An Alarc'h – Breton Celtic War Chant

by



Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a folk song from Brittany in the Breton language, one of the surviving remnants of Common Brythonic, the language once spoken in Great-Britain before the Anglo-Saxon arrival. The song is found in the 19th century collection of folk songs called “Barzaz Breiz,” put together by Breton philologist Théodore Claude Henri, vicomte Hersart de la Villemarqué.

The song is written with a profoundly nationalistic and patriotic Breton angle, and recounts the return of Yann IV, known as the Swan of Monfort, who was exiled to Britain for a time, but returned in 1379 to defend Brittany against a French force led by another Breton, Bertrand du Guesclin. There, Yann won against Betrand, and regained control of the throne of Brittany.

The instrumentation is typical of Breton music, and consists of the Breton bombard, a reed instrument similar to the medieval shawm or the Middle-Eastern zurna, a bagpipe, a fiddle, a flute, a guitar providing the chord progression, and most importantly, the harp, possibly the national instrument of the Breton people and identity.

Breton Lyrics:
Un alarc’h, un alarc’h tra mor
Un alarc’h, un alarc’h tra mor
War lein tour moal kastell Arvor

Dinn, dinn, daoñ, d’an emgann, d’an emgann, o !
Dinn, dinn, daoñ, d’an emgann ez an

Erru ul lestr e pleg ar mor
Erru ul lestr e pleg ar mor
E ouelioù gwenn gantañ digor

Degoue’et an Aotrou Yann en-dro
Degoue’et an Aotrou Yann en-dro
Digoue’et eo da ziwall e vro

Neventi vad d’ar Vretoned
Neventi vad d’ar Vretoned
Ha mallozh ruz d’ar C’hallaoued

Enor, enor d’ar gwenn-ha-du !
Enor, enor d’ar gwenn-ha-du !
Ha d’an dreitourien mallozh ruz !

English translation:
A swan, a swan from across the sea
A swan, a swan from across the sea
On the height of the tower of Castle Armor

Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle, to the battle, oh!
Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle I’m going!

A ship has come to the gulf,
A ship has come to the gulf
Its white sails are open

Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle, to the battle, oh!
Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle I’m going!

Lord John came back,
Lord John came back,
Came back to protect his country

Glad tidings to the Bretons
Glad tidings to the Bretons
And a red curse upon the French!

Honour, honour to the White and Black
Honour, honour to the White and Black
And damn the traitors!

source

48 thoughts on “An Alarc'h – Breton Celtic War Chant”

  1. Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a folk song from Brittany in the Breton language, one of the surviving remnants of Common Brythonic, the language once spoken in Great-Britain before the Anglo-Saxon arrival. The song is found in the 19th century collection of folk songs called "Barzaz Breiz," put together by Breton philologist Théodore Claude Henri, vicomte Hersart de la Villemarqué.

    The song is written with a profoundly nationalistic and patriotic Breton angle, and recounts the return of Yann IV, known as the Swan of Monfort, who was exiled to Britain for a time, but returned in 1379 to defend Brittany against a French force led by another Breton, Bertrand du Guesclin. There, Yann won against Betrand, and regained control of the throne of Brittany.

    The instrumentation is typical of Breton music, and consists of the Breton bombard, a reed instrument similar to the medieval shawm or the Middle-Eastern zurna, a bagpipe, a fiddle, a flute, a guitar providing the chord progression, and the harp, considered by some Bretons to be the national instrument of the Breton people and identity.

    Breton Lyrics:
    Un alarc'h, un alarc'h tra mor
    Un alarc'h, un alarc'h tra mor
    War lein tour moal kastell Arvor

    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, d'an emgann, d'an emgann, o !
    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, d'an emgann ez an

    Erru ul lestr e pleg ar mor
    Erru ul lestr e pleg ar mor
    E ouelioù gwenn gantañ digor

    Degoue'et an Aotrou Yann en-dro
    Degoue'et an Aotrou Yann en-dro
    Digoue'et eo da ziwall e vro

    Neventi vad d'ar Vretoned
    Neventi vad d'ar Vretoned
    Ha mallozh ruz d'ar C'hallaoued

    Enor, enor d'ar gwenn-ha-du !
    Enor, enor d'ar gwenn-ha-du !
    Ha d'an dreitourien mallozh ruz !

    English translation:
    A swan, a swan from across the sea
    A swan, a swan from across the sea
    On the height of the tower of Castle Armor

    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle, to the battle, oh!
    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle I’m going!

    A ship has come to the gulf,
    A ship has come to the gulf
    Its white sails are open

    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle, to the battle, oh!
    Dinn, dinn, daoñ, to the battle I’m going!

