Music of Cornwall
Encyclopedia
Cornwall
has been historically Celt
ic, though Celtic-derived musical traditions
had been moribund for some time before being revived during a late 20th century roots revival
.
, with considerable musical involvement. Also (as frequently mentioned in the Launceston borough accounts) minstrels were hired to play for saints day celebrations. The richest families
(including Arundell, Bodrugan, Bottreaux, Grenville, and Edgcumbe) retained their own minstrels, and many others employed minstrels on a casual basis. There were vigorous traditions of morris dancing, mumming, guising, and social dance.
Then followed a long period of contention which included the Cornish Rebellion of 1497
, the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion
, the Persecution of Recusants, the Poor Laws, and the English Civil War
and Commonwealth (1642–1660). The consequences of these events disadvantaged many gentry who had previously employed their own minstrels or patronised itinerant performers. Over the same period in art music the use of modes was largely supplanted by use of major and minor keys. Altogether it was an extended cultural revolution, and it is unlikely that there were not musical casualties.
all flourished.
In the 19th century, the nonconformist and temperance movements were strong: these frowned on dancing and music, encouraged the demise of many customs, but fostered the choral and brass band traditions. Some traditional tunes were used for hymns and carols. Church Feast Days and Sunday School treats were widespread—a whole village processing behind a band of musicians leading them to a picnic site, where "Tea Treat Buns
" (made with smuggled saffron) were distributed. This left a legacy of marches and polkas. Records exist of dancing in farmhouse kitchens, and in fish cellars Cornish ceilidhs called troyls were common, they are analogous to the fest-noz of the Bretons
. Some community events survived, such as at Padstow
and at Helston
, where to this day, on 8th May, the townspeople dance the Furry Dance
through the streets, in and out of shops, even through private houses. Thousands converge on Helston to witness the spectacle. The Sans Day Carol
or "St Day Carol" is one of the many Cornish Christmas carols written in the 19th century. This carol and its melody were first transcribed from the singing of a villager in St Day
in the parish of Gwennap
: the lyrics are similar to those of "The Holly and the Ivy
".
In Anglican churches the church bands (a few local musicians providing accompaniment in services) were replaced by keyboard instruments (harmonium, piano or organ) and singing in unison became more usual.
, Little Eyes
, and Lamorna
. Few traditional Cornish lyrics survived the decline of the language. In some cases lyrics of common English songs became attached to older Cornish tunes. Some folk tunes have Cornish lyrics written since the language revival of the 1920s. Sport has also been an outlet for many Cornish folk songs, and Trelawny
, the unofficial Cornish national anthem
, is often sung by Cornish rugby fans, along with other favourites such as Camborne Hill
and The White Rose
. The Cornish anthem that has been used by Gorseth Kernow
for the last 75 plus years is "Bro Goth Agan Tasow
" ("The Land of My Fathers", or, literally, "Old Country of our Fathers") with a similar tune to the Welsh national anthem ("Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
") and the Breton national anthem ("Bro Gozh ma Zadoù
"). "Bro Goth Agan Tasow" is not heard so often, as it is sung in Cornish
. Another popular Cornish anthem is "Hail to the Homeland
".
; some older songs and carols share the same root as Breton
tunes. From Cornwall, Brittany was more easily accessible than London. Breton and Cornish were (and are) mutually intelligible. There was much cultural and marital exchange between the two countries and this influenced both music and dance.
church on Bodmin Moor
and St. Mary's, Launceston suggest a late-medieval line-up might include an early fiddle
(crowd), bombarde (horn-pipe), bagpipes
and harp
. The bodhrán
(crowdy crawn
in Cornish
) and fiddle (crowd in Cornish) were popular by the 19th century. In the 1920s there was a serious school of banjo
playing in Cornwall. After 1945 accordion
s became progressively more popular, before being joined by the instruments of the 1980s folk revival. In recent years Cornish bagpipes
have enjoyed a progressive revival.
(folksinger in Cornish and English), the Cornish-Breton family band Anao Atao, the late 1960s band The Onyx
and the 1980s band Bucca. Recently bands Sacred Turf, Skwardya and Krena, have begun performing electric folk
in the Cornish language
.
