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Seeve Notes
Music of Brittany played by Irish musicians.
Dañs Mod Koh A Vaod — This old-fashioned dance was known only in the small town of Baud and has not been practiced since around 1950. It is danced in a ring and is characterized by the irregularity of its tempo.
A Breton Carol — Peh Trouz 'Zou ar en Doar (What Noise on Earth) is the title of this ancient Christmas carol, which is popular in the Vannes area and is sung here by Nolwenn Monjarret.
Dañs-Tro Fisel — Like all ring dances from central Brittany, this one, from the Fisel country, is divided into three parts and is regarded as the most difficult and tiring of all Breton dances.
Marches — Tonioù-Bale a Vro-Wened is the Breton title for these marches from Vannes, which are in fact four very popular songs in the region. The first tune, Julian Kadoudal, is attributed to the Breton patriot Julien Cadoudal and is said to have been written while he was in jail during the time of Napoleon. This is followed by Er Studier Yaouank (The Young Student), a song about the ups and downs of a poor student in Nantes. The third tune, Er Charre Bourdet (The Bogged-Down Cart), tells of the misfortunes of a team of lumberjacks from Baud who overloaded their cart with tree trunks. Finally, Er Hoarierion-Bouleu is a song about bowls players.
Dañs Bro-Leon — The dance is from Leon country, which is in northwest Brittany, and its usual accompaniment is the singing of the dancers themselves. The chorus is sung here by Kevin and the whole band, with Polig Monjarret joining in:
Ha neo ket braw, Jakou, ober re goruajoù
(And it is not nice, Jack, to stuff yourself so much [with food and drink])
Heuliadenn Tonioù Breizh-Izel — This medley offers each member of the band the opportunity to play a tune of his own choice. As a link there is a gavotte
Ev Chistr 'Ta, Laou! — A song from the last century to the glory of cider, the Breton national drink in the old days, sung here by Kevin Conneff
Jabadaw — This dance from Breton Cornwall was once part of a suite of four dances. The clergy, who could see in it the opportunity for debauchery led by Satan himself, was opposed to it, and though it was considered the national dance above all else, it disappeared from the suite around 1890-1900.
Celtic Wedding — A medley describing the ritual of the centuries-old Breton ceremony.
Boked Eured (The Brides Bouquet) — As the bride leaves her parents' home she receives a bouquet; this song is meant to make her parents cry.
Evit Mont D'ar Vourc'h — The procession from the farmyard to the Town Hall.
Evit Mont D'an Iliz — From the Town Hall to the church.
Adoromp Holl (Let Us Pray) — A special hymn for the wedding Mass.
A Di Da Di, Goude An Oferenn — The procession goes from house to house in the village after Mass.
Ton Ar C'hezeg (The Horses Tune) — The bride and groom and pipers return to the farmhouse in a horse and cart followed by parents, relatives and guests.
Distro D'an Ti-Feurm (Back To The Farm) — The wedding guests congratulate the bride and groom.
Dañs Kost Er C'hoad (Dance From The Woodlands)
Evit Mont Ouzh Taol (Call To The Table) — This tune is played to bring the people to the table for the wedding meal.
Son Ar Rost (Tune For The Roast) — It is customary to interrupt the long meal just before the main course-usually roasted meat-for some dancing, after which the pipers play the Roast Tune as the food is brought in and served.
An Abadenn-Dañs (The Wedding Dance) — Once the meal is over the guests are invited to dance again.
An Dro (The Turn) — This dance was recorded in Killarney during Panceltic Week, May 1986. The Chieftains join the traditional Breton bombarde and biniou players and the dancers from Vannes.
Soubenn Al Laezh (The Milk Soup) — Once the dancing is over, the bride and groom retire to the nuptial bedroom. Then their relatives and friends bring them milk soup.
Ton Kenaud — The farewell tune.
As chance would have it …
August 1985. It was 11 o'clock on a Saturday evening and Polig Monjarret was entertaining a few friends at home. Among them were Paddy Moloney and Christian Michielini, Managing Director of Brittany Ferries, the Breton ferry company that provides, among others, a sea link between Brittany and Ireland (Roscoff-Cork). They were celebrating the recent publication of "Tonioù Breizh-Izel" ("Traditional Tunes from Lower Brittany"), a masterpiece to which Polig had devoted an important part of his life (over 3,000 tunes collected in the country between 1941 and 1953 plus seven years for their transcription).
In a joking tone, Polig suggested that Paddy could pick a few tunes from the book and make a recording with them: "After 'The Chieftains in China,' why not 'The Chieftains in Brittany?" Paddy answered very seriously that it was a brilliant idea. Continuing to joke, Polig said to Christian, "And, of course, Brittany Ferries will sponsor it!" Christian answered unexpectedly, "And why not!" That is as far as they got.
The following year, on the same date, Polig invited the same friends to a barbecue party. And this time Christian was the one who put the question to Paddy: "What about that famous record, how far have you got with it?"
How far had we got? We were at exactly the same stage as the year before. However, the idea had taken shape in our minds. Paddy, who knew Breton music well and appreciated it, had no doubts such an album would be a success. And Polig had dreamed about it: a recording of Breton music by The Chieftains-too good to be true! As for Christian, a Breton by adoption, he enjoyed Breton music as much as Irish music. An alliance between The Chieftains and Breton music could only be successful.
Paddy decided to add Breton musicians to the group: a couple of traditional pipers from Vannes-Alain Guerton, bombarde (shawm), and Michel Bertae, biniou (bagpipe); Bernard Pichard, solo bombarde, and the singer Nolwenn Monjarret. Moreover, Polig taught Kevin Conneff the very popular song Ev Chistr 'ta, Laou!
And that is how the record was born, from a combination of circumstances and chance encounters. Nobody will complain about it.