    Lord John came back,
    Lord John came back,
    Came back to protect his country

    Glad tidings to the Bretons
    Glad tidings to the Bretons
    And a red curse upon the French!

    Honour, honour to the White and Black
    Honour, honour to the White and Black
    And damn the traitors!

    Reply

  7. Hello Farya,

    I am very glad that you put some attention on Bretagne and Breton, since I am from Armor – one of the county of the kingdom of Bretagne of old. I also am an admirer of your work in general on music and music theory : since I have very few notions of musicology or music theory, I find your videos very instructing and fascinating on one side, and beautifully pleasing to hear on the other.
    Concerning the Barzaz Breiz and De la Villemarqué, I would recommend you to read some of the work of François-Marie Luzel, known also as Fañch an Uhel – a folklorist, poet and journalist from Tregor who collected the oral traditions and chant of several parts of Bretagne.
    The history of Bretagne, especially the conflict about the "purity of language", the "pure celtic heritage" and its myths and legends is fascinating and the work of De la Villemarqué is discussed and critiqued a lot especially in its fantasmed vision of a culture that he had a tendency to ….recreate to correspond to a mythical past than to actually preserve and understand (including some falsifications of chants and legends that he found too french or not epic enough). Same as breton language actually, which is, in its current form a recreation dating from the XIXe and XXe century to satisfy some political and folkloric demands more than an actual preservation of a language of the people : as for an example, gallo another language was commonly spoken in many places in Bretagne before it was replaced by current breton, so called "pure" breton as "the language of the ancestors"). Of course, what I am saying there is not an attack at your musical works on Bretonne music (which I listen with pleasure quite often), just some trail of research and information if the subject is of interest to you 🙂

    Thank you again for your work,

    Reply

  32. Dear Farya

    You share the melodies of many cultures and civilisations by preserving their originals and interpreting them today. This is very good. Because every culture and civilisation has its own special beauty. Thus, on your channel, people from different countries and cultures get to know each other more closely and develop a new understanding. Your work is a contribution to peace, brotherhood and well-being of humanity. We congratulate you and wish you success in your work. May you be in the care of Almighty God..❤🙏

    Anarcho World Federation
    On behalf of
    Tonguc Turna

    Reply

  33. There is a slight, and maybe intended, anachronism in the lyrics.

    The last part of the lyrics refers to the Gwen ha Du.

    Gwen ha Du is the name of the modern breton flag, that was created in 1925.

    The reference to this flag is a recent addition in some versions of the lyrics, as the sieur de Villemarqué had no way to know this name.

    As a breton myself, I deeply thanks Mr Farya for this excellent rendition of the song.

    For the non french/breton who would like to hear another breton war song, I recommand "la blanche hermine", by gilles Servat.

    Reply

  37. Celts just have a way with having epic songs and I'm loving every second of it. Your arrangements are all that you could want for a modern interpretation of these folk songs you've been putting out in the past weeks. ¡Keep it up!

    Reply

  42. Adoraria ver uma música galega. Os galegos são descendentes da tribo céltica galaica. Ainda é visto na Galiza (província da Espanha no extremo noroeste do país, na divisa com Portugal e de cara ao Oceano Atlântico) muitos traços da música e cultura céltica. Eles não falam mais uma língua céltica, ela se perdeu com a migração galaica pra Bretanha (pois fugiam dos romanos), porém falavam galego-português até um tempo atrás… Digo isso pois já cantou em galego-português e castelhano, portanto, já está, de certa forma, acostumado às línguas íbero-românicas.

    Poderia usar de uma temática histórica, como é do seu costume fazer. Vem agora à minha mente a peregrinação que ocorria da Europa inteira pra Santiago de Compostela, onde os católicos creem até hoje que o Apóstolo Tiago Maior foi enterrado. Há uma forte tradição católica que diz que Santiago desceu dos céus montado num cavalo e ajudou os cruzados da Espanha a combaterem os invasores mouros, o que o deu o apelido "Santiago Mata-Mouros", como o apelido de Basílio II, "Basílio Bulgaróctono". Uma famosa canção católica fala desse feito, ela é chamada "Dum Pater Familias".
    https://youtu.be/n-5mx5o8YYs?feature=shared

    Venho tentando a anos, mas não vou desistir até ver uma música que represente minha cultura (não sei se sou descendente de galegos, porém eles tiveram ligação direta intrínseca aos portugueses. Sendo eu de sangue também português, posso compartilhar do sangue galego também)😂😂
    Sei que um dia vai me notar🙌🏽

    Reply

Leave a Comment