Kyt Le Nen Davey, a leading multi-talented Cornish musician, established a not-for-profit collaborative organisation, Kesson, to distribute Cornish music to a world audience. Today, the site has moved with the times, and now provides individual track downloads, alongside traditional CD format.
Pioneering Techno
artist Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin
/The Tuss
) is a contemporary Cornish musician, frequently naming tracks in the Cornish language
. Along with friend and collaborator Luke Vibert
and business partner Grant Wilson-Claridge, James has crafted a niche of 'Cornish Acid' affectionately identified with his home region. Bands such as Dalla
and Sowena are associated with the noze looan
movement of Cornish dance and music, which focuses on audience participation whilst negating the need for a caller. Troyl
s (generally with a caller) occur across the county with bands including Asteveryn (formerly Cam Kernewek), the Bolingey Troyl band, Hevva (with Cat in the Bag) and Pyba. Skwardya and Krena play rock, punk and garage music in the Cornish language
. The Cornwall Songwriters organisation has since 2001 produced two folk operas 'The Cry of Tin' and 'Unsung Heroes'. Also Cornwall has a selection of up and coming young bands such as "Heart in One Hand" and "The small print".
3 Daft Monkeys
(Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, and Jamie Waters) combine vocals, fiddle, 12-string guitar, bass guitar and foot drum to play a fusion of Celtic, Balkan, Gypsy, Latino, dance, dub, punk, reggae and traditional folk music. The band have played at venues and festivals all over the UK and Europe, including Eden Project
, the 2008 BBC Proms, Guilfest
, Glastonbury Festival
and the Beautiful Days
festival, as well as supporting The Levellers.
Sic, the singer of the Dutch
pagan folk
band Omnia
hails from Cornwall and wrote a song named Cornwall about his homeland. During gigs by Omnia the Cornish flag
is displayed on stage when this song is performed.
The Cornwall Folk Festival has been held annually for more than three decades and in 2008 was staged at Wadebridge
. Other festivals are the pan-Celtic Lowender Peran and midsummer festival Golowan. Cornwall won the PanCeltic Song Contest three years in a row between 2003 and 2005.
is a Cornish Brass band
based in Lanner
, Cornwall
, United Kingdom
, and well-known for its concerts. There are many other brass and silver bands in Cornwall, particularly in the former mining areas: St Dennis and Camborne
are notable examples.
Wind Orchestra, an amateur orchestra for wind players primarily from Sir James Smith's School
, Wadebridge School
, Budehaven School
, was set up in 1984. After the success of the wind orchestra, Triggshire String Orchestra was set up, to cater for the string players from these schools.
, Bagas Degol, Cam Kernewek, Leski, Ahanan, Julie Elwin, Phil Knight, Ryb an Gwella, Sowena, Captain Kernow and the Jack and Jenny Band, Quylkyn Tew, Gwenno, Skwardya and Trev Lawrence.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
has been historically Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic, though Celtic-derived musical traditions
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...
had been moribund for some time before being revived during a late 20th century roots revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
.
History
In medieval Cornwall there are records of performances of ‘Miracle Plays’ in the Cornish languageCornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
, with considerable musical involvement. Also (as frequently mentioned in the Launceston borough accounts) minstrels were hired to play for saints day celebrations. The richest families
Great Cornish families
Great Cornish families: a history of the people and their houses is a book by Crispin Gill, published in 1995. The authorCrispin Gill, at the time of the book's publication lived in Plymouth and was Assistant Editor of the Western Morning News...
(including Arundell, Bodrugan, Bottreaux, Grenville, and Edgcumbe) retained their own minstrels, and many others employed minstrels on a casual basis. There were vigorous traditions of morris dancing, mumming, guising, and social dance.
Then followed a long period of contention which included the Cornish Rebellion of 1497
Cornish Rebellion of 1497
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a popular uprising by the people of Cornwall in the far southwest of Britain. Its primary cause was a response of people to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII on the impoverished Cornish, to raise money for a campaign against Scotland motivated by brief...
, the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion
Prayer Book Rebellion
The Prayer Book Rebellion, Prayer Book Revolt, Prayer Book Rising, Western Rising or Western Rebellion was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon, in 1549. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced...
, the Persecution of Recusants, the Poor Laws, and the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and Commonwealth (1642–1660). The consequences of these events disadvantaged many gentry who had previously employed their own minstrels or patronised itinerant performers. Over the same period in art music the use of modes was largely supplanted by use of major and minor keys. Altogether it was an extended cultural revolution, and it is unlikely that there were not musical casualties.
18th and 19th centuries
However, a number of manuscripts of dance music from the period 1750 to 1850 have now been found which tell of renewed patronage, employment of dancing masters, and a repertoire that spanned class barriers. Seasonal and community festivals, mumming and guisingGuise Dancing
Guise dancing is a folk practice celebrated between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night in Cornwall, UK...
all flourished.
In the 19th century, the nonconformist and temperance movements were strong: these frowned on dancing and music, encouraged the demise of many customs, but fostered the choral and brass band traditions. Some traditional tunes were used for hymns and carols. Church Feast Days and Sunday School treats were widespread—a whole village processing behind a band of musicians leading them to a picnic site, where "Tea Treat Buns
Saffron bun
A saffron bun, in Swedish lussebulle or lussekatt, is a rich yeast dough bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants. In Sweden, no cinnamon or nutmeg is used in the bun, and raisins are used instead of currants. The buns are baked into many traditional shapes,...
" (made with smuggled saffron) were distributed. This left a legacy of marches and polkas. Records exist of dancing in farmhouse kitchens, and in fish cellars Cornish ceilidhs called troyls were common, they are analogous to the fest-noz of the Bretons
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...
. Some community events survived, such as at Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
and at Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, where to this day, on 8th May, the townspeople dance the Furry Dance
Furry Dance
The Furry Dance, also known as The Flora , takes place in Helston, Cornwall, and is one of the oldest British customs still practised today...
through the streets, in and out of shops, even through private houses. Thousands converge on Helston to witness the spectacle. The Sans Day Carol
Sans Day Carol
The "Sans Day Carol" or "St. Day Carol" is one of the many Cornish Christmas carols written in the 19th century. This carol and its melody were first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard, a villager in St Day in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall. The fourth verse is a translation from the...
or "St Day Carol" is one of the many Cornish Christmas carols written in the 19th century. This carol and its melody were first transcribed from the singing of a villager in St Day
St Day
St Day is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated between the village of Chacewater and the town of Redruth.St Day is located in a former mining area and St Day accrued considerable wealth from mining...
in the parish of Gwennap
Gwennap
Gwennap is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles southeast of Redruth....
: the lyrics are similar to those of "The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy
"The Holly and the Ivy" is an English traditional Christmas carol. The carol contains intermingled Christian and Pagan imagery, with holly and ivy representing Pagan fertility symbols. Holly and ivy have been the mainstay of Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth and...
".
In Anglican churches the church bands (a few local musicians providing accompaniment in services) were replaced by keyboard instruments (harmonium, piano or organ) and singing in unison became more usual.
Vocal music
Folk songs include Sweet NightingaleSweet Nightingale
Sweet Nightingale, also known as "Down in those valleys below" is a Cornish folk song which probably dates from the seventeenth century, and is said to be a translation from the ancient Cornish tongue.-Lyrics:Sweet Nightingale'My sweetheart, come along!...
, Little Eyes
Little Eyes
Little eyes or Little Lize is a folksong popular in Cornwall but originated in America. It was written by Buford Abner of the Suwannee River Boys in the late 1940s or early 1950s...
, and Lamorna
Lamorna (folk song)
I met the other evening at the corner of the square.She had a dark and roving eye, she was a charming rover,And we rode all night, through the pale moonlight away down to Lamorna.ChorusTwas down in Albert squareI never shall forget,...
. Few traditional Cornish lyrics survived the decline of the language. In some cases lyrics of common English songs became attached to older Cornish tunes. Some folk tunes have Cornish lyrics written since the language revival of the 1920s. Sport has also been an outlet for many Cornish folk songs, and Trelawny
The Song of the Western Men
"The Song of the Western Men" was written by Robert Stephen Hawker. It is also known by the title of "Trelawny".Hawker wrote the song in 1824, telling of events that took place in 1688. When the song first appeared many thought it to be a contemporary record of events, although in fact the song...
, the unofficial Cornish national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, is often sung by Cornish rugby fans, along with other favourites such as Camborne Hill
Camborne Hill
Camborne Hill is a Cornish song that celebrates Richard Trevithick's historic steam engine ride up Camborne Hill, to Beacon on Christmas Eve in 1801. A commemorative plaque is inlaid in a wall...
and The White Rose
The White Rose (song)
The White Rose is a traditional Cornish folk song, the chorus of which appeared in the film Ladies in Lavender . The song remains popular and has been recorded by many of the Cornish male voice choirs and is often performed at funerals...
. The Cornish anthem that has been used by Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow is a non-political Cornish organisation, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.-History:...
for the last 75 plus years is "Bro Goth Agan Tasow
Bro Goth Agan Tasow
Bro Goth agan Tasow is one of the anthems of Cornwall. It is sung to the same tune as the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau...
" ("The Land of My Fathers", or, literally, "Old Country of our Fathers") with a similar tune to the Welsh national anthem ("Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
") and the Breton national anthem ("Bro Gozh ma Zadoù
Bro Gozh ma Zadoù
Bro Gozh ma Zadoù is the national anthem of Brittany. It is sung to the same tune as that of the national anthem of Wales, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, and has similar words...
"). "Bro Goth Agan Tasow" is not heard so often, as it is sung in Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. Another popular Cornish anthem is "Hail to the Homeland
Hail to the Homeland
Hail to the Homeland is one of the unofficial anthems of Cornwall. It was composed by the Cornish musician Kenneth Pelmear who composed and arranged many works for church and male voice choirs and brass bands...
".
Dances
Cornish dances include community dances such a 'furry dances', social (set) dances, linear and circle dances originating in karoles and farandoles, and step dances - often competitive. Among the social dances is 'Joan Sanderson’, the cushion dance from the 19th century, but with 17th century origins.Breton connection
Cornish music is often noted for its similarity to that of BrittanyMusic of Brittany
Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard-binou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched out into numerous sub-genres...
; some older songs and carols share the same root as Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
tunes. From Cornwall, Brittany was more easily accessible than London. Breton and Cornish were (and are) mutually intelligible. There was much cultural and marital exchange between the two countries and this influenced both music and dance.
Instrumentation
Cornish musicians have used a variety of traditional instruments. Documentary sources and Cornish iconography (as at AltarnunAltarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
church on Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
and St. Mary's, Launceston suggest a late-medieval line-up might include an early fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
(crowd), bombarde (horn-pipe), bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. The bodhrán
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...
(crowdy crawn
Crowdy-crawn
A crowdy-crawn is a wooden hoop covered with sheepskin used as a percussion instrument known in western Cornwall at least as early as 1880. It is similar to the Irish bodhrán. It is used by some modern Cornish traditional music groups as a solo or accompaniment instrument...
in Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
) and fiddle (crowd in Cornish) were popular by the 19th century. In the 1920s there was a serious school of banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
playing in Cornwall. After 1945 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....
s became progressively more popular, before being joined by the instruments of the 1980s folk revival. In recent years Cornish bagpipes
Cornish bagpipes
Cornish bagpipes are the forms of bagpipe once common in Cornwall. Bagpipes and pipes are mentioned in Cornish documentary sources from c.1150 to 1830 and bagpipes are present in Cornish iconography from the 15th and 16th centuries....
have enjoyed a progressive revival.
Modern scene
Modern Cornish musicians include the late Brenda WoottonBrenda Wootton
Brenda Wootton was a Cornish poetess and folk singer and was seen as an ambassador for Cornish tradition and culture in all the Celtic nations and as far away as Australia and Canada....
(folksinger in Cornish and English), the Cornish-Breton family band Anao Atao, the late 1960s band The Onyx
The Onyx
The Onyx was formed in Wadebridge, Cornwall in 1965. Out of the ashes of Rick & The Hayseeds the band came to be known as The Onyx Set, named after an Onyx ring owned by original band member Mike Black-Borow. After various changes in the line-up they shortened their name to The Onyx and the classic...
and the 1980s band Bucca. Recently bands Sacred Turf, Skwardya and Krena, have begun performing electric folk
Electric folk
Electric folk is the name given to the form of folk rock pioneered in England from the late 1960s, and most significant in the 1970s, which then was taken up and developed in the surrounding Celtic cultures of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, to produce Celtic rock and its...
in the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
.
Kyt Le Nen Davey, a leading multi-talented Cornish musician, established a not-for-profit collaborative organisation, Kesson, to distribute Cornish music to a world audience. Today, the site has moved with the times, and now provides individual track downloads, alongside traditional CD format.
Pioneering Techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
artist Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
/The Tuss
The Tuss
The Tuss is an electronic music group supposedly consisting of British musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. So far there has been an EP and an album released by The Tuss on Rephlex Records.-Aphex Twin speculation:...
) is a contemporary Cornish musician, frequently naming tracks in the Cornish language
Drukqs
Drukqs is a 2001 double album by electronic musician Richard D. James, released under his most frequently used pseudonym, Aphex Twin...
. Along with friend and collaborator Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
and business partner Grant Wilson-Claridge, James has crafted a niche of 'Cornish Acid' affectionately identified with his home region. Bands such as Dalla
Dalla
Dalla is a dance band in Cornwall known for providing music for Noze looan dances.Members play the clarinet, bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, accordion and percussion. They sing in both Cornish and English....
and Sowena are associated with the noze looan
Noze looan
Noze looan is a style of Cornish-Celtic dance, and associated music and events similar to the Breton Fest Noz. Noze Looan is late Cornish for "happy night" ....
movement of Cornish dance and music, which focuses on audience participation whilst negating the need for a caller. Troyl
Troyl
Troyl is a colloquial Cornish word meaning a barn-dance or céilidh, a social evening of dance, music and song.. - Etymology :Edward Lluyd knew the Cornish verb troillia - to twist, twirl, whirl, spin round. Edward Veale of Pentire, Newquay used the noun troil in the 1880s to describe a Cornish...
s (generally with a caller) occur across the county with bands including Asteveryn (formerly Cam Kernewek), the Bolingey Troyl band, Hevva (with Cat in the Bag) and Pyba. Skwardya and Krena play rock, punk and garage music in the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. The Cornwall Songwriters organisation has since 2001 produced two folk operas 'The Cry of Tin' and 'Unsung Heroes'. Also Cornwall has a selection of up and coming young bands such as "Heart in One Hand" and "The small print".
3 Daft Monkeys
3 Daft Monkeys
3 Daft Monkeys are a world music-influenced acoustic band from Cornwall, UK, consisting of Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, and Lukas Drinkwater...
(Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, and Jamie Waters) combine vocals, fiddle, 12-string guitar, bass guitar and foot drum to play a fusion of Celtic, Balkan, Gypsy, Latino, dance, dub, punk, reggae and traditional folk music. The band have played at venues and festivals all over the UK and Europe, including Eden Project
Eden Project
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
, the 2008 BBC Proms, Guilfest
GuilFest
GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
, Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and the Beautiful Days
Beautiful Days (festival)
This article is about the music festival. For other uses, see Beautiful Days .The Beautiful Days is a music festival that takes place in August at Escot Park, Ottery St Mary, Devon...
festival, as well as supporting The Levellers.
Sic, the singer of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
pagan folk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
band Omnia
Omnia (band)
Omnia is a self-described "neoceltic pagan folk" band based in The Netherlands and whose members over the years have had Irish, Dutch, Cornish, Belgian and Persian backgrounds...
hails from Cornwall and wrote a song named Cornwall about his homeland. During gigs by Omnia the Cornish flag
Saint Piran's Flag
Saint Piran's Flag is the flag of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The earliest known description of the flag as the Standard of Cornwall was written in 1838. It is used by Cornish people as a symbol of identity. It is a white cross on a black background....
is displayed on stage when this song is performed.
