- published: 30 Oct 2014
- views: 57571
Alan Stivell (born Alan Cochevelou January 6, 1944) is a Breton musician and singer, recording artist and master of the celtic harp who from the early 1970s revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically Breton) harp and Celtic music as part of world music.
Alan was born in the Auvergnat town of Riom. His father Georges (Jord in Breton) Cochevelou was a civil servant in the French Ministry of Finance who achieved his dream of recreating a Celtic or Breton harp in the small town of Gourin, Brittany. In 1953, Alan began playing the instrument at the age of nine under the tutelage of his father and Denise Megevand, a concert harpist. Alan also learned Celtic mythology, art and history as well as the Breton language, traditional Breton dance and the Scottish bagpipe and the bombarde, a traditional Breton instrument, from the oboe family. Alan began playing concerts at eleven years and studying traditional Breton, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh folk music, also learning the drum, Irish flute, and tin whistle. He competed in and won several Breton traditional music competitions in the Bleimor Pipe band. Alan spent his childhood in Paris, with its cosmopolitan influences from France, Algeria, Morocco and elsewhere. But he fell in love with Breton music and Celtic culture in general, and often went back in his teens to Brittany.
Alan Stivell - Renaissance of the celtic harp
Alan Stivell en Concert - 1972 - Suite Irlandaise / The King of the fairies
Alan Stivell - Live a l'Olympia in Paris
Alan Stivell - Tri Martolod (festival des Vieilles Charrues)
ALAN STIVELL Brian Boru Infocom (Live Olympia)
Alan Stivell Festival des Vieilles Charrues 2000
Alan Stivell - Tri Martolod
Alan Stivell - Tri Martolod
Alan Stivell - Live 1972 - Suite Irlandaise
Alan Stivell - la Cigale - 7 novembre 2015
Warlec'h bloaz naw c'hant e teuas ar Vikinged
Da voud startoc'h a' dizoujusoc'h
Deit int a-benn da dorr pep aozadur 'barzh Breizh
Pa teuas ar peoc'h endro, a-drugarez d'Alan Varweg
Kultur ha yezh ar C'Hallaoued en-oa gwraet un toull bras 'ba'Breizh
Ba'vro ur bern renerien 'oa doh kultur a' doh yezh estren
"Duc-souverain" Alan en em hanwas : n'oa ket prest da voud debret Breizh gant
broio? all
Dugelezh Vreizh ur vro dizalc'h 'jomas e-pad c'hwec'h kant bloawezh c'hoazh
distag doc'h Bro-C'Hall
Politikerezh estren Breizh 'genboueze etre 'n diw vro vras
Politikerezh estren Breizh 'oa etre Bro-Saoz ha Bro-C'Hall
'Wid Frans 'n aristokrated, hag an dud vihan 'oa 'wid 'Saozon
N'oa ket don 'barzh o c'halon abego?-se ar bobl vreton
'Bern breselio? 'so bet gant ar Vretoned
Eneb d'ar Saozon hag eneb d'ar C'Hallaoued
Met Breizh 'jomas ar vro aet ar pella? war hent an demokrasiezh ba'n Europa
"Den-gentil" oa galwet pep Breizhad 'wid diskouezh 'n-oa pep kouer skoazell al
lezenn
N'eus ket anawet hon tud-kozh na servaj na Bresel-kant-bloazh
Plado? arc'hant 'barzh pep ti-plouz oa araog trec'h an arme c'hall
E bloawezhio? diwezha? pa oa c'hoazh hor bro-ni dishual
Ba' vroio? pinwidika? ha war vor ba'mesk ar re krenva?.
Nine hundred years after the birth of Jesus
In Vikings ships down from the North and merciless
Invaders came and they tried to smash
Our Breton ways, all we loved best.
And when we had won victory, led by Alan Bready to peace,
Though bitterly we fought and died, now had come the French in their place,
In our country landlords now gave us orders in foreign speech.
But our Duke Alan said
Brittany would not be fare for conquerors
From France or elsewhere.
Six hundred years we stood
Free and in liberty, bowing no king,
His burdens to bear.
Standing in a balance of power in between our two great neighbours,
Standing in a balance of power in between the English and French,
The people looked to England and to France the lords and their ladies,
Not because they were close but for allies and to give themselves strength.
And so we fought often with Englishmen and
Then we changed sides fighting for then against the French.
All this time Brittany
Led the whole Western world in democracy
And we were free.
"Dudgentil" - gentlemen -
Was every poor man's name, so that he could know
The law was for him.
So there was no Breton serfdom and we missed the Hundred Years War.
Silver dishes in every farm till the French had won victory.
Before losing our freedom we knew great prosperity