YouTube: Bringing us music we never would have found since...?

[rymenhild]

While hunting for an English translation of the lyrics to Manau's bizarrely awesome French Celtic rap La Tribu de Dana, I learned that the Breton musician Alan Stivell sued Manau for borrowing the chorus to his 1970s song "Tri Martolod".

Of course, as soon as I discovered this I absolutely had to find a copy of Tri Martolod, which turns out to be a lyrical Breton-language ballad about three sailors, also sung (in a faster version) by Tri Yann.

Now that I knew there was Breton folk-rock on YouTube, I had to keep hunting for more of it.

I can't actually read the lyrics to the folk-rock anthem Alan Stivell - Brian Boru . I do recognize key words like "Iwerzhon" (Ireland), and there's a note in French at the bottom of the lyrics page that the song's about an eleventh-century Irish chieftain who fought against the Vikings.

I have no idea what Alan Stivell - Son ar Chistr's about, but I like it.

Alan Stivell - Ian Morisson Reel hasn't got lyrics, just Stivell rocking the bagpipes.

The comment thread to An Alarc'h includes a rollicking political debate. My favorite comment (and one of the few that's at least partially in English), from MasterClayVM: "Here's to the descendants of Arthur and Asterix! BREIZH ATAO! KERNOW AM BYTH!" (By context, I'm pretty sure "Breizh atao" is "Up Brittany!" in Breton and "Kernow am byth" is "Long live Cornwall" in Welsh, Cornish or both.)

Enjoy!

Comments

[tarimanveri.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I never thought of searching youtube for Breton music! I've been looking for it on iTunes, since I feel like my research should have some Breton folk music to go along with it. I must check out this Breton folk-rock (and learn Breton, of course).

I'm a little worried about all the nationalists, though. My research is starting to look vaguely like it might step on their nationalist toes...

Here, have my icon of the zoomorphic evangelist John from the Tours Landévennec gospels.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I love zoomorphic John! He's a Saturday morning cartoon waiting to happen!

Don't worry about stepping on the nationalist toes. They should be happy anyone's studying Bretons at all.

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what Alan Stivell - Son ar Chistr's about, but I like it.

Unless he's written new lyrics, it's pretty much your typical trad piece about how awesome it is to get drunk on hard cider. :) I think the gist of this one is that it's especially good to get drunk at weddings, but I may be misremembering that...

Thanks for the links -- I forgot how great Stivell is!

ETA: The other title for that song is "Ev chistr ta laou." I know I saw an English translation somewhere online once upon a time, but am not having any luck finding it at the moment.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

*grins* I love having a friendslist that knows things. Thanks.

[azureflight.livejournal.com]

Heh, I remember you commenting in my journal back in 2004 about La Tribu de Dana, when I was completely chuffed about locating it as an mp3. I was even more excited to find others who already knew about it. :P (Apparently the album is on iTunes now - which is brilliant, I suppose, though the mystery has sort of disappeared.) Thanks for the links; I'm listening to the music now.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I ended up finding a copy of the album used in the basement of a Berkeley record store, which... still has more cachet than buying it on iTunes, I guess. I did just buy an Alan Stivell album on iTunes, so the mystery may be gone from that too. :)

[flintknappy.livejournal.com]

French Celtic rap? Why do you not tell me about such things in conversation? :)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I'll tell you later. :)

[batyatoon]

... duuuuuude. *watches first linked video with shinyeyes*

Do you know where I might find the lyrics with translation?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Here are the original lyrics. I didn't find a translation -- although I'm sure I had one years back, I can't remember where I put it. The gist of the song can be summarized as "My whole tribe of Iron Age Bretons and I went to a battle, and I was the only one who came home alive so that makes me the king of the tribe."

[batyatoon]

Thanks! :D

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Found a translation.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Also, that chibi!Batya icon is perfect.

[batyatoon]

*beams* It's by cadhla.

[skygiants]

Manaaaaaaaaau <3.

*succinct*