The binioù is a type of bagpipe. The word binioù means 'bagpipe' in the Breton language.
Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard-biniou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched out into numerous subgenres.
Denez Prigent is a Breton folk singer-songwriter of the gwerz and kan ha diskan styles of Breton music. From his debut at the age of 16, he was known for singing traditional songs a cappella, and has moved on to singing his own songs with techno music accompaniments. He has performed in France as well as internationally and has recorded seven studio and two live albums.
The culture of Brittany is the patterns of human activity and symbolism associated with the historical region of Brittany in northwestern France and the Breton people. Breton culture has been influenced by various local and nearby traditions over the centuries, including the Celtic culture of the Britons and Gauls and French culture to a lesser extent, particularly in Upper Brittany.
The Bretons are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. Originally, the demonym designated groups of Brittonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, mostly during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. They migrated in waves from the 3rd to 9th century to Armorica. The region was subsequently named after them, as were the inhabitants of Armorica as a whole.
Kan ha diskan is probably the most common type of traditional music of Brittany. It is a vocal tradition. The style is the most commonly used to accompany dances. It has become perhaps the most integral part of the Breton roots revival, and was the first genre of Breton music to gain some mainstream success, both in Brittany and abroad.
The bombard is a contemporary family of oboes widely used to play traditional Breton music, where it is considered emblematic. A bombard player is known as a talabarder.
This article defines a number of terms that are exclusive, or whose meaning is exclusive, to piping and pipers.
An dro or en dro is a Breton folk dance in 4
4. It is a form of a circle dance.
The piston is a type of oboe invented by Breton musician, teacher, and luthier Youenn Le Bihan in 1983. The pistoñ is a contemporary development of the hautbois, classical and/or baroque oboe, influenced by the bombard or talabard, the traditional double reed instrument of Brittany. It is typically rooted in the key of D and features post-mounted simple system key-work to expand its range. The tone of the pistoñ stands in a warm and rich middle ground between the trumpet-like tone of the bombard and that of the baroque oboe. The bore is similar to that of a baroque or classical oboe.
Yann-Fañch Loeiz Kemener was a traditional singer and ethnomusicologist from Brittany, born in Sainte-Tréphine, Côtes-d'Armor, France. Known in French as Jean-François Louis Quémener.
Breton dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Brittany, the Celtic region of France. The dance has experienced a reappropriation in the late 1950s, with the development of the Celtic Circles and Fest Noz.
Les Ramoneurs de menhirs are a Breton Celtic punk group formed in 2006. Its members include Éric Gorce on the bombardon, Richard Bévillon on the bagpipes, the traditional vannetais singer Gwenaël Kere and Loran, guitarist from the group Bérurier Noir. They play concerts at fest noz as well as normal rock concerts. Most of their songs are sung in the Breton language.
Annie Ebrel is a traditional Breton singer of traditional Kan ha diskan and Gwerz (ballads).
The Festival de Cornouaille is an annual festival taking place in Quimper, a city in the south-west of Brittany, a western region of France. The festival begins on the third Sunday of July and lasts for one week. It has been held since 1923 and is one of the biggest cultural events in Brittany.
Sonerien Du is a group of Breton music adapted for the dances in Fest Noz. The group was born in 1972, in Alan Stivell's trail, harpist of the Celtic Revival. Driving force of the Breton culture, the group crossed periods of concerts and festoù-noz, with a traditional and modern music at the same time, always respecting dance. It recorded 20 albums over 40 years.
Ar Re Yaouank is a Breton band, established in 1986 by two brothers born in Quimper, Brittany, northwestern France, Fred and Jean-Charles Guichen playing the diatonic accordion and the acoustic guitar respectively. They were joined in 1987 by Gaël Nicol, David Pasquet (bombards), then in 1990 by Stéphane De Vito playing the electric bass.
The Goadec Sisters usually known as Les sœurs Goadec in French, were a Breton vocal group originating from Treffrin. The trio embody the traditional music of Brittany, singing a cappella. The three sisters were Maryvonne (1900-1983), Eugenie (1909-2003) and Anastasie Goadec (1913-1998). They began to perform at fest-noz in 1956, among the pipers and bombard players. Accompanied until 1964 by their two sisters, Louise (1903-1964) and Ernestine (1911-1964), their repertoire consisted mainly of laments. As a trio, they attempted to adapt their singing to dance and developed a new form of call and response singing.
Louise Ebrel was a Breton singer whose parents Eugénie Goadec and Job Ebrel were themselves singers. Her repertoire was composed of traditional Breton songs, either for dancing or for listening (gwerz).
Georges Cadoudal was a French sonneur and musician. Alongside Étienne Rivoallan, he formed a group of sonneurs dedicated to the revival of Breton music after World War II. A founding member of Bagad Bourbriac, he was its penn-soner from 1953 to 1964.
