Celtic music is a large group of music styles that developed from the folk music of the Celtic people in Northwestern Europe, which includes the modern Celtic nations. It includes both music that has been passed down through speaking and music that has been recorded. The styles of Celtic music vary widely, ranging from traditional music to many different types of mixes.

Characteristics

The term Celtic music refers to the music of people who are part of the Celtic nations. Many well-known Celtic musicians, such as Alan Stivell and Paddy Moloney, say that different types of Celtic music share many similarities.

These styles are widely recognized because of the influence of Irish and Scottish people in English-speaking countries, especially in the United States, where they strongly shaped American music, including bluegrass and country music. The music of Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Galicia (Spain), and Portugal is also considered Celtic music. This tradition is especially strong in Brittany, where Celtic festivals happen all year, and in Wales, where the ancient eisteddfod tradition was revived and continues today. Celtic music is also popular outside Europe, particularly in Canada and the United States. In Atlantic Canada, the provinces of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island are known for their strong connection to Celtic music. The traditional music of this region is influenced by the Irish, Scottish, and Acadian heritage of its communities. In some areas, like Newfoundland, Celtic music is as popular as it is in the original Celtic countries. Some older forms of Celtic music, such as playing a fiddle with a piano or singing Gaelic spinning songs in Cape Breton, are still common in the Maritimes. Much of the music in this region is Celtic in style, but it also reflects local traditions and themes like the sea, fishing, and other important industries.

Instruments linked to Celtic music include the Celtic harp, uilleann pipes, Great Highland bagpipe, fiddle, tin whistle, flute, bodhrán, bones, concertina, accordion, and the Irish bouzouki, which is a newer addition. The mandolin has become more common in Scottish folk groups in the 21st century, especially in acoustic duos and modern folk ensembles that blend traditional and contemporary styles.

Divisions

In Celtic Music: A Complete Guide, June Skinner Sawyers describes six Celtic nationalities grouped into two categories based on their language history. The Q-Celtic group includes the Irish, Scottish, and Manx peoples, while the P-Celtic group includes the Cornish, Bretons, and Welsh peoples. Musician Alan Stivell also divides these groups into Gaelic (Irish, Scottish, and Manx) and Brythonic (Breton, Welsh, and Cornish) branches. These groups differ mainly in the range of their melodies: Irish and Scottish melodies often span more than two octaves, while Breton and Welsh melodies usually stay within a smaller range, such as a half-octave. Gaelic music also frequently uses a simple five-note scale called the pentatonic scale.

There is great variety in Celtic traditions across regions. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany all have living traditions of language and music. Recently, the Isle of Man has also seen a revival of interest in its Celtic heritage. In Galicia, there is an effort to revive the Q-Celtic Gallaic language, which was used during Roman times. However, Gallaic is not a confirmed language, unlike Celtiberian. Some theories suggest a Brythonic language may have been spoken in parts of Galicia and Asturias during early Medieval times, brought by Britons fleeing England. However, there is little evidence to support this claim, as no clear archaeological, linguistic, or written records exist. The Romance language spoken in Galicia today, Galician (Galego), is closely related to Portuguese and shares similarities with Latin compared to other Romance languages. Music from Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and Northern Portugal is sometimes considered Celtic, with some even claiming that traditional music from Central Portugal has Celtic influences.

Alan Stivell, a Breton artist, was among the first musicians to use the word "Celtic" and "Keltia" in his promotional materials in the early 1960s. This was part of a global folk music revival, and the term quickly became widely used by other musicians. Today, the Celtic music genre is well-known and includes many different styles.

Forms

There are many types of music that are unique to each Celtic country. These music styles are influenced by different traditions and languages:

• Celtic traditional music
• Music of Ireland
• Music of Scotland
• Music of Wales
• Strathspeys are found only in Highland Scotland and Cape Breton. Some people think these songs copy the rhythm patterns of the Scottish Gaelic language.
• Reels
• Pibroch
• Cerdd Dant (string music) or Canu Penillion (verse singing) is a style of singing in Welsh music where a singer or small group sings a different melody over a harp melody. This is an important part of competitions called eisteddfodau.
• Waulking song
• Puirt à beul
• Kan ha diskan
• Sean-nós singing
• Celtic hip-hop
• Celtic rock
• Celtic metal
• Celtic punk
• Celtic fusion
• Progressive music
• Folk music

Festivals

The modern Celtic music scene has many music festivals, as it has always done. Some of the most important festivals that are only about music include:

• Festival Internacional do Mundo Celta de Ortigueira (Ortigueira, Galicia, Spain)
• Festival Intercéltico de Avilés (Avilés, Asturies, Spain)
• Folixa na Primavera (Mieres, Asturies, Spain)
• Festival Celta Internacional Reino de León (León, Spain)
• Festival Internacional de Música Celta de Collado Villalba (Collado Villalba, Spain)
• Yn Chruinnaght (Isle of Man)
• Celtic Connections (Glasgow, Scotland)
• Hebridean Celtic Festival (Stornoway, Scotland)

