Brittany has lost one of its sacred monsters. Yvon, the youngest of the Morvan brothers, died overnight from Thursday to Friday at the age of 87. With his three farming brothers, Yves (deceased in 1984), François (deceased in 2012) and Henri, they formed the famous group Les frères Morvan. For more than sixty years, the brothers sang and made all of Brittany dance by bringing kan ha diskan, a traditional singing technique, up to date.
Originally from the village of Botcol in Saint-Nicodeme in the Côtes-d’Armor, the Morvan brothers have chained no less than 3,000 concerts throughout their career, performing several times on the stage of the Vieilles Charrues. In 2019, Yvon and Henri Morvan received the distinction of Commanders of Arts and Letters after bidding farewell to the stage.
“An ambassador of Breton culture”
The announcement of the death of Yvon Morvan has sparked many tributes in the region. “Well known to many Breton festival-goers, they have played, for more than 60 years, an important role in the transmission of Breton oral heritage”, reacted Christian Coail, president of the Côtes-d’Armor departmental council. “With the death of Yvon Morvan, Breton culture loses one of its most fervent ambassadors,” he added.
“The Morvan brothers have been the traditional soul of the fest-noz for decades. Breton music is losing one of its brothers, ”tweeted Stéphane Le Foll, former Minister of Agriculture and current mayor of Le Mans.