Breton music
- tin tin
- Posts: 1314
- Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: To paraphrase Mark Twain, a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the spoons and doesn't. I'm doing my best to be a gentleman.
I have for about three or four years now been fascinated by the sound of Breton music. I've been to Brittany twice and have attended a couple of Fest-Noz, but the music still remains a bit cryptic (never mind the dances!).
Is Breton music, like Ir-Trad, commonly played in certain keys? What kinds of scales (or modes, rather) are commonly used in Breton music? Are any Breton tunes adaptable to whistle? (I've heard that whistles are often used for kids beginning the bombarde.) Thanks for any info.
Micah
Is Breton music, like Ir-Trad, commonly played in certain keys? What kinds of scales (or modes, rather) are commonly used in Breton music? Are any Breton tunes adaptable to whistle? (I've heard that whistles are often used for kids beginning the bombarde.) Thanks for any info.
Micah
-
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Breton music is fun, isn't it???!! I don't know too much about it but I did play around with it over the summer... I got a book from House of Musical Traditions (www.hmtrad.com) that both has the music and explains the dances. Much of it is in D and is very playable on the whistle... some tunes are not in D but can be transposed and "fit" just fine on the whistle.
Have fun! =)
Have fun! =)
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!
- tin tin
- Posts: 1314
- Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: To paraphrase Mark Twain, a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the spoons and doesn't. I'm doing my best to be a gentleman.
Instrument player,
This book sounds great...just what I'm looking for. What's the title?
This book sounds great...just what I'm looking for. What's the title?
Last edited by tin tin on Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
- kkrell
- Posts: 4837
- Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Mostly producer of the Wooden Flute Obsession 3-volume 6-CD 7-hour set of mostly player's choice of Irish tunes, played mostly solo, on mostly wooden flutes by approximately 120 different mostly highly-rated traditional flute players & are mostly...
- Location: Los Angeles
- Contact:
I am exploring this music also. Jean-Michel Veillon sent me an article, "The Music of Brittany" by Ross DALY, and I quote:On 2002-09-25 17:48, Micah wrote:
Is Breton music, like Ir-Trad, commonly played in certain keys? What kinds of scales (or modes, rather) are commonly used in Breton music?
"The modes utilized in Breton music are clearly influenced by and related to those of Gregorian chant, which in its turn, bore influences from ancient Greek and Byzantine modal theory. There are also copious examples in Breton music of the use of non-tempered intervals, another characteristic central to European modal music of pre-classical origin. The limited range of notes used in many Breton melodies is also a testament to their antiquity. It is very common to find Breton tunes which do not exceed a perfect fifth in range, and there are even examples of melodies constructed on a scale of only three degrees."
Kevin Krell
_________________
International Traditional Music Society, Inc.
Wooden Flute Obsession CDs
http://www.worldtrad.org
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kkrell on 2002-09-25 22:38 ]</font>
- AaronMalcomb
- Posts: 2205
- Joined: Sat May 25, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: Bellingham, WA
From my experience with a small bagad it seems Bb is a popular key. Not only because the Highland bagpipe has become a part of the tradition also because the traditional Breton bagpipe, the biniou kozh, is in Bb. In Upper Brittany the veuze, another traditional bagpipe, is in G. The bombarde is the quintissential Breton instrument and not only does it come in Bb and G but a lot of luthiers make them in A and D.
Probably the best known and most comprehensive book on Breton music is Toniou Breizh Izel, compiled by Polig Monjarret. HMT used to carry it but they were no longer carrying it last time I checked.
This isn't much info but I hope it helps.
Kenavo!
Aaron
Probably the best known and most comprehensive book on Breton music is Toniou Breizh Izel, compiled by Polig Monjarret. HMT used to carry it but they were no longer carrying it last time I checked.
This isn't much info but I hope it helps.
Kenavo!
Aaron
-
- Posts: 628
- Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2001 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Sydney, Australia
Yep, Bb turns up a lot. Also Eb. As Aaron said, the biniou kozh and bombardes are usually in Bb, plus many tunes are in Eb as it's the primary key for the celtic harp and Alan Stivell made many tunes famous via his harp (most are Eb and Bb).
I find Breton tunes easier to play than Irish, usually because most are 4/4 or 2/4 time and I learnt music on the harp playing Breton tunes.
Ne bado ket atao!
I find Breton tunes easier to play than Irish, usually because most are 4/4 or 2/4 time and I learnt music on the harp playing Breton tunes.
Ne bado ket atao!
-
- Posts: 575
- Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2001 6:00 pm
Could somebody please explain "a perfect fifth" and "three degrees" in simple English to a person who has no knowledge of music theory. I have no idea what this means.It is very common to find Breton tunes which do not exceed a perfect fifth in range, and there are even examples of melodies constructed on a scale of only three degrees
Does anybody have an online source of some Breton tunes?
- SteveK
- Posts: 1545
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2001 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: London, Ontario
A perfect fifth is the distance of five notes in the scale-from C to G, for instance, C,D,E,F,G. From C to Gb (f#) is a diminished fifth (I think) and from C to Ab (G#) is an augmentedfifth. In terms of the major scale you have a whole step (C to D) another whole step (D to E), a half step (E to F) and another whole step to G. As far as I know degrees just refers to steps in the scale. You can find some tunes from Brittany at Tradfrance. First click on "various regions" and then Brittany. Richard Robinson's tune book has a bunch of tunes from France but I'm not sure what ones are Breton.
http://www.tradfrance.com/
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTun ... tings.html
I guess you could look up stuff like "An Dro" and "Gavotte" at JC's too.
Steve
http://www.tradfrance.com/
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTun ... tings.html
I guess you could look up stuff like "An Dro" and "Gavotte" at JC's too.
Steve
- SteveK
- Posts: 1545
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2001 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: London, Ontario
I had forgotten this but Kornog has some music at MP3com. The songs are sung by Jamie McMenemy and are usually Scottish but the tunes are Breton. Good band. Also, I tried looking up An Dro and Gavotte at JC's and got a lot of stuff. I don't know how to distinguish Breton Gavottes from any others, though. Another word you could try looking up is Laride.
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/224/kornog.html
Steve
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/224/kornog.html
Steve
- AaronMalcomb
- Posts: 2205
- Joined: Sat May 25, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: Bellingham, WA
Breton tune genres to look for are the aforementioned an dro and gavotte as well as laride, derobee, hanter dro, hanterzan, and rond to name a few. Gavottes are often played in suites called gavotten ar menez (gavottes from the mountains).
Breton tunes usually sound pretty good on whistle. Beginner bombarde players start on Bb whistles. Breton tunes sound good on D whistles too. The melodies are usually relatively simple but require lots of expression.
Brendan Ring is probably a good one to ask about Breton music since he lives in Brittany. I notice he posts here now and again.
Kenavo!
Aaron
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: AaronMalcomb on 2002-09-27 13:55 ]</font>
Breton tunes usually sound pretty good on whistle. Beginner bombarde players start on Bb whistles. Breton tunes sound good on D whistles too. The melodies are usually relatively simple but require lots of expression.
Brendan Ring is probably a good one to ask about Breton music since he lives in Brittany. I notice he posts here now and again.
Kenavo!
Aaron
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: AaronMalcomb on 2002-09-27 13:55 ]</font>
-
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- AaronMalcomb
- Posts: 2205
- Joined: Sat May 25, 2002 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: Bellingham, WA