He quickly discovered that the Celts and their culture, largely unknown and despised, were in fact an incredibly wide thinking, attractive, enormously imaginative and original civilisation, spreading much further than the barriers of schools and the establishment.

Alan then built a parallel, learning firstly Breton, then looking at other Celtic languages, throwing himself into the discovery of Breton history, antiques , mythology, celtic literature, becoming interested in the writers and the twentieth century history, a century of political, social and cultural evolution which brought him to reflect upon his own educational influences (school, church).

Later, he finished his celtic studies in the classical way, School of higher studies, Celtic certificate.

It was with the scouts and with the Bagad Bleimor that he first discovered traditional breton dance and music, the bombarde and the scottish bagpipes. Winning several Traditional music competitions and bagad competitions, and playing at festou-Noz (Breton for night festival) has given him an authentic knowledge of the Trad culture.
From the very beginning his interpretations of Welsh, Irish and Scottish music made him THE specialist of Celtic music.

This cultural,classic scholarly and traditional stock of knowledge have all come together to give the authenticity and deepness of work to which we attribute the name of Alan Stivell.

Even before Alan's father put together the Telenn Gentân, which started everything off, Alan already enjoyed reading Science-Fiction magazines.

Along with his ideas of a classical celtic music Alan also had the idea of modern pop music groups, an idea shared by Pierre-Yves Moign who created Son-Ha-Kroll (like the group Evit Koroll)) (in actual fact- they were more dance orchestras inspired by the Ceilidh-bands)

In 1957/1958 Alan heard for the first time electric guitars on the radio.
At the end of the 1950's he had the idea of forming a breton rock group, playing modern popular music, an idea which was reinforced by his discovery of the "Shadows".

The Beatles period reinforced even more his idea of a Breton pop music group.

In 1964 the construction of a harp with metal strings (bardic harp) allowed Alan to put his ideas into action. The electric harp(solid body) being not yet constructed , Alan electrified his own harp as best as he could and started playing it with his friends in the "Bleimor".

English pop music (Donovan, the Beatles etc) were playing more and more with ethnic or ancient instruments.
Alan was doing exactly the same. The evolution of music was on a par with his own ideas. Now , it just needed somebody to show the public that the 'Bretons' were equally as good as the 'Britons'.A different kettle of fish entirely.

After signing up with Philips Fontana in 1967 Alan was able to start putting together his own ideas. He introduced the electric guitar and keyboards onto his album "Reflet in 1970.

Celtic pop or Breton rock manifested itself in 1971 with the single "Pop Plinn" which Alan produced,played and arranged.( introduction on the guitar and hammond organ, plin dances on guitar , bass, drums ,bombardes, celtic harp). This piece of music, followed by alan's appearance at Olympia started off a revolution which changed the course of Breton history. For this recording and also for the stage appearance Alan called on the expert fingering of Dan Ar Bras.
At the same time Alan was saddened and continues to regret that other Breton musicians (apart from bagadou and traditional breton musicians) haven't taken into account the study of celtic and breton music (also the study of Breton culture in general) and hopes that in the future they will do so. The musicians that Alan had gathered around himself in the first half of the 70's didn't depart from this idea. The coherence that he gave to this mixture of eccentric personalities (Dan, Werner, Gabriel Yacoub) had the efficacity and look of a real pop or rock group.

From the end of the 1960's Alan was recognised as belonging to the French and British rock scene. He was applauded by tens of thousands of people each time he appeard whether it be at Reading (GB) , Roskilde (Denmark) or in France together with groups such as Magma, in London in 1968 for example he was asked to play by the Moody Blues.
He had managed to escape his 'folky' image which like a ball and chain all bretons were lumbered with.

Not all of Alan's music is rock however, he continues to like calm music, slower musical arrangements of traditional themes, closer to his roots, both through taste and also from teaching methods, he has always shared his knowledge and advised others on how to proceed without trying to use shortcuts.
Nevertheless, it is his fusion of celtic rock which represents his work the most.
His mainly rock albums are Olympia-live, Chemins de Terre, Live in Dublin, Raok dilestra/Before Landing, Terre des vivants, Again, Brian Boru, Back to Breizh.

