Ceredwen (pronounced ker-ED-wen) is or was a Welsh musical duo comprising Andrew Fryer and Renee Gray who performed
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
/
new age music
New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than tra ...
.
The name comes from the
Celtic goddess of inspiration and legendary mother of Taliesin, King Arthur's bard and "Keeper of the Cauldron".
Their debut album, ''Ô'r Mabinogi'' (''Legends of the Celts'') (1997), featured in the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts for 3 months and won three NAV awards. Their second album, ''The Golden Land'' (1999), was also successful.
History
Gray hails from South Wales and also plays in the Lucys, a Celtic folk-rock band; Fryer is an Englishman who formed his first band when he was 13 and works as a songwriter and independent record producer. Ceredwen's 1997 debut album ''O'r Mabinogi'' was inspired by the tales ancient Celtic storytellers told of their ruler's heroic deeds, and featured real and sampled Celtic instruments like the
bodhran,
pennywhistle
The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...
,
flute
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
and
uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...
along with contemporary rhythms and Gray's vocals. Their follow-up, 1999's ''Golden Land'', followed a similar musical path and used the
Druids
A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...
' fight against the invading Roman army as source material.
Ceredwen are signed to Real Music in the US.
Their music has been compared to that of
Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...
due to its use of traditional instruments and
ambient
Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film
* ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
approach, but differs in its use of language. Enya sings in
Irish whereas Ceredwen sing entirely in
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, of or about Wales
* Welsh language, spoken in Wales
* Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales
Places
* Welsh, Arkansas, U.S.
* Welsh, Louisiana, U.S.
* Welsh, Ohio, U.S.
* Welsh Basin, during t ...
.
Discography
*''O'r Mabinogi'' (1997)
*''The Golden Land'' (1999)
References
External links
Reviews of the first two albums musicaldiscoveries.com
Welsh folk musicians
{{UK-band-stub