Gâs de l’Almanach, Les

Les Gâs de l’Almanach – Amongst sailors, “solidarity is not an empty word”

We set sail in the fall of 2010, to bring back these forgotten treasures from the deep sea, songs that have punctuated the hard life of Breton fishermen.

We are an experienced and passionate group of about fifteen singers, under the musical direction of Jean-Claude Quéro, choir conductor.

Together, we made a musical and “ethnographic” choice of a wide repertoire. We worked, repeated and refined about thirty songs during the 2010/2011. In September 2011, under the aegis of the Work of the Breton Sailor, our group recorded, with the help of the Amadeus studio, a CD of fifteen moving, humorous, catchy, surprising and didactic songs.

In return, the fruits of the sale of this CD have been devoted to charity / social action relating to the Work of the Breton Sailor. We have provided several solidarity concerts for the benefit of the Œuvre du Marin Breton and other charitable associations. We also participated in the nautical festivals of the “Tonnerres de Brest 2012”.

The association “Les Gâs de l’Almanach” was created in June 2013 to sustain and develop our approach. Cherishing the sea, we decided to take up this challenge that honours Breton fishermen and their families, those who liked to hum the tunes at sea or along the docks, and which remain at the heart of their lives.

The Brest association Les Gâs de l’Almanach revives sailor’s songs from the Breton Sailor’s Almanac, during a specially-written stage show. “These are not traditional sailors’ songs,” explains François Bellande, president of the association. Breton sailors were not musicians! ”

The chosen songs are taken from the almanac and date from the end of the 19th century. They are inspired by the tunes of the time, such as Le Temps des cerises or L’Internationale.

The association Les Gâs de l’Almanach decided to update these songs through an audiovisual and theatrical show called “Vive la Marée”.

These songs retrace the history and life of sailors: “As early as 1907, they were already complaining about overfishing and steamships,” smiles François Bellande.

2018 was the first time that the association performed in Douarnenez. However, the city was a must-see place for Breton sailors.

“In the songs, they talk a lot about the harbour of Douarnenez. Many stories talk about Cornish sailors. Douarnenez is at the heart of this life as a sailor, it makes sense for us to come and sing here, “says François Bellande.

“The songs even evoke the Breton Sailor’s Almanac. We find sayings such as: among seafarers, solidarity is not an empty word, “says Yves Morvan, one of the screenwriters of the show

A Contact Sheet is available at the Association’s website.