Alans interest in music from around the world dates from his time in summer camps when he was seven or eight years old, and where he heard south american music, notably Los Incas.
When he first started playing he played some negro-spiritual music, and in Paris the neighbouring cafés vibrated with the sound of north african music.

He was immediately fascinated by the similarity between celtic music and the different non European music.
His passion for celtic music, straddling the borders of the Western and Eastern world, soon brought him an involvement into wordwide music, from Africa to Tibet.
As he has always mixed his music (celtic-classic, celtic-rock) as early as his first album he introduced influences from other cultures: tablas in "Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique", kena in "Olympia Live", sitar and jembee in "journée à la maison", etc, and, of course influences from all over the planet in his "Symphonie Celtique".

Some people revile World music calling it a commercial concept with no precise idea and no authenticity. Surely one should judge the musical idea itself and its initiators rather than its poorer representatives (unfortunately this type of simplistic attitude is very common in any style of music)? Alan was one of the first creators of World music (consciously at least) long before the 80's fashion.

Like it or not we live in a world without borders ( even ultra-nationalists eat couscous).
Alan has always advocated mixtures. Mixtures respecting the deepness and subtility of ethnic musics, as he does for celticmusic itself.
It is, like other music, a mixture, but , just like in cookery, everyone has their own way of putting the ingredients together, their own doses and predominant tastes, this way each one keeps its own taste.

From the middle of the sixties when his father built him a harp with metal strings, with long echoes,bewitched by their natural fazing, the flashing harmonics, and the depth of the basses, Alan created improvisations that would have been called "new age" if the words had existed at the time. It was at this moment that he created "Ys" (Renaissance of the celtic harp) and it could have been taken as the start of New- Age.
The pieces like "Inisi Hanternoz" (A day at home) a good part of "Symphonie Celtique", of "Legende" of "Harpes du Nouvel Age" of "The Mist of Avalon" , could be likened to this style with a quality approaching more Philip Glass than airport music.
In view of the ambiguous terms used for these doubtful movements we would rather attach this part of Alan's music to ambiant or lounge music.
Of course Alans music could never be linked to any pre-established style. But we are obliged to show the links to this or that style so that the inexpert public can understand the ideas.

It is in this sense that we can compare the new album "Au dela des Mots" in the spirit slightly "Zen" to lounge music.

Alan has always had a great liking for new techniques:-
His idea, from his adolescence, of an electric harp, his first use of electric keyboards, electronic rythms, and other electronic gadgets, led to compositions by computor.

In breton music he was the creator.

He introduced techno, as seen in 1980 and the hip hop of the discs Again, Brian Boru, and 1 Douar. He is open to all types of influences.

But rather than create "Hip Hop", "Rap", or "Jungle", he has always preferred to use these influences to immediately go forward onto new things and create something else.

His experiences like scratch (Back to Breizh) have always been discerning and not argumentative. There is modesty.It is linked to his personality. But there is always the refusal to submit to regulations, no matter what.

In one word Alan's quest from the start has been a UNIVERSAL MUSIC.

He is one of the few who is approaching his aim, few musicians have actually managed to travel naturally through so many different cultural territories, which for a long time remained closed, those of Classical and rock music,traditionally oral music and contemporary music, inherited music and improvised music, unaccompanied voices and electronic music.

Alan considers this universal music as the future.
How can a world, created when travel was difficult, keep its frontiers now that global communication is so simple?

On the other hand, something which frightens many people, the standardization, is not a fatality.
The contact with many different cultures allows the artist a multiple inspiration, it doesn't eradicate differences.
This is the message that Alan has tried to pass through his songs, sung in a little known language, but now popular in many countries (Australia, Italy) songs which highlight the treasures of his Breton homeland, and those of his celtic cousins, whilst not being afraid to use the influences of the rest of the world.

This is the road he pursues and will continue to pursue in the coming years.

Many thanks to ROY BLACKBURN for the english translation