So what is Celtic music?
Celtic music draws connections to the early cultures of the British Isles and Western Europe. The folk music revival of the 1960s with American artists like Bob Dylan was a huge impetus for the revival of Celtic music and culture. Artists, especially, throughout Britain, Ireland and France took cue and began rediscovering their own roots and unearthed exciting traditions spanning back to a time before the invasions of the Romans or Anglo-Saxons. Soon musicians everywhere were picking up the “illun pipes,” Bodhran, flutes and whistles, fiddles and the bouzouki and igniting the music of the ancients in a modern world.
This playlist leads us on a journey throughout the Celtic diaspora. We’ll begin in the British Isles with tunes from Ireland, Wales and Scotland. After that we’ll jump down to Brittany and Galicia. Finally, we’ll cross the Atlantic to the Canadian Maritimes where the legacy of Celtic culture is alive and kicking in Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island.One artist, who I’ve come to discover as of late, who was a key player in the Celtic music renaissance of early 70s is Alan Stivell. Stivell is a musician and singer from Brittany, a Northwest province of France that has survived for centuries as a bastion of Celtic culture. He modernized traditional Breton music and singing in the Breton language. Many consider his music to be the precursor for Celtic Rock. Brittany
Ian Morrison Reel - Alan Stivell
The Black-Haired Maiden - Alan Stivell
Ireland
Samradh Samradh - The Gloaming
Slip Jig / Jig Gan Ainm - Danu
King of the Fairies - Horslips
Whirl-Y-Reel 1 - Afro Celt Sound System
Wales
Calan
Ceffylau - Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
Scotland
The Queen of Argyll - Silly Wizard
An Dans Elegua - Salsa Celtica
Brittany
Les Transformations - Malicorne
Galicia
Dia de Campoo - Cahornega
Cape Breton
The Giant - Stan Rogers
Big Sampie’s Reel - Maxim Cormier
Prince Edward Island
Huginn & Muninn - Ten Strings and a Goat Skin
4:44 - Vishtén
Secret Victory - The East Pointers |
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