

Kantikoù (hymns)
 A Kantik ("canticle") is a type of
religious hymn that is vocal but
includes accompaniment from a
variety of instruments, commonly
including the harp, pipes and organ.

EXAMPLE: ALAN STIVELL – Tri
Martolod
This is a Kan ha
diskan
Quite jolly
The Breton folk
equivalent of club
music
Basically a drinking
song!
EXAMPLE: DENEZ PRIGENT -
Gortoz a Ran '' J'Attends
This is a chant de
marin
Modern update
to an old song
Quite sad
Quite popular
song; on the
Black Hawk
Down
soundtrack.
 EXAMPLE: MALICORNE -
MARGOT
This is a kantik
Although the lyrics are about a
magpie a lot of reference is made to
priests and a church
Notice how they sing in limited
polyphony but with a reel’s structure
It’s like Breton tinged plainsong

 DENEZ PRIGENT -Gortoza Ran / I
 Gortozet 'm eus, gortozet pell
' Te u io e n d ro a n a ve lc'h la s
I was waiting, waiting for a long
time
skeud teñval tourioù gell
In the dark shadow of grey
towers
E skeud teñval an tourioù glav
In the dark shadow of rain
towers
C'hwi am gwelo ' c'hortoz atav
You will see me waiting forever
Un deiz a vo ' teuio en dro
One day it will come back
Dreist ar morioù, dreist ar
maezioù
Over the seas, over the lands
Dreist ar maezioù, dreist ar
morioù
Over the lands, over the seas
D'am laerezh war an treujoù
To steal me on the trunks
' Teuio en dro karget a fru
It will come back full of spray
E skeud te4val an tourioù du
In the dark shadow of the black
towers
am Waiting
W ill co m e b a ck th e b lu e w in d
D a a n a la ñ va c'h a lo n c'h lo a z't
To b re a th e m y w o u n d e d h e a rt
K a se t e vin d io u zh e a n a l
I w ill b e p u lle d a w a y b y its
b lo w
Pe ll g a n t a r re d e n u r vro a ll
Fa r a w a y b y its stre a m to
a n o th e r la n d
K a se t e vin d io u zh e a la n
I w ill b e p u lle d a w a y b y its
b re a th
Pe ll g a n t a r re d , h e rve z 'd e u s
c'h o a n t
Fa r a w a y b y its stre a m ,
w h e re ve r it w a n ts
H e rve z 'd e u s c'h o a n t p e lle u s a r
bed
W h e re ve r it w a n ts, fa r a w a y
fro m th is w o rld
E tre a r m o r h a g a r ste re d
B e tw e e n th e se a a n d th e
 MEDIA AND IMAGE
 Breizh was almost extinct until1960s folk
revival
 Simple and straightforward music,
there’s not much in the way of dressing
up performances with theatrics, or
much ‘showbiz’.
 But in some cases traditional Breton
dress will be worn in performance.
 Performers were originally older but
younger people are involved now.
 Some Old World Imagery used in the
artwork such as Breton patterns. Not
always the case.

Not much happening
here..?

This man is not a

rockstar.
Traditional Celtic
Imagery
Non Traditional –
Psychedelic
Influences?
 PERSONAL INFLUENCE
 I emphasize with a native European culture
fighting through music to preserve itself in
increasingly homogenous and globalizing
time.
 The passion behind the music is beautiful,
folk music is written by and often
performed by people [folks] not professional
musicians and I can emphasize as they are
really just singing about life.
 Alan Stivell’s use of arpeggiation on harp, the
way to take a standard chord and rearrange
the notes to create something completely
different and flowing.
 I love the connection with the past it
Influences and similar styles
 The Breton people
where a seafaring
race and many
settled in Quebec,
Canada. Cajun
music is strongly
influenced by those
who settled there.
 Similarities to Irish,
Welsh, Galician and
Cornish music;
similar islands of
Celtic culture.
 CONTEMPORARY BREIZH
 Influence on ‘New Wave’ of Celtic culture:
b*llocks. Some dilution and
commercialisation of Celtic culture,
including music and imagery.
 Celtic has become a buzzword and a cultural
alternative for people looking to find their
roots
 Much the same as African Americans who
have never been back to their home
continent.
 ‘New folk’ not to be confused with neofolk, an
offspring of martial industrial music.
 It has had an influence on Breton musicians
working in other styles.
The
commercial
arm of the
Celtic
movement.
Singer Songwriters [folk pop?]
 Itcould also be argued
that the folk tradition
has returned in the
modern resurgence
of acoustic singer
songwriters
 Who often use the
same level of
instrumentation
 Some of them even
sing older songs
 Many folkies would say
this isn’t ‘real’ folk
though.
Unusual Breton Crossovers
BRETON BLACK METAL
BRAN BARR -
Sidh
Notice unusual
combination
traditional
instrumentatio
n
Works well
harmonically
due to both
forms of music
being central
to tonic
Combines furious brutality of extreme
rock music with same frantic pace of
a Breton reel.
Exposing a new audience to
traditional sounds?
How well did the contrast sound to
you?

EXAMPLE –DIDIER SQUIBAN
BRETON C o m b in e s
JAZZ
h a rm o n ic
co m p lexity o f ja zz
w ith a B re to n
re e ls
’ m e lo d y
M o re
p re d o m in a n tly ja zz
b u t B re to n
in flu e n ce is
o b vio u s
N o tice sw u n g
rh yth m a n d
exte n d e d ch o rd s
 Recommended Albums for
New Listeners!
Alan Stivell – The Best Of Alan Stivell
Gwendal - Gwendal
Malicorne - Les cathédrales de
l'industrie
Dan Ar Braz - Heritage Des Celtes


 And for comparison some other Folk Music



Steeleye Span [England]

Milladoiro [Spain]
The Chieftains [Ireland]
 References
Google,
Wikipedia,
Last.fm,
My CDs
