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 The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...

. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically Breton) harp and Celtic music 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. A precursor of

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 foundatio ...

, 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 or (endonym: ) is a northern dialect of Occitan spoken in central and southern France, in particular in the former administrative region of Auvergne. Currently, research shows that there is not really a true Auvergnat dialect but rather a va ...

town of Riom. 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 Celtic or Breton harp in the small town of Gourin,

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

JT 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 Breton language, traditional Breton dance, and the Scottish

bagpipe 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, ...

and the bombarde, a traditional Breton instrument, from the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, with its cosmopolitan influences. But he fell in love with

and Celtic culture, 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

. In 1966, Alan Stivell began to perform and record as a singer. The following year, he was signed by

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...

. 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 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 A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...

, especially after the release of the purely instrumental 1971 album ''

Renaissance of the Celtic Harp ''Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique'' or ''Renaissance of the Celtic Harp'' is a 1972 record album by the Breton master of the Celtic harp Alan Stivell that revolutionised the connection between traditional folk music, modern rock music and world ...

'', which won one of the most famous awards in France, the prize of the

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy is ...

. The music critic Bruce Elder wrote of the album ''

'': On 28 February 1972, Stivell performed a concert in the Olympia 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 in 1976. With his 1980 '' Symphonie Celtique'', he mixed for the first time elements of rock, a symphonic orchestra, Celtic instruments and such non-European ethnic elements as Berber vocalist Djourha and

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

ist Narendra Bataju. 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 Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

Celtic fusions and world music

In the 1990s, Stivell recorded with the French singer

Laurent Voulzy Lucien Voulzy (, born 18 December 1948), better known as Laurent Voulzy (), is a French singer-songwriter, composer and musician. Life and career Voulzy was born in Paris, France. He originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus ...

, Irish traditional performer

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGow ...

and Senegalese singer

Doudou N'Diaye Rose Doudou Ndiaye Rose (born Mamadou Ndiaye; 28 July 1930 – 19 August 2015) was a Senegalese drummer, composer and band leader, and was the recognized modern master of Senegal's traditional drum, the sabar. He was the father of a musical dynasty ...

. 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 ...

in Rennes. 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 part ...

(of

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

Jim Kerr James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish singer and the lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. Ot ...

(of Simple Minds), Khaled and

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

to be in his very international ''1 Douar'' / ''1 Earth'' album. The 1998 French-language hit " La Tribu de Dana" 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". 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. Stivell is now credited for a part of " La Tribu de Dana"'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 Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...

'' or '' 1 Douar'' ("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 Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group. Its Latin name ''harm ...

. 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 ...

) as a result of the concert performed at the Olympia 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 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

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...

n vision of a world living in

meditative Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

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 Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band

Eluveitie Eluveitie ( ; )Chrigel Glanzmann: "...According to current research, it is pronounced in Bernese German as, i.e. ''"Elvèyti"''. But I don't know if this is correct. The gods know that.:: Metalist Magazine :: Interviews :: Eluveitie is a Swiss f ...

. Their biggest hit 'Inis Mona' shares a melody with the traditional Tri Martolod. Where it is played on bagpipes,

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

and

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a vi ...

with the addition of harsh vocals,

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and drums.

Instruments

Festival de Cornouaille 2016 - Alan Stivell - 13.jpg,

and

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Make ...

Alan Stivell - tin whistle.jpg, Vocals and

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 MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...

) Festival de Cornouaille 2016 - Alan Stivell - 11.jpg, Great Highland bagpipe Pat O'May et Alan Stivell 02.JPG,

Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

Discography

Original (studio and live) albums

#''Telenn Geltiek / Harpe celtique'' (1964) (studio #01 / instrumental #01) #''Reflets / Reflections'' (1970) (studio #02) #''

'' (1971) (studio #03 / instrumental #02) #'' À l'Olympia / Olympia Concert'' (1972) (live #01) #'' Chemins de Terre / 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) #'' Symphonie Celtique: 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 Breton) #''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'' (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 Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

(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''
Brest, 2004, *Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

External links

* (English, Breton and French language)
Biography until 1995

Alan Stivell
at

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Alan Stivell
at

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2019 interview with Innerviews
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stivell, Alan Breton musicians 1944 births Living people Celtic fusion musicians People from Riom French people of Breton descent Breton-language singers French people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Celtic rock music French folk music Fontana Records artists Vertigo Records artists Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres