Published
Video length: 6 min
Brittany: the bagad punctuates the lives of the inhabitants
Brittany: the bagad punctuates the lives of the inhabitants
(France 2)
In Brittany, the “bagad” is a very lively tradition. Far from falling into disuse, this musical tradition is still passed down within families.
When some enjoy Brittany by bike, others carry their musical instruments. Their sets are called “bagad”which means “band”, in Breton. These orchestras are composed of bombardes, a kind of oboe, bagpipes, borrowed from the Scots, and percussion. Enough to ring in Fest-noz, and get people dancing in the evenings.
Among the followers, many young Bretons, who reclaim their culture and traditions. Bagad is a heritage that punctuates the daily life of the Tardif family. Suzie and her father work on sequences. The son trains in bombarde every week with his friends in the bagad school. Near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), the succession seems assured. 70 students learn to play: “We grew up in it (…) my father did bombarde, my mother did bombarde”, comments a young musician. The elders can rest assured, the youth have taken over.
