Barzaz Breiz

The Barzaz Breiz, popular songs of Brittany , subtitle “ collected and published with a French translation, explanations, notes and the melodies original by Th. of Villemarqué ” is a collection of songs collected in the part Breton-speaking of the Brittany at the 19th century, translated and annotated by the Viscount Theodore Hersart of Villemarqué. The near total of the texts result from a collection started with his/her mother and continued with more large scales by the young person chartist.

Barzaz Breiz , into Breton, literally means “Collection of poems of Brittany”.

Various editions

The first edition was published in 1839 in Paris with the Delloye Editions in the shape of 2 books in-8°. Reprinted in 1840, 1845 and, at Didier and Co, 1846, this book is then appeared in 1867 in Paris.

The edition of 1867 was then reprinted many times until our days by the academic bookstore Perrin, without counting the many English translations (Taylor, Fleay…), allemandes (Keller-Seckendorf….), Italian (Pascoli), Polish, etc

In 1981, a new editor proposes Barzaz Breiz with the format pocket.

In 1989, the Breton editor of Lesneven, Mouladurioù Hor Yezh, made appear under the title Barzaz Breizh the only edition comprising only the text Breton, but transcribed in the modern unified orthography, said Peurunvan .

In 1996, Coop Breizh publishes a version format pocket of the collection without the Breton text in accordance with the wish of Pierre Trépos ( About a new edition of Barzaz Breiz , 1959).

In 1999, the Éditions of the Forester published a reprinting of the edition of 1867, presented by Yann-Fañch Kemener, Breton-speaking singer and important collector, increased foreword of the edition of 1845. The principal merit is to have put the French and Breton texts in opposite by ensuring a very great legibility. A compact disk accompanies the work getting an interpretation by 12 of the songs by Yann-Fanch Kemener and the Maîtrise of Brittany, only or together.

Radiation

This work was an important success of regard near the Parisian literary company, attracting itself a famous appreciation of George Sand which mentioned “diamonds of Barzaz Breiz” and compared one of the songs of the collection, the Tribute of Nominoé, with the Iliade of Homère. The author, who did not have that 24 years, saw his social status rising and that allowed him, by looking further into its work on the Breton Langue and the old Breton tragedies, to become an uncontested reference and to open the doors of the Académie of the inscriptions and the humanities in 1856.

The posterity of the Barzaz Breiz is one of most remarkable which is, by its literary, scientific and political aspects. It is still the source of inspiration of current artists, in particular of the musicians thanks to the fact that the music of the songs is noted in the work.

The Quarrel of Barzaz Breiz

Well after the publication, François-Marie Luzel made a criticism in rule of the work of that which it had followed during a time, at the time of an erudite congress in 1868. It estimated that the songs could have been completely manufactured with the manner of James MacPherson, because, he said, it had never met itself of the versions so elegant and so free from French words. The principal problem raised by its contradictors was that Villemarqué refused to show its notebooks. At the end of its life, Villemarqué and Luzel were reconciled.

In a thesis supported in 1960 Francis Gourvil supported that Barzaz Breiz was a forgery.

Into a thesis supported in 1974 and published in 1989, Donatien Laurent rejects partially these charges by showing the authenticity of the matter of the work thanks to the discovery, in 1964, of the notebooks of collecting of Villemarqué. The assumption more vraisembable is that Villemarqué proceeded to rehandlings with an aim of embellishment and establishment of a version-type to the manner of the brothers Grimm, as it was of use at that time.

Breton music

Barzaz Breiz had a great influence on many Breton singers and musicians. Alan Stivell borrows several musics and texts to him ( Marv Pontkalleg , An Alarc' H , Silvestrig , Jenovefa , Basle Arzur and Diougan Gwenc' hlan ), of the same Tri Yann ( Distro euz rear Vro-Saoz ), Gilles Servat, etc

Quotations

“Europe well-read woman pâma in front of the beauty of these popular songs collected in the Armorican campaigns. George Sand, in particular, protested her emotion and invented, to qualify these parts, the expression of " literature orale" : " Only one province of France east to the height, in its poetry, of what the genius of the largest poets and that of the most poetic nations ever produced: we will dare to say that it exceeds it. We want to speak about Brittany. But Brittany, it does not have there a long time that it is France. (...) Genius epic, dramatic, in love, warlike, tender, sad, sinks, mocker, naive, all is there! … " (the Goddaughter)”. Michel Treguer, Species of Man! Test on the identity , Editions of Time, 2007.

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