Volume 10 - Flipbook - Page 11
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parts. A Gwerz typically describes tragic
events such as murders, deaths, wars,
forced emigration or lost love. The
French love tragic tales of love.
Traditional Breton folk music includes a
variety of vocal and instrumental styles.
Purely traditional musicians became
the heroes of the roots revival in the
second half of the 20th century, notably
the Goadec sisters (Maryvonne, Thasie,
and Eugénie). At the end of the 19th
century, the vicomte Theodore Hersart
MALARDE/BODERIOU
bagpipe.
Another kind of traditional bagpipes
from Brittany is called the veuze, played
around the Nantes area.
Many other instruments such as the
violin, clarinet, accordion (chromatic
THE GOADEC SISTERS
de la Villemarqué’s collection of Breton
and was partially responsible for
preserving Breton traditions.
The two most emblematic instruments
from Brittany are probably the bombard
and biniou koz. The bombard is a
oboe-like instrument while the binioù is
Breton for bagpipe.
While the bombard is closer to the
oboe ancestor (much louder), the
biniou is the main traditional bagpipes
from Western Brittany. It plays an
octave above the bombard (and the
great highland bagpipes). These two
instruments are often played in duets
in competitions all around Brittany and
in Fest Noz. It is different than a Scottish
are used in a traditional way in Brittany.
The beginning of the 20th century also
saw the Celtic Harp revival in Brittany.
In 1952–1953, Jord Cochevelou, built
also played clarinet and violin). At the
end of 1930s, Dorig le Voyer (1914from Brittany. While the instruments
were really close to scottish pipes, he
wanted to call them « biniou braz and
adapt breton repertoire only to the
instrument. In the 1950s / 1960s, Emile
in Brittany (1954). Herri Leon with
his piping school, Skolaj Beg An Treis,
based his tuition on Scottish rudiments
and music before adapting breton
then and during the 50s, the Celtic
harp or Breton harp has taken its place
back into Breton music thanks to Jord
and his son Alan Cochevelou; Alan was
became world-famous under his stage
name Alan Stivell. Another breathtaking
harp player was Kristen Nogues, mixing
traditional music from Brittany and
classic/jazz music.
The Great Highland Bagpipes are
believed to be introduced in Brittany
and used later by Jean Guillerm (who
HERRI LEON
