Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a French,

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

and

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

ian and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically Breton) harp and

as part of world music. As a bagpiper and

bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

player, he modernized traditional

Breton music Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard- biniou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched ...

and singing in the

Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of t ...

. A precursor of Celtic rock, he is inspired by the union of the Celtic cultures and is a keeper of the

Breton culture The culture of Brittany is made up of Breton culture, and Celtic culture. Brittany's strongest international connections tend to be in the United Kingdom, particularly in the Celtic groups of Cornwall and Wales, and in Canada. Brittany is the Eng ...

Musical career

Early life and career beginnings

Exposition ROK - harpe de cristal Alan Stivell 01

Alan Stivell was born in the Auvergnat town of

Riom Riom (; Auvergnat ''Riam'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the se ...

. His father, Georges (Jord in Breton) Cochevelou, was a civil servant in the

French Ministry of Finance The Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty (french: Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique, pronounced ), informally referred to as Bercy, is one of the most impor ...

who achieved his dream of recreating a

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

ic or

harp in the small town of

Gourin Gourin (; br, Gourin) is a commune in the Morbihan ''département'' of Brittany in north-western France. Geography Gourin is in the northwest of Morbihan, northeast of Quimper and northwest of Lorient. Historically, it belongs to Cornouaill ...

, BrittanyJT Koch (ed). ''Celtic Culture. A Historical Encyclopaedia'' ABC-CLIO 2006 pp. 1627–1628 and his mother Fanny-Julienne Dobroushkess was of

Lithuanian-Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent area ...

descent. 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

, traditional Breton dance, and the Scottish bagpipe and the bombarde, a traditional Breton instrument, from the oboe family. Alan began playing concerts at the age of eleven and studied 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.RFI Music. Alan Stivell. Biography. RFI Music. (last accessed 15 July 2009) Alan spent his childhood in Paris, with its cosmopolitan influences. But he fell in love with

and

Celtic culture Celtic culture may refer to: *the culture of Celts *the culture of Celts (modern) *the culture of Celtic nations: **Culture of Ireland **Culture of Scotland **Culture of the Isle of Man **Culture of Wales **Culture of Cornwall ** Culture of Brittan ...

, in general, and often went back in his teens to Brittany. Stivell's first recording came in 1960 ("Musique gaelique"), a single that was followed by the LP '' Telenn Geltiek'' in 1964. He already recorded solo harp and harp backing singers in 1959 with ''Breiz ma bro'' ("Brittany my country") and a ''Mouez Breiz'' EP ("Voice of Brittany") with the female singer Andrea Ar Gouilh. His stage name, Stivell, means "fountain" or "spring" in Breton. The name refers both to the Breton renewal and to his surname Cochevelou (an evolution of ''kozh stivelloù'', "the old fountains").

Stivell and the Celtic harp revival

With a new bardic harp with bronze strings, Stivell began experimenting with modernized styles of music that became known as Celtic rock. In 1966, Alan Stivell began to perform and record as a singer. The following year, he was signed by Philips Records. This was during the birth of the New Breton and Celtic music movement. In 1968, after two years of touring and regular appearances at the American Students and Artists Center in Paris, Alan joined the

Moody Blues Moody may refer to: Places * Moody, Alabama, U.S. * Moody, Indiana, U.S. * Moody, Missouri, U.S. * Moody, Texas, U.S. * Moody County, South Dakota, U.S. * Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada * Hundred of Moody, a cadastral division in South A ...

onstage to perform in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. In 1970, Stivell released his first hits, the single "Broceliande" and the album ''Reflets'', both on the Philips record label. He became closely associated with the burgeoning Breton roots revival, especially after the release of the purely instrumental 1971 album '' Renaissance of the Celtic Harp'', which won one of the most famous awards in France, the prize of the Académie Charles Cros. The music critic Bruce Elder wrote of the album '' Renaissance of the Celtic Harp'': On 28 February 1972, Stivell performed a concert in the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

theater, a famous music hall in Paris, where Alan and his band played music combining traditional Celtic music with modern sounds (electric guitar, drums, etc.). This concert made Stivell and his music well known throughout France. At this time, Stivell's eclectic approach to music was very new and was considered risky, but it soon became popular. Over 1,500,000 records of that concert (''A l'Olympia'') were sold. Alan Stivell's newfound fame propelled him to tour across France, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. He continued recording, and published a collection of

Breton poetry Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

in 1976. With his 1980 ''

Symphonie Celtique ''Symphonie Celtique'' ("Celtic Symphony"), subtitled " Tir na nOg", a folk-rock album by Alan Stivell, originally released as a double LP in 1980 by CBS France, catalogue number CBS 88487. In 1987, it was published by Rounder Records in CD 1152 ...

'', he mixed for the first time elements of rock, a symphonic orchestra, Celtic instruments and such non-European ethnic elements as

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

vocalist Djourha and sitarist

Narendra Bataju Narendra may refer to: Places *Narendra (Karnataka) a village in Dharwad, Karnataka People *Narendra Nath Datta, better known as Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), an Indian Hindu Monk *Narendra Deva (1889–1956), also known as Acharya Narendra De ...

