The Binioù and the Bombarde - Traditional Emblems
While in French slang all musicians have a tendency to refer to their instruments as a binioù, in Brittany the binioù is a proper, respectful term for the bagpipes. As for the bombarde, this is the rustic Breton version of the oboe (an instrument commonly found throughout Europe and Asia). These days, the binioù and the bombarde are inseparably linked in most people's minds - the traditional folk pair instantly conjuring up images of the Breton countryside. This Breton cliché dates back to the 18th century, but even outside of Brittany the oboe and the bagpipes have often teamed up as a musical double act. The binioù and the bombarde are not an equal couple, the bombarde generally grabbing the limelight while the poor old binioù pipes away unnoticed in the background. What's more, the bombarde is frequently unfaithful to its partner, abandoning the binioù to team up with a singer or the organ instead.

United as a team, the binioù-player and the bombarde-player are known as a couple of sonneurs. There are countless sonneurs throughout the region and they often compete with one another in special competitions (c.f. the album 40e Championnat de Bretagne de sonneurs par couple released on the Coop Breizh label). Roland Becker's excellent album, "Jour de fête & fête de nuit" (Coop Breizh label), will give Celtic music fans a highly original take on the binioù and the bombarde.

The Telenn - Reinvented Tradition
The telenn, popularly known as the Celtic harp, is not strictly speaking a traditional Breton folk instrument either. Up until the end of the Middle Ages court circles in Brittany would invite harpists to come and entertain them and actually held the musicians in great respect. But after this the harp disappeared from the Breton music scene completely, not re-emerging until the 1950s. It was only around this period that, taking inspiration from old documents and compositions for the Irish harp (which had remained in active use), Jord Cochevelou revived the telenn. Jord's son - better known to Celtic music fans as folk legend Alan Stivell - and a group of other young musicians continued Jord's work, giving the telenn the popularity it enjoys today.

The telenn is a medium-sized diatonic instrument generally used to accompany singers, but these days it is increasingly beginning to appear in unexpected pairings, such as with the bagpipes for example. Alan Stivell ("An Douar", Dreyfus) is the best known of Brittany's harpists but he is far from being the only one. Other talented instrumentalists include Dominig Bouchaud ("Héol dour", Keltia), Mariannig Larc’hantec ("Chall ha dichall", Kerig) and, for those who like a more contemporary flavour to their Celtic sounds, Kristen Noguès ("An Evor", Coop Breizh).

Vocal Music: An Example of Authentic Tradition?
While instruments play a major role in Breton folk music, none of them are more important than the voice. And if you had to choose just one mode of musical expression to represent Brittany it would doubtless be vocals. There are two principal vocal genres in Breton folk: kan ha diskan and gwerz and, if we extend the category a little further, there are also sailors' sea shanties. Kan ha diskan is a form of "layered" singing, performed in couples, which accompanies traditional dances at festoù noz. Gwerz, on the other hand, is performed by a solo singer. Gwerz are a form of melancholic ballad, which always seems to contain melodramatic tales of violence and at times bloody conflict (all the more hair-raising because the songs were traditionally based on true stories). Shanties are not specific to Brittany, of course, but are also an integral part of the Anglo-Saxon folk tradition. In the last century shanties were sung by sailors as they toiled away on ships, but today they are more commonly heard in local bars and pubs.

Famous Breton vocalists include the Gouadec sisters, Yann-Fañch Kemener and Erik Marchand but there are also plenty of young up-and-coming stars such as Denez Prigent, who is not always associated with techno/folk fusion ("Ar Gouriz koar", Silex-Auvidis) and Annie Ebrel ("’Tre ho ti ha ma hini", Gwerz Pladenn). Sea shanty fans will enjoy Djiboudjep's album "Parfums d’épices et goût de sel" (released on the Coop Breizh label).

The Bagad - Imported Tradition
The bagad (plural: bagadoù) is a Breton orchestra made up of sonneurs (oboes and bagpipes) and batteurs (drums and percussion). While the uninitiated like to believe that bagadoù have animated the Breton folk scene since time began, bagadoù actually began to emerge on the local music scene in the 1940s and were inspired by Scottish pipe-bands. The bagadoù gave a major boost to the Breton folk movement, which at that time was beginning to fall into serious decline. Thanks to efforts by sonneurs, local composers and the stimulus of annual competitions, the quality of Brittany's bagadoù has greatly improved over the years and the region now boasts around 60 different formations (a third of which are professional).

Numerous bagad albums exist on various labels including Keltia, Coop Breizh and Auvidis. For a general introduction to the art of the bagad, try Coop Breizh's 1998 compilation which features highlights from the annual bagadoù championship in Brittany.

If you want to find out more about Breton music we can heartily recommend Yves Defrance's book, "L’Archipel des musiques bretonnes". Published by Actes Sud earlier this year, "L’Archipel des musiques bretonnes" comes with its own CD compilation.

Jérôme Samuel
English text : Julie Street