ABSTRACT
Brittany comprises 34,200 square kilometers in the westernmost parts of France on the Atlantic littoral, including the department of Loire-Atlantique, administratively cut off from Brittany by the French government in 1941, to the continued protests of Bretons. Brittany is subdivided in several parts, each with a different cultural or administrative significance. Traditional Breton music is perpetuated through oral transmission, supported by books and recordings from institutions that organize workshops and classes. Since little was recorded in writing in early Breton society, the origins of Breton music are difficult to trace. Until about 1800, information about music is found only in references to popular traditions in the poetry and texts of royal courts and the Roman Catholic Church. Traditional Breton singing is unaccompanied. Dance-songs are sung in unison, and most ballad singing is performed solo. While many Bretons continued the oral tradition, others consciously developed institutions to teach and preserve music and dance.