The Cornwall Folk Festival has been held annually for more than three decades and in 2008 was staged at Wadebridge
Wadebridge
Wadebridge is a civil parish and town in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow....
. Other festivals are the pan-Celtic Lowender Peran and midsummer festival Golowan. Cornwall won the PanCeltic Song Contest three years in a row between 2003 and 2005.
- 2003: Naked Feet
- 2004: Keltyon Byw
- 2005: Krena http://www.cornish-language.org/krena
Brass and silver bands
Lanner and District Silver BandLanner and District Silver Band
The Lanner & District Silver Band is a brass band based in Lanner, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and an important part of village life.-History:The original Lanner & District Silver Band was formed in the Cornish village of Lanner in the mid 1890's...
is a Cornish Brass band
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
based in Lanner
Lanner, Cornwall
Lanner is a village and civil parish in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated about southeast of Redruth.Lanner is in the St Day, Carharrack and Lanner ward which had a collective population of 5,438 in 2001. The population of Lanner civil parish was 2,493 in the 2001 census...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and well-known for its concerts. There are many other brass and silver bands in Cornwall, particularly in the former mining areas: St Dennis and Camborne
Camborne Town Band
Camborne Town Band has a contest record from the late 19th century until the present day. It has been a local Championship band since its formation and on the National stage since the 1920s...
are notable examples.
Classical music
TriggshireTriggshire
The hundred of Trigg was one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall--see "Hundreds of Cornwall".Trigg is mentioned by name during the 7th century, as "Pagus Tricurius", "land of three war hosts". It was to the north of Cornwall, and included Bodmin Moor, Bodmin and the district to the...
Wind Orchestra, an amateur orchestra for wind players primarily from Sir James Smith's School
Sir James Smith's School
Sir James Smith's School is a small humanities college in the town of Camelford, North Cornwall, United Kingdom, providing education at secondary level. The headteacher is Jon Lawrence, who succeeded Angela Perlmutter in January 2007.-History:...
, Wadebridge School
Wadebridge School
Wadebridge School is a mixed comprehensive school in the town of Wadebridge, Cornwall, England. It has 1200 pupils. The headteacher of Wadebridge School is Miss Tina Yardley...
, Budehaven School
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
, was set up in 1984. After the success of the wind orchestra, Triggshire String Orchestra was set up, to cater for the string players from these schools.
Cornish music and language radio
Cornish music radio can be found on "Radyo an Gernewegva" and features such artists as DallaDalla
Dalla is a dance band in Cornwall known for providing music for Noze looan dances.Members play the clarinet, bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, accordion and percussion. They sing in both Cornish and English....
, Bagas Degol, Cam Kernewek, Leski, Ahanan, Julie Elwin, Phil Knight, Ryb an Gwella, Sowena, Captain Kernow and the Jack and Jenny Band, Quylkyn Tew, Gwenno, Skwardya and Trev Lawrence.
See also
- Culture of CornwallCulture of CornwallThe culture of Cornwall forms part of the culture of the United Kingdom, but has some distinct customs, traditions and peculiarities. Cornwall, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county of England, a duchy, and a Celtic nation, has many strong local traditions...
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- List of Cornish musicians
Further reading
- Kennedy, Peter, ed. (1975) Folksongs of Britain and Ireland; edited by Peter Kennedy, et al. V: Songs in Cornish: (introduction; songs 85-96; bibliography). London: Oak Publications (pp. 203–44: the bibliography is very detailed and the songs have their airs)
External links
- Cornish music on www.kesson.com
- Cornish music from Top of the Hill Recordings on www.cornishmusic.com
- Cornish music from Top of the Hill Recordings on myspace
- 'The Cornish musicians collaborative' distributes Cornish musicians albums and provides online database of *Cornish bands and albums
- Record label, Top of the Hill Recordings promotes Cornish music and Musicians
- The Cornwall Fiddle Orchestra are a large group of string players led by fiddle player Hudson Swan and perform a repertoire of mainly traditional fiddle tunes from the Celtic nations including some dance tunes from Cornwall - www.myspace.com/heartinonehand