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Music and history are strongly entangled in Brittany, just like Ireland. A loud elegy, reminding moving moments of Breton history, usually starts a Breton song. . Musicians, playing the “bombard”, a harsh, wooden oboe-like instrument with a double reed, the “biniou”, a Breton bagpipe, and sometimes the “telenn”, a Celtic harp, usually surround the singer. But they don’t refuse to play the flute, clarinet, violin and Irish drum.
Music has always been an important source of strength, inspired by themes and musical styles of Celtic inheritance. Still very popular and gaining more and more celebrity the last decade, its popularity is driven to the summit during cultural events like the “boeuf”, a spontaneous musical feast, where local musicians will pass the whole night, playing in a café.
But nothing can beat he “Fest-Noz”’, feast of the night, where hundreds of villagers gather to dance whole night in enormous circles. They hold each other by the hands, the arms, fists and even little finger and their movements match perfectly to the rhythm of the exciting music, working everybody up to a extraterrestrial trance, while they all sing “kan ha diskan. ”If you want to know more about Brittany celebrations, popular dances and more, read the book “La tradition populaire de Danse en Basse Bretagne”, by J.M.Guilcher (ed.Mouton). Drinking is not prohibited and the cider flows as a fountain. I don’t have to draw you a picture of how people look and feel next morning J

Glenmor

The “festou-noz” are more particularly popular in the summer, when they are held on the properties of old castles, church and village squares. But some happen in the winter.
The “fest-noz” had its revival in 1960, the “bagadou” is back and even the bards tradition returns. Young singers, inspired by the great GLENMOR (died in June 1996), modernized the music but kept the old Celtic ambience and sound. Known artists are Anjel I.K, Yann Raoul. Celtic rock is all around with the group EV, MORENN, Matmatha. But the greatest of them all is undoubtedly Alan Stivell, who learned the bagpipe and after a stay in Glasgow he founds the group “ Bagdad Bleimor”. Mixing rock music and folk song tradition he organizes in August 1972 the first Celtic pop festival in Kertalg. We can say that he is one of the very few Breton singers that reached out to international celebrity, where he brings his cultural message.
Here are a few names of instruments and musicians, maybe they sound familiar.
The “fiddle”: violin playing a big part in Scottish and Irish folk music

Biniou-Koz

The biniou-koz is the most typical of Breton instruments. A bag, where the air is blown through a small tube, and the musician plays the melody on another tube with six holes.
The biniou-braz looks much like the Scottish bagpipe.
The “bagad”, (plural bagadou), is composed by a number of tabalarders (bombarde players), biniou-braz players and percussionists.
The Celtic harp thanks it revival to Alan Stivell.And finally, like I mentioned already, a “kan ha diskan” is a song with a refrain, a song to dance on.

Bibliography

“La Bretagne et ses Traditions, by Paul-Yves Sébillot, “Bretagne et Bretons”, by Gilles Henry, “La tradition populaire de Danse en Basse Bretagne”, by J.M.Guilcher (ed.Mouton),“Une enfance Bretonne, by Charles Le Quintrec

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