Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads
Mary-Ann Constantine and Éva Guillorel
Abstract
This book offers an introduction to one of the most fascinating and little-known song traditions in Europe, the Breton gwerz or ballad. These narrative songs, collected in Western Brittany from the 19th century to the present day, recount a wealth of stories based on tragic local events (shipwrecks, abductions, accidents and murders) or legends (miraculous rescues, penitent souls, strange journeys). Two of the foremost scholars in the field present a selection of thirty-five ballads in the original Breton with English translations and musical notation. An accompanying CD showcases some of the ... More
This book offers an introduction to one of the most fascinating and little-known song traditions in Europe, the Breton gwerz or ballad. These narrative songs, collected in Western Brittany from the 19th century to the present day, recount a wealth of stories based on tragic local events (shipwrecks, abductions, accidents and murders) or legends (miraculous rescues, penitent souls, strange journeys). Two of the foremost scholars in the field present a selection of thirty-five ballads in the original Breton with English translations and musical notation. An accompanying CD showcases some of the most famous Breton traditional singers, and a comprehensive introductory essay explores the nature of the songs and the contexts in which they have been performed. These are strikingly dramatic, often deeply moving stories of violence, love and grief, which will touch listeners and readers of all interests.
Keywords:
ballads,
Brittany,
popular culture,
Celtic literature,
oral history
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2017 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780197266199 |
| Published to British Academy Scholarship Online: September 2017 |
DOI:10.5871/bacad/9780197266199.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Mary-Ann Constantine, author
Reader in Welsh and English Literature, University of Aberystwyth
Éva Guillorel, author
Associate Professor in Early Modern History, University of Caen, Normandy
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