Gwerz (, "

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

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lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somethin ...

", plural ) is a type of folk song of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. In

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 ...

, the tells a story 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 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 ...

. Though historically sung unaccompanied, some modern musicians use limited instrumentation with the gwerz. Some of the most famous performers in current gwerzioù are

Erik Marchand Érik Marchand (born 1955) is a Breton traditional singer and player of the treujenn-gaol (Breton clarinet). Although born in Paris, his family was of Breton origin, hailing from Quelneuc, Brittany. Influenced by the music of Manuel Kerjean, ...

Yann-Fañch Kemener Yann-Fañch Loeiz Kemener (April 7, 1957 – March 16, 2019) was a traditional singer and ethnomusicologist from Brittany, born in Sainte-Tréphine, Côtes-d'Armor, France. Known in French as Jean-François Louis Quémener. He took part in re ...

, and

Denez Prigent Denez Prigent (; born 17 February 1966 in Santec, Finistère) is a Breton folk singer-songwriter of the ''gwerz'' and '' kan ha diskan'' styles of Breton music. From his debut at the age of 16, he was known for singing traditional songs '' a ca ...

Notable gwerzioù

*'' An hini a garan'' *''

Gwerz Skolan "Gwerz Skolan" is a ''gwerz'' with a long tradition in Lower Brittany, especially Léon-Trégor and Cornouaille. Its story is found in Old Welsh texts also, and the oldest extant Welsh version is found in the 13th-century '' Black Book of Carma ...

'' *''

Gwerz Santes Enori The ''Gwerz Santes Enori'' is a Breton ''gwerz'', a type of folk song that combines literary with musical characteristics. The song, which is preserved in many versions and fragments, tells a story that resembles a saint's life, a 14th-century ve ...

'' *Gwerz Ker is *'' Gwerz Fañchig kemper *Gwerz ar vezhinerien *Ar Roue Gralon ha Kear Is

References

Breton music {{music-genre-stub