. The folk music revival faded somewhat in the 1980s. Though Alan Stivell still maintained a popular following, he did not reach the heights of popularity that he had in the 1970s. He continued touring in many parts of the world and recording for a loyal fanbase. He also worked with the English musician Kate Bush.

Celtic fusions and world music

In the 1990s, Stivell recorded with the French singer Laurent Voulzy, Irish traditional performer Shane MacGowan and Senegalese singer Doudou N'Diaye Rose. The album was ''

Again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * ''Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

'', and it became very popular in France, initiating the beginning of a Celtic new wave. Stivell's records in the late 1990s contained more pronounced rock elements, and he performed at a rock festival called

Transmusicales Les Rencontres Trans Musicales (generally referred to as ''Les Transmusicales de Rennes'') is a music festival that lasts for 3 or 4 days. It is held annually in December. The festival takes place in Rennes, Brittany, France. Since the festival's b ...

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

. He continued working with a variety of musicians, inviting

Paddy Moloney Paddy Moloney ( ga, Pádraig Ó Maoldomhnaigh; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was parti ...

(of The Chieftains), Jim Kerr (of

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

), Khaled and Youssou N'Dour to be in his very international ''1 Douar'' / ''1 Earth'' album. The 1998 French-language hit "

La Tribu de Dana "La Tribu de Dana" (, literally ''Dana's tribe'') is a 1998 song recorded by the French hip hop band Manau, available on their debut album, ''Panique celtique'', on which it features as second track. Released as first single in July 1998, it hit ...

" by rap trio Manau, one of the best-selling French singles of all time, featured a very similar musical arrangement to Stivell's "

Tri Martolod ''Tri Martolod'' ("Three sailors" in Breton) or ''Tri Martolod Yaouank'' ("Three young sailors"), is a traditional Breton song which dates to the 18th century in Lower Brittany. It was made famous by the interpretation, the arrangement and the reco ...

". Although Stivell sued Manau for the unauthorised sampling, the group claimed that they had modified the original sufficiently, through the addition of lyrics and other changes, to avoid any charges of

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

. Stivell is now credited for a part of "

"'s arrangements. Stivell's CD album ''Again'' in 1993 was the base for a new wave of his popularity, especially in France and Brittany. Other albums received good critical reviews, such as '' Brian Boru'' or ''

1 Douar 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

'' ("1 Earth"). In 2002 Stivell released '' Au-delà des mots'' ("Beyond Words"), his twenty-first LP. The album featured him playing six different harps, specially dedicated to the Celtic Harp Revival's 50th anniversary. In 2004, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Celtic harp revival in Brittany, he wrote a book in collaboration with Jean-Noël Verdier: ''Telenn, la harpe bretonne'' ("Telenn, the Breton harp"). The same year, the DVD ''Parcours'' was published by Fox-Pathé. In 2006, a new CD album called ''Explore'' came out in France and other countries, distributed through Harmonia Mundi. The album explored fusions of Celtic music with electro-rock, raga and hip-hop with a unique and personal vocal style and an original mix of lyrics in Breton, English and French. Nolwenn Leroy - Alan Stivell

In 2009, the title of his album ''Emerald'' celebrated his emerald anniversary with his fans (i.e. forty years together) and paid homage to the sea and the Celtic lands (color blue-green, ''Glaz'' in Breton language). In 2013, a new CD album and DVD called ''Olympia 40th Anniversary'' came out in France (

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

) as a result of the concert performed at the

mythical music hall on 16 February 2012. On 2 October 2015 Stivell released a new CD album called '' AMzer: Seasons'' through '' WorldVillage'' in France (and other countries), his first one of the 2010s, coinciding with his career's 50th anniversary. The album is also available as a "Leclerc limited edition" including 3 bonus tracks (2 alternative mixes and a brand new instrumental) and a 60-page booklet.

Critical acclaim

Music critic Bruce Eder has stated: "

lan Stivell's Lan or LAN may also refer to: Science and technology * Local asymptotic normality, a fundamental property of regular models in statistics * Longitude of the ascending node, one of the orbital elements used to specify the orbit of an object in sp ...

harp recordings, with their enveloping lyricism and tightly interwoven patterns of variations, can appeal to more serious listeners of new age music. Stivell's main audience, however, lies with fans of Celtic music and culture, and English folk music. Embracing ancient and modern elements, but (apart from his folk-rock work) making no compromises to modern melodic sensibilities, his music captures the mystery and strangeness of Breton, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish landscapes that are both ageless and timeless. It is haunting, mysterious, and beautiful, with no equivalent in modern popular music and few peers in the realm of commercial folk music."

Interviews

An English translation of Stivell's interview for ''Le Peuple Breton'' by Peter Barry was published in the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

political, current affairs and arts review, ''Calgacus'' in 1975. In the 1978 book ''Racines interdites'' ("Forbidden Roots"), a series of interviews with Stivell covers questions about the Breton language, history and geography, as well as his utopian vision of a world living in meditative harmony with nature. Lyrics for 17 of Stivell's songs are reprinted at the back of the book.

Legacy

Alan Stivell has influenced multiple contemporary artists, most notably folk metal band Eluveitie. Their biggest hit 'Inis Mona' shares a melody with the traditional Tri Martolod. Where it is played on

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

, tin whistle and hurdy-gurdy with the addition of harsh vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Instruments

Festival de Cornouaille 2016 - Alan Stivell - 13.jpg, Celtic harp and low whistle Alan Stivell - tin whistle.jpg, Vocals and tin whistle Festival de Cornouaille 2016 - Alan Stivell - 14.jpg,

Bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

Alan Stivell - biniou.jpg,

Electronic bagpipes The electronic bagpipes is an electronic musical instrument emulating the tone and/or playing style of the bagpipes. Most electronic bagpipe emulators feature a simulated chanter, which is used to play the melody. Some models also produce a h ...

( MIDI) Festival de Cornouaille 2016 - Alan Stivell - 11.jpg,

Great Highland bagpipe The Great Highland bagpipe ( gd, a' phìob mhòr "the great pipe") is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland, and the Scottish analogue to the Great Irish Warpipes. It has acquired widespread recognition through its usage in the British milit ...

Pat O'May et Alan Stivell 02.JPG, Electric guitar

Discography

Original (studio and live) albums

#''Telenn Geltiek / Harpe celtique'' (1964) (studio #01 / instrumental #01) #''Reflets / Reflections'' (1970) (studio #02) #'' Renaissance of the Celtic Harp'' (1971) (studio #03 / instrumental #02) #'' À l'Olympia / Olympia Concert'' (1972) (live #01) #''

Chemins de Terre ''Chemins de Terre'' is a folk rock album by Alan Stivell, originally released in 1973. It was produced by Franck Giboni. It was retitled ''From Celtic Roots...'' in the United Kingdom and ''Celtic Rock'' in Germany. Track listing All tracks Tra ...

/ From Celtic Roots / Celtic Rock'' (1973) (studio #04) #''E Langonned'' (1974) (studio #05) #'' E Dulenn / À Dublin / Live in Dublin'' (1975) (live #02) #''Trema'n inis: Vers l'Île'' (1976) (studio #06) #''Raok Dilestra: Avant d'accoster / Before Landing'' (1977) (studio #07) #''Un dewezh 'barzh 'gêr: Journée à la maison / A Homecoming'' (1978) (studio #08) #''International Tour: Tro ar Bed'' (1979) (live #03) #''

: Tir Na N-Og'' / ''Celtic Symphony'' (1979) (studio #09) #''Terre des vivants: Bed an dud vew'' (1981) (studio #10) #''Legend / Légende / Mojenn'' (1983) (studio #11) #''Harps of the New Age / Harpes du Nouvel Âge / Telenn a' Skuilh-dour'' (1985) (studio #12 / instrumental #03) #''The Mist of Avalon'' (1991) (studio #13) #''

'' (1993) (studio re-recordings with other artists in duet) #''Brian Boru'' (1995) (studio #15) #''1 Douar / 1 Earth'' (1998) (studio #16) ("Eunn Douar" in

) #''Back to Breizh'' (1999) (studio #17) #''Au-delà des mots / En tu-hont d'ar c'homzoù / Beyond Words'' (2002) (studio #18 / instrumental #04) #''Explore'' (2006) (studio #19) #''

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

'' (2009) (studio #20) #'' AMzer: Seasons'' (2015) (studio #21) #''Human~Kelt'' (2018) (studio #22) ''A l'Olympia'' and ''In Dublin'' were recorded live, but featured only new, previously unreleased tracks.

Compilations

* ''Attention! Alan Stivell!'' (1973) * ''Grand Succès d'Alan Stivell'' (1975) * ''70/95 Zoom'' (1997) – Disques Dreyfus (2-CD compilation 1970~1995, 35 tracks) * ''Routes'' (1997) – Disques Dreyfus (4-CD boxset / 73 tracks / 32-pages booklet) * ''Vers l'île'' (1999) – Universal Music Group (3CD "Long Box" / 30 titres / booklet) * ''Ar Pep Gwellañ (Le best of)'' (2012) – Universal Music Group (CD best-of including a bonus CD of the remastered recording of the 1972 "Olympia" concert) * ''40th Anniversary Olympia 2012'' (2013) – Universal Mercury (CD/DVD Live about the new concert in Paris)

Family tree

References

Footnotes

Sources

* Laurent Bourdelas: ''Alan Stivell'', Brest, 2012, * Yann Brekilien (photog. Padrig Sicard): ''Alan Stivell ou le folk celtique'', Paris, 1973, * Jonathyne Briggs, ''Sounds French: Globalization, Cultural Communities, and Pop Music in France, 1958–1980'', Oxford University Press, 2015, Chapter 4 "Sounds Regional: The World in Breton Folk Music", * Anny Maurussane and Gérard Simon: ''Alan Stivell ou l'itinéraire d'un harper hero'', Paris, 2006, * Alan Stivell, Jacques Erwan and Marc Legras: ''Racines interdites / Gwriziad difennet'', Jean-Claude Lattès, Paris, 1979 * Alan Stivell and Jean-Noël Verdier
''Telenn, la harpe bretonne''
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