Beltaine (band)
Encyclopedia
Name
The group name is derived from a Celtic holidayHoliday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
celebrated on the night of April 30 and May 1. Beltaine Celtic name corresponds to the month of May. For the Celts, May 1 was the start of the new year. They divided the year into a bright and dark part, or warm and cold. Beginning of light and warm semester for them was cause for celebration; it meant abundance and fertility. To celebrate this day on the night of April 30 to May 1 the Celts first put out the fire, and then rekindled it from scratch, which would mean the defeat of darkness and all evil forces. Those fires that they were singing by and dancing had Holy
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
character for Celts and were kindled from nine species of wood, which must include the oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, which for the Celts was a sacred wood. The fire from the sacred fires were transferred on May 1 to homes, which was to assure a success in the new year.
Biography
The band Beltaine was formed in 2002 in KatowiceKatowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
. The first concerts the band played in the composition based on traditional instruments (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, bodhran
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
), at a later time their sound has been enhanced with a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and percussion. The initial repertoire of the band consisted of popular Irish and Scottish folk tunes. The original team consisted of - Grzegorz Chudy, Adam Romański, Luke Kulesza, Bartlomiej Dudek, Danuta Anna Badura and Adams.
In 2003 the band began touring outside the province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. The band performer among others in Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
and at the Celtic Culture Festival in Dowspud. Since then the group performs intensively in the whole country. In September 2003 the first Celtic Music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
Festival "Castle" in Bedzin was organized, that Beltaine hosts and co-organizes until now.
In 2004 the band recorded their first album "Rockhill", that was the musical illustration of a Beltaine’s holyday celebrated in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Tracks consisted mostly of traditional Celtic tunes and a few original songs (such as Beltaine, The Sea of Irish Dream and Rockhill), the album also began to show musical trends of the team to combine the music of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with other types of music. Guest starring on the album include Jan Gałczewski, Catherine Czerniak, and known from the group Viva Flamenco guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Michael Czachowski. Album Rockhill was awarded the "Virtual Gesle" (Internet opinion poll co-organized by the Polish radio station) for Best Folk Album of 2004. Rockhill has also received the title of "megadisc 'Radio Krakow in the competition. This year, the group violinist Anna Badura left, whereas Jan Gałczewski joined the band permanently.
In 2005 Jan Kubek joined the ranks of the band playing percussion instrument (i.e. tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, darabuka, conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
, cajon
Cajón
A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...
). Group has launched numerous concerts abroad, within 5 years their credits include Beltaine in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Switzerland, Lithuania, Portugal, France, Italy, Malaysia and Mexico.
Search for their own style and the possibility of expanding repertoire resulted in invitation for the cooperation with 2006 percussionist Mateusza Sopaty. The team also received a proposal to contribute to the music accompanying the video game The Witcher
The Witcher
The Witcher, or , by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski is a cult series of fantasy short stories and five novels about the witcher Geralt of Rivia...
.
The next year was marked by of recording of the KoncenTrad. The album is the brave combination of Celtic tradition and modernity. The album does not lack loud and rhythmic tracks like a Technogaita and ballads Ye Yacobites or Parcel of Rogues.The album with a guest appearance of Indian musician Giridhar “Gathamˮ Udupa, is regarded as the most rock in the band repertoire. A year later the publishing house was awarded with the subsequent The Virtual Primitive Fiddles, which became the ticket to playing the live concert in Agnieszka Osiecka’s Studio on the air of The Third Programme of Polish Radio.
Third Album –Triu was recorded in 2010. The album may be defined confidently as “fusion folk”. The works placed on the album are the daring and brave marriages of the elements of funky, jazz, rock with Celtic music.
Expert listeners will detect also the influences of Slavic, Jewish, and Arabic.
Marcin Wyrostek ( accordion ) and Dominik Mietła ( trumpet ) made a guest appearance in the record. The music from that disc largely contributed to the band being awarded an international prize Top Celtis rock band in the opinion poll organized by International Irish Music Association.
Concerts
The most important concerts.Ollin Kan Festival (Mexico 2009)
Rainforest World Music Festival (Malaysia 2008)
Tom de Festa (Portugal 2008)
Guinness Irish Festival ( Switzerland 2008)
Celtica Festival (Italy 2006 oraz 2007)
Celtivales ( France 2007)
Triskell Festival (Italy 2008)
The Third Programme of Polish Radio - Agnieszka Osiecka’s Studio
Nova Aria Celtic Festival (Italy 2008)
Bustofolk Festival (Italy 2007)
Festival Beltine (the Czech Republic 2006,2010)
Ethno-jazz Festival (Moldova 2005)
"Woodstock Stop" (Polska 2005)
Festival Beltine (Slovakia 2005)
Festival Folkovy Kvitek (the Czech Republic 2005)
FKC in Dowspudzie (Poland 2003)
Castle Festival (Po lska 2003-2008)
May Music Festival (Poland 2006 and 2007)
Members
At present, the band is formed by:Adam Romański – fiddle
Grzegorz Chudy - an acoustic guitar
Bartłomiej Dudek - a bass guitar
Jan Gałczewski – bagpipe, bodhran, mandolin, banjo, electric guitar, irish bouzouki
Mateusz Sopata – percussion
Jan Kubek – percussion instruments ( the tabla, cajon, djemebe, Goblet drum, conga, timbalesy )