06/15/2024
Marcel Le Guilloux – Chanteur, conteur, paysan du Centre-Bretagne
Publication : 2019
Collection: Patrimoine oral de Bretagne
464 pages, CD with 30 tracks.
Collection Patrimoine oral de Bretagne, vol. 9
Published by Dastum and Presses Universitaire de Rennes
https://www.dastum.bzh/article/marcel-le-guilloux-chanteur-conteur-paysan-du-centre-bretagne/
The caveat on this brief review is that this book is not at all in English. For those of us with some facility in French or Breton there is an incalculable wealth of information here. For others, there are cool photos and the included CD is pretty neat.
This lovely book is part of the “Patrimoine Oral de Bretagne” series, which are typically extremely well done, dense ethnographic studies of significant cultural figures. As you might guess, this book tells the story of Marcel Le Guilloux, the youngest son of a rural family from Central Brittany, born in 1930, who became a great interpreter of the Breton singing and dancing tradition, a major figure in its transmission, a storyteller, a farmer passionate about his animals, and a volunteer engaged in significant cultural initiatives.
Born at the crossroads of changing times, witnessing and participating in the tumults of the past century, Marcel has always been keen to offer the younger generations the riches of the previous ones - which is what he still does throughout this work, with the generosity, humor and vitality that the reader either already knows him for or that they will enjoy discovering.
With a consummate art of speech and detail, Marcel Le Guilloux evokes the universe of his Breton childhood – his path of singer, from the first revival of Breton music to the great scenes of today – his work as a peasant in an agricultural world in the midst of revolution, despite the handicap of impaired vision – and his intense activity as a student and teacher of the kan ha diskan vocal tradition.
The conversation on the art of storytelling is accompanied by an anthology of his stories – nearly 80 songs from his repertoire provide the opportunity to analyze their history and content. The included CD provides 30 archival tracks from 1958 to 2018, where you will hear Marcel in the company of thirteen of his many friends and students.
This book contains interviews with Marthe Vassallo, Ifig and Nanda Le Troadec, Nolùen Le Buhé, and Annie Ebrel, as well as Jean-Pierre Le Guyader for Radio Kreiz Breizh, edited and translated by Marthe Vassallo. The songs are transcribed and translated by Ifig and Nanda Le Troadec.
~ Fañch