• Fleadh ceol na hÉireann (Tullamore, Ireland)
• Festival Intercéltico de Sendim (Sendim, Portugal)
• Galaicofolia (Esposende, Portugal)
• Festival Folk Celta Ponte da Barca (Ponte da Barca, Portugal)
• Douro Celtic Fest (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal)
• Festival Interceltique de Lorient (Lorient, France)
• Festival del Kan ar Bobl (Lorient, France)
• Festival de Cornouaille (Quimper, France)
• Les Nuits Celtiques du Stade de France (Paris, France)
• Montelago Celtic Night (Colfiorito, Macerata, Italy)
• Triskell International Celtic Festival (Trieste, Italy)
• Festival celtique de Québec or Québec City Celtic Festival (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada)
• Festival Mémoire et Racines (Saint-Charles-Borromée, Quebec, Canada)
• Celtic Colours (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada)
• Paganfest (Tour through Europe)

Celtic fusion

The oldest musical tradition that can be called Celtic fusion began in the rural American South during the early colonial period. It combined musical styles from English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and African cultures. This tradition is also known as roots music, American folk music, or old-time music. It has greatly influenced many types of American music, such as country, blues, and rock and roll. This tradition was the first large-scale example of blending music from different ethnic and religious groups within the Celtic diaspora.

In the 1960s, several bands created modern versions of Celtic music by combining influences from multiple Celtic nations to form a new, unified sound. Some of these bands include bagado ù (Breton pipe bands), Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span, and Horslips.

In the 1970s, the band Clannad first gained attention in the folk and traditional music scene. Later, they connected traditional Celtic music with pop music in the 1980s and 1990s, adding elements from new-age, smooth jazz, and folk rock. Many artists, such as Altan, Anúna, Capercaillie, the Corrs, Dexys Midnight Runners, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Riverdance, Donna Taggart, and U2, were influenced by Clannad’s music. The solo work of Clannad’s lead singer, Moya Brennan (often called the First Lady of Celtic Music), also helped spread this influence.

Starting in 1982, the band Pogues created a style called Celtic folk-punk, and Stockton's Wing blended Irish traditional music with pop, rock, and reggae. This led to a movement of mixing Celtic music with other genres. In the 1990s, bands like Flogging Molly, Black 47, Dropkick Murphys, the Young Dubliners, and the Tossers combined Celtic rock, punk, reggae, and other styles, which became popular among Irish-American youth.

Today, Celtic influences can be found in nearly every type of popular music, including electronica, rock, metal, punk, hip-hop, reggae, new-age, Latin, Andean, and pop. These modern versions of Celtic music are sometimes called Celtic fusion.

Other modern adaptations

Outside of America, the first intentional efforts to create "Pan-Celtic music" were made by the Breton musician Taldir Jaffrennou. He translated songs from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales into Breton between the two world wars. One of his major achievements was reintroducing "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (the Welsh national anthem) to Brittany and writing new lyrics in Breton. Over time, this song became "Bro goz va zadoù" ("Old land of my fathers") and is now widely accepted as the Breton anthem. In the 1970s, the Breton musician Alan Cochevelou (later known as Alan Stivell) began performing a mix of music from the main Celtic countries using the Celtic harp his father designed. One of the most successful Celtic music compositions in recent years is Shaun Davey’s work, The Pilgrim. This collection of songs follows the journey of St. Colum Cille through the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and Galicia. The piece includes a Scottish pipe band, Irish and Welsh harpists, Galician gaitas (traditional wind instruments), Irish uilleann pipes, Breton bombardes (a type of horn), two vocal soloists, a narrator, a classical orchestra, and a large choir.

Modern music may also be called "Celtic" if it is written and recorded in a Celtic language, regardless of the musical style. Many Celtic languages have experienced revivals in recent years, partly due to artists and musicians who use them as symbols of identity and uniqueness. In 1971, the Irish band Skara Brae released its only LP (called Skara Brae), with all songs in Irish. In 1978, the band Runrig recorded an album in Scottish Gaelic. In 1992, the band Capercaillie released A Prince Among Islands, the first Scottish Gaelic-language record to reach the UK top 40. In 1996, a song in Breton represented France in the 41st Eurovision Song Contest, the first time France had a song without any French words. Since about 2005, the Scottish band Oi Polloi has recorded songs in Scottish Gaelic. In 2004, the Scottish Gaelic punk band Mill a h-Uile Rud (from Seattle) released songs in the language.

Several modern bands include Welsh language songs, such as Ceredwen, which combines traditional instruments with trip hop beats, and Super Furry Animals and Fernhill. Similar trends appear in Brittany, where many singers record songs in Breton, whether traditional or modern styles like hip-hop and rap.