Gilles Servat

Gilles Servat is especially known like a Auteur-compositeur-interprète French, of expression French E and Breton. It is very committed in the defense of the cultural heritage of the Brittany. It is also a poet, whose beginning of career was marked by the song Blanche Hermine . He is the author of an important discography and he belonged to the artists who took part in the Héritage of the Celts of daN Ar Braz. He is also novelist of Science-fiction.

Biography

Formation and beginnings

Gilles Servat was born the 1945, with Tarbes, in a family of Nantes origin . The family moves afterwards a few months with Cholet, city in which it passes its childhood and its adolescence, with regular passages to Nantes. After the baccalaureat, he is pupil with the school of the Art schools of Angers, he intends himself for professorship and the sculpture. Its determining meeting with Brittany goes back to 1969, at the time of a stay to the island of Groix, it includes/understands which are its roots and decides to sing them. It is involved in this way also by the discovery of Glenmor and Alan Stivell. It settles with Paris and is initiated with the puppet theater. The life in Paris nourishes its “bretonnitude” and Montparnasse blues inspires to him. Giving up an use of civil servant to postal and telecommunications authorities, it launches out in the musical adventure, occurring during 2 years with the bar Ti Jos, meeting place of Breton of Paris. It is in this place that he sings White Hermine for the first time. With the whole beginning of the the Seventies, it creates the label “Kelenn” and in 1972 it leaves its first album White Hermine , of which the title éponyme will become with the wire of time, a kind of semi-official anthem of Brittany. Business success, it is gold disc. The label, which counts in particular artists such as the Tri Yann year Naoned, is resold at the Phonogram firm.

The career

Carried by the success of the White Hermine , its discography will develop in a regular way. In parallel, it devotes much of its time to give concerts both in France and abroad. In the decade of the Years 1970, it leaves almost an album per annum: Ki of the in 1973, then the Swallow , Freedom shines in the night , the Capacity of the words . The texts of its songs alternate the poetic inspiration and the militant claim. In 1977, it is Chantez the life, the love, the death, whose song title is eloquent.

After Gold and Copper in 1979, it pays homage, the following year, with Rene-Guy Cadou (1920 - 1951), this prematurely dead Breton poet. In 1981, it proposes an album in concert and in 1982, I will not howl with the wolves . In 1984 and 1985, it takes part in the activities of the Theater of the Dream of Michel Ecoffart. 1988, Mad in Serenity obtains the Grand Prix of the Académie Charles-Cross-country race and the Price of the District council of Brittany. The album the River left in 1992 is the subject of a spectacle, presented to Tombées the Night, celebrates it festival of Rennes.

As from 1993, it joined daN Ar Braz for the adventure of the Héritage of the Celts, a project which ambitionne to have the richness of the Celtic Musique in all its diversity. It finds inter alia, Elaine Morgan, Nollaig Casey, Karen Matheson (singer of the group Capercaillie), Yann-Fañch Kemener, Donald Shaw. It takes part in the recording of the four albums: Heritage of the Celts (1994), In concert (1995), Finisterres (1997) and the Zenith (concert in 1998). The following year, it is present on the meeting of the Bretagnes at Bercy , with, in addition to the artists of “the Heritage”, Armens, Alan Stivell and Tri Yann.

In 1996, leaves the album On the Quays Dublin , on which it invited some artists: Ronnie Drew (of Dubliners), Andy Irvine, Rita Connolly, Bagad Ronsed-Mor of Locoal-Mendon. Touche not in White Hermine is a disc recorded in public, in 1998 with Auray, on which one finds some of his most known titles ( Old city of shit , On the quays of Dublin , etc); the piece white Hermine is preceded by the recitation of the text Touche not… , a violent diatribe against the militants of the National front, who recover his song in their meetings. As I would like in 2000, made following the shipwreck of Erika, which polluted the coasts of Brittany in December 1999, but also of the poetic songs, where the Ireland is present.

In 2003 with Saint-Malo, it receives the collar of the Ordre of Hermine, which rewards the personalities which work for the radiation of Brittany.

The May 19th 2005, Servat leaves a new album: Under the water and copper sky which contains in particular a song with the memory of Polig Monjarret entitled the General of the Bagpipes , nickname of the founder of the rear Bodadeg Sonerion .

In 2006, at the time of its 35 years of career, Servat leaves a compilation in 2 Cd, whose 35 titles were chosen by the public. The November 12th, it gives a concert birthday to the Olympia in company of Nolwenn Korbell.

Discography

1971 : White Hermine - 45 turns - éd. Kelenn
1972 : White Hermine - 33 turns - éd. Kelenn, Phonogram
1973: Ki Of the - 33 turns - éd. Kelenn, Phonogram
1973: Brittany of today (compilation) - double 33 turns - éd. Philips, 6680 272
1974: the Swallow - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1975: Freedom shines in the night - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1976: capacity of the words - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1977: Sing the life, the love and death - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1979: Gold and Copper - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1980: Homage to Rene Guy Cadou - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1981: Gilles Servat in public - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1982: I will not howl with the wolves - 33 turns - éd. Kalondour, Phonogram
1985: the pain to like - CD - Servat, Plural
1988: Mad in Serenity , - CD - Escalibur, Coop Breizh
1988: Rochambeau 88 - K7 - not published
1991: the Insane Albatross , - CD - éd. Keltia music
1992: the River - CD - Escalibur, Coop Breizh
1994: A-raok mount kuit (Before leaving) - CD - éd. Keltia musique
1994 : Albums of Youth (compilation) - CD - éd. Keltia musique
1996 : Litanies for the year 2000 (compilation) - CD - Mercury, Philips
1996: On the quays of Dublin - CD - Columbia, Sony Music
1998: Key not in White Hermine - CD - Saint-George, Sony Music
2000: As I will want - CD - Columbia
2003: Stopovers , - CD - Columbia
2005: Under the water and copper sky - CD - Coop Breizh
2006: I carry you in my heart (35 years - 35 titles) - compilation doubles CD - Coop Breizh

Collaborations

1993 with Alan Stivell: Again
1994 with daN Ar Braz: Heritage of the Celts
1995 with daN Ar Braz: Heritage of the Celts in Concert
1997 with daN Ar Braz: Heritage of the Celts, Finisterres
1998 with daN Ar Braz: Heritage of the Celts, Zenith
1999 Bretagnes in Bercy
2000 with Donal lunny: Saint-Patrick
2003 Stade de France 2002
2003 Carlos Núñez: a Galician in Brittany

Literary work

Put at died of the popular cultures in collaboration with Guy Millière. Editions Syros (1978).
Connemara (photographs of Didier Houeix), Editions Apogee, coll “Celtic Grounds”, Rennes.

In the field of the science fiction:

chronicles of Arcturus , editions Atalante.

1 - Skinn Mac Dana (1995)
2 - the navigation of Myrdhinn (1996)
3 - Arcturus (1997)
4 - Ssahanis (2000)
5 - the tenth day of Branvode (2003)

Postface of the novel " The Noirs" Bell ringers; of Jean-Pierre Hubert, collection Other Worlds, Mango.

Complements

Sources and bibliography

Erwan Chartier, Gilles Servat, portrait , Coop Breizh, Spézet, 2006.
Guy Millière, Gilles Servat, Songs of today , editions Seghers, 1976.
Christian Renaut, Glance on Gilles Servat (photographs), 1989.

External bond

Official site of Gilles Servat

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