Kan ar Bobl ( Breton for ''Song of the people'') is a

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 ...

competition created in 1973, that takes place in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

as part of the

Festival Interceltique de Lorient __NOTOC__ The (French), Emvod Ar Gelted An Oriant (Breton) or Inter-Celtic Festival of Lorient in English, is an annual Celtic festival, located in the city of Lorient, Brittany, France. It was founded in 1971 by . This annual festival takes ...

. It was the brainchild of Polig Montjarret.

Presentation

At the time of the festival's inauguration, Celtic music was quite popular, with Alan Stivell,

Dan Ar Braz Dan Ar Braz (; born Daniel Le Bras on 15 January 1949 in Quimper) is a Breton guitarist-singer-composer and the founder of L'Héritage des Celtes, a 50-piece Pan-Celt band. Leading guitarist in Celtic music, Dan Ar Braz has recorded as a solo ...

Glenmor Glenmor was the stage name of Emile Le Scanf (1931–1996), a Breton protest singer who sought to preserve the Breton language and adapt local traditions of folk singing to the radical culture of the 1960s and 70s. He is also known by the Breton ...

and

Gilles Servat Gilles Servat is a French singer, born in Tarbes in southern France in 1945, into a family whose roots lay in the Nantes region of Brittany. He is an ardent promoter ardent of the Breton culture, and sings in both French and Breton, as well as ...

being big names in the field. Quickly, its success had put pressure on the organisers to hold local heats all over

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 ...

before the final (1975). This formula is still in use today, and offers the advantage that only the best musicians can play at the final. Since 1993, the festivities have been held in

Pontivy Pontivy (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Inhabitants of Pontivy are called ''Pontivyens'' in French. Map History A ...

(

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

), and in 1997 it was passed into the hands of its eponym. Since 1990, a "Grand Prix of Kan ar Bobl" is given to the winners of different competitions. In 2005, the ''Kanit ta bugale'' trophy was set up, in honour of Polig Montjarret, who died in 2003. The Kan ar Bobl festival marks an important date in the Breton cultural diary as it boasts a meet-up of hundreds of musicians and singers in the region who play an active part in the conservation of Brittany's rich musical heritage. Many bands have been formed after meeting there, including Storvan,

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 ...

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 Ar Re Yaouank.

The competition

The Kan ar Bobl's aim is to conserve and transmit musical patrimony throughout different areas of Brittany, but also to inspire new original forms. The heats take place in different areas of Brittany, and the participants must perform in front of judges. The musicians may compete in more than category, and may even perform in different locations if needs be. The chosen artists take part in the final, held in Pontivy where they must perform again.

Main categories

* Traditional song * Creation * Tales * Duets * Solo Instruments * Music groups * School groups {{DEFAULTSORT:Kan Ar Bobl Breton music Music festivals in France