The Goadec Sisters (Ar C'hoarezed Goadeg in

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 ...

) usually known as ''Les sœurs Goadec'' in French, were a Breton vocal group originating from Treffrin ( Côtes d'Armor,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

). The trio embody the traditional

music of Brittany 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 ...

, singing

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

. The three sisters were Maryvonne (1900-1983), Eugenie (1909-2003) and Anastasie Goadec (1913-1998). They began to perform at ''

fest-noz A Fest Noz (Breton for ''night festival'') is a Breton traditional festival, with dancing in groups and live musicians playing acoustic instruments. Although it is all too easy to write off the ' and ''fêtes folkloriques'' as modern inventions, ...

'' (evening dances) in 1956, among the pipers 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 ...

players. Accompanied until 1964 by their two sisters, Louise (1903-1964) and Ernestine (1911-1964), their repertoire consisted mainly of laments ('' Gwerzioù'' in Breton). As a trio, they attempted to adapt their singing to dance and developed a new form of call and response singing (''

kan ha diskan is probably the most common type of traditional music of Brittany. It is a vocal tradition ( translates from Breton as, roughly, ''call and response singing''). The style is the most commonly used to accompany dances. It has become perhaps the ...

''). The

Breton revival 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 ...

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been extremely prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundat ...

and the popularity of

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

put them in the spotlight in 1972–1973, in the wake of

Alan Stivell Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a French, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically ...

, one of their biggest admirers. The three sisters contributed much to

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 ...

and its sustainability. Over several recordings they transmitted a vast repertoire of songs and techniques specific to Breton folk singing.

Annie Ebrel Annie Ebrel (born 1969) is a traditional Breton singer of traditional '' Kan ha diskan'' (dance songs) and '' Gwerz'' (ballads). Background Annie Ebrel was born in 1969 in the village of Lohuec, near Callac, Côtes-d'Armor department, part o ...

is a second cousin of

Louise Ebrel Louise Ebrel (27 July 1932 – 30 March 2020) was a Breton singer whose parents Eugénie Goadec (one of the Goadec Sisters) and Job Ebrel were themselves singers. Her repertoire was composed of traditional Breton songs, either for dancing ('' ...

, who is a daughter of Eugénie Goadec.

References

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Discogs
Breton-language singers Sibling musical trios {{Brittany-stub

See also

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