Gwerz

Lyrics and sheet music for the gwerz "Ar Roue Gralon Ha Kear Is" ("King Gradlon and the City of Ys", written by Olivier Souêtre in 1850)

Gwerz (Breton: [ɡʷɛ̞ʀz], "ballad", "lament", plural gwerzioù) is a type of folk song of Brittany. The word "gwerz" is related to the term versus in Latin, which means verse[1]. This evokes the poetic nature of these songs. In Breton music, the gwerz tells a story[2] which can be epic, historical, or mythological. The stories are usually of a tragic nature. The gwerz is characterised by an often monotonous melody and many couplets, all in the Breton language. Though historically sung unaccompanied,[3] some modern musicians use limited instrumentation with the gwerz.

Famous performers in gwerzioù are Marc'harid Fulup, Erik Marchand, Yann-Fañch Kemener, and Denez Prigent.

Notable gwerzioù

References

  1. ↑ Musique bretonne : histoire des sonneurs de tradition [Breton music: history of traditional pipers], 1996, p. 24
  2. ↑ Sean Williams (2010). Focus: Irish Traditional Music. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-99146-3.
  3. ↑ "Denez Prigent". Retrieved 26 Dec 2013.

See also

  • Gwerz (band)


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