Songs of oral tradition in the Breton language
in books, reviews, manuscripts, discs, cassettes, CDs

Search on songs

TitleThemeSummaryMalrieu reference

  • Historical or legendary events
    • Acts of war, fighting, natural disasters, biographies / destinies
      • Battles, acts of war
        • Fights, battles, collective brawls
        • The Chouannerie and its battles
        • Duels
        • Naval Battles
        • Napoleonic wars
        • Colonial wars
        • War of 1870
        • War of 1914-1918
        • War of 1939-1945
      • Return of the warrior (of a historic nature)
      • Revolts, protest movements, political songs
        • Armed disputes, revolts, riots
        • Political protest
        • Social satires, criticism of laws, criticism of politicians
        • Religious problems (Revolution, XIX-XX century), anti-clericalism
        • Terror Attacks
      • Disasters
        • Epidemics, famines
        • Shipwrecks, dramas of the sea
        • Accidents, tragedies, fires, drownings, suicides
        • Calamities (floods, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions ...)
      • Lives and Secular Destiny
        • Summaries of life, destinies, lives of historical figures
        • Unregulated lives, sorcery, bandits, good-for-nothings
        • Episodes
    • Murders, crimes, rape
      • Assassinated girls
      • Murders for jealousy or revenge
      • Infanticide
      • Other crimes
    • Abductions or purchases of girls
      • Abduction
      • Abduction by seamen
    • Supernatural, wonderful, fantastic
      • Fantasy
      • Conversation with death, visit to the dead
      • Adventures with the Devil
    • Life of saints, religious cantilena [of the « gwerz » type]
      • Lives of saints
      • Miracles, apparitions
      • Exemplary punishments, exceptional penances
  • Songs about love, feelings
    • The beginnings, the origins, the early stages
      • Circumstances, love conversations or about love
        • Favourable circumstances, description of mistress, conversations, encounters
        • Eternal promises
        • Projects
        • Gifts
        • Banter, hesitations
        • In a hurry to get married
      • Advice
        • Parental advice
        • Advice from birds
        • Advice from others, other advice
      • Daydreaming
        • Reveries of a young man, description of the mistress
        • Reveries of a young girl
        • Conversation with a bird, identification with a bird
      • Trials to win love
    • Love triumphs
      • Marriage requests accepted, organized
      • Ruses, stratagems to win love
      • The safe return and marriage at last
      • Love victorious despite various oppositions
      • Perfect happiness
    • Love frustrated
      • Refusal of the girl
        • For non-expressed reasons
        • Difference in social class, profession
        • Fantasy / decision of the girl, metamorphosis
        • Because of defaults, vices
      • Parental refusal
        • Girl too young
        • Social class difference, wealth, defects
        • Other parental refusal
      • Departure
        • To the army
        • Abroad, in prison
        • In orders, study, travel
        • Separation
      • Competitor or slander
      • Sickness or death
      • Refusal of the boy
      • For unspecified reasons or other reasons
    • Love deceived
      • Jealousy, forgotten promises
      • Deceived, dishonoured girls
    • Fickle love
      • Proposals
        • Light-hearted or dishonest proposals
        • Proposals rejected
      • Adventures, gallantries, debauches
    • Love and mockery, sauciness
      • Enumerations of lovers, their defects
      • Saucy songs, bawdy songs
      • Amusing consequences of adventures
  • Seasonal or local songs or praises
    • New Year Festivities, collecting money food or drink, religious festivals
    • Songs on the occasion of various exceptional circumstances
      • Political life (elections, laws, etc.)
      • Inaugurations, coronations, official visits
    • Celebration of seasons, seasonal labours, nature
    • Celebration of the country, hymns, emblematic objects
      • Celebration of the Country
      • Celebrating women of a district
      • Celebration of the men of the country
      • Celebration of the Breton language, fight against / for Breton language
      • Celebration of other emblematic subjects
      • Celebration of the family
    • Songs to the glory of characters or events, tributes
      • Obituaries, praise
      • Other circumstances of praise
      • Anniversary masses
    • Controversies, chauvinism
    • Novelties
      • Technological innovations, discoveries
      • New fashions or customs
        • Emigration, exile, remoteness
        • Social disorder, social change
  • Daily life, civil status, social conditions
    • The phases of life
      • From birth to death
        • Diseases, mourning and disabilities
        • Poverty
        • Death, last hour
        • Childhood, stages of life, time passing
      • Lullabies, children’s songs
      • Marriage cycle, married life, couples
      • Autobiographies
      • Trivialities, news items, episodes of everyday life, society
      • Practical advice, public education, popular education, public health
      • Games, hunting
    • Single people, bachelors, women, widowers
      • Celibacy, elderly bachelors, old maids
      • Women (gossip, coquetry, jealousy)
      • Widowers, widows, marital pandemonium
    • The ill-chosen marriage, inconveniences of marriage
      • Forced marriages
      • Marrying for money
      • Regrets or inconveniences
        • Womens’ regrets
        • Mens’ regrets
        • Various difficulties
    • Cuckolds
    • Song about crafts, economic life
      • Millers, Tailors
      • Peasants, shepherds, fishermen, fishermen, seamen, maritime trade
      • Other occupations or social situations
    • Cycle of military episodes
      • Departures to the army and and random selection
      • Military adventures, nostalgia
      • Desertions, criticism of war
      • Return from the army or from travelling
      • Other songs related to the army
    • Songs relating to consumption, addictions, vices
      • Celebration of wine, coffee, honey...
      • Consequences of vices (drinks, tobacco, etc.)
      • Arguments
      • Money, avarice
      • Slander, false witness
      • Gambling (dice, cards...)
    • Walking songs
    • Songs for dancing or about dancing
      • Songs for dancing to lyrics designed purely to accompany the dance
      • Songs having dance or music as subject
  • Comic, satirical, humorous songs
    • Lies, implausibilities, improbabilities
    • Mockeries, satires, criticism
      • Priests, monks, nuns
      • Women
      • Men
      • Miscellaneous mockeries
    • Humorous, animal conversations
  • Enumerative songs, + chansons brèves
  • Miscellaneous
    • Short songs, Formulas, refrains
    • Obscure, incomplete songs
    • Literary songs
      • Literary songs without a known author
      • Literary songs with known author
  • Prose, various texts, documentation
    • Unlisted repertoire, various
      • Almanacs, prophecies
      • Short songs
        • Proverbs
        • Riddles
        • Petty bickering, mutual insults and mockery between different communities
      • Popular theatre
      • Other genres (fables...)
    • Catalogues
    • Bibliographies
  • Songs related to religion
    • Christmas songs
    • Hymns, canticles
      • In honour of ... or in invocation to a saint
      • Feasts of the liturgical year
      • Christian life and virtues, missions, religious life, pilgrimages, forgiveness
      • Prayers, entreaties, devotion
      • Other
    • Prayers of a popular nature
    • Songs on religious subjects
      • Conversions, apparitions, miracles
      • Sacred history
      • Paradise, hell, other-world
      • Historical episodes
      • Religious struggles (paganism, Protestantism, etc.), evangelization
    • Edification, religious formation
      • Moral examples, advice
      • Religious manuals, catechisms, collections of hymns
Advanced search
Display: Breton title (standardized) French title (standardized) English title (standardized)

2786 different songs available!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Contact Facebook Page
To top