Or as they say, east of the border – a happy Saint David’s Day to you. Spring has sprung early, the daffodils are already out, and we (or at least the sole Welsh person working in the Music Department here at the UL) couldn’t let Saint David’s Day pass without having a look at some Welsh treasures in the collections, along with suggestions for Welsh-related listening.
One of the oldest items in the printed music collections related to Wales is Edward Jones’ Musical and poetical relicks of the Welsh bards (London : Printed for the author, 1784). Jones’ volume contains the first publication of many favourites including Ar hyd y nos, Nos galan (Deck the halls with boughs of holly), and David of the White Rock.
All from Musical and poetical relicks of the Welsh bards 1784.
The nineteenth century saw the first Welsh oratorio – Ystorm Tiberias by “Tanymarian” (Edward Stephen), and the first Welsh opera Blodwen (M260.a.90.205) by Joseph Parry. Parry’s life was an amazing one, spanning a childhood working in the mines at the age of nine, to becoming the first Welshman to receive both a degree and a doctorate in music from Cambridge.
Throughout the 20th century, Welsh musical life remained lively. The BBC established a national orchestra for Wales, and, as previously mentioned on MusiCB3, the Welsh National Opera became fully professional.
Grace Williams became the first British woman to score a feature film with her score for Blue Scar (1949), a film set in the industrial heartland of the South Wales valleys. She later composed one of the loveliest documentary film scores A letter for Wales (1960), a mixture of Grace’s own inimitable voice, and arrangements of Welsh songs.
Welsh composers Alun Hoddinott and William Mathias received international recognition; both played an important part in musical education in Wales lecturing at the University Colleges of Wales at Cardiff and Bangor respectively. Contemporary composers include Rhian Samuel, Guto Puw, and Paul Mealor.
Karl Jenkins has successfully bridged the gap between classical and a more popular style of music; while Ivor Novello, the most successful composer of British musicals until the advent of Andrew Lloyd Webber, continues to make a mark through the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards for song-writing.
In popular music, the Manic Street Preachers have filled stadiums, Shirley Bassey became for many the sound of James Bond, and Catatonia became the first group, as far as I know, to have a number one album in the UK featuring a track in Welsh. Super Furry Animals went further in 2000 releasing a wholly Welsh album, Mwng.
Whatever your musical tastes have a wonderful St. David’s Day, and do listen this weekend to some music from Wales.
MJ
MusiCB3 Blog 
Diolch yn fawr, bach. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus i chi!
I completely forgot to send my daughter off to nursery with a daff pinned to her.
(I’m not Welsh, but I lived in Pembrokeshire for ten years and still support Wales in the rygbi)
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Love Pembrokeshire. Beautiful area of the country. Glad you’re still supporting the team! MJ
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😉
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i). “Wishing” someone a “Happy St. David’s Day” must be a recent salutation (and in some minds a “contradiction”); when I was at school it was (and still is) “celebrated” on the day of his death and was, as a consequence, a rather sombre and serious affair. How times change.
ii). Have a little look at the songs of Meirion Williams (Caneuon Meirion Williams); some of these songs can hold their own against those of Schubert/Hugo Wolf in terms of musicality if not quantity any day. Until his death, Dietrich F-Dieskau had a house in the village where I live and I knew him fleetingly. I tried to interest him in some of these songs: he reacted positively but found the Welsh pronunciations daunting.
iii). Bryn Terfel has a CD of a selection of MW’s songs.
Cofion crach-werinol.
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Not that recent, Richard. As a child brought up in S Wales nearly 50 years ago, my primary school used to dance in the streets on St. David’s Day. It was a celebration of what it meant to be Welsh, and was a joyous occasion. It’s very hard to feel too sad with a bunch of daffs and some wild dancing!
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….and better Welsh would be to substitute the word Llawen” for “hapus” since the latter is basically a phonetic prostitution of the english “happy” which no self respecting Welsh speaker would use.
Cofion o ddyfnderoedd yr Almaen.
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I’ve been in exile a long time! Quite a bit of “phonetic prostitution” going on in the valleys of S Wales (we still play good rugby (or should that be rygbi?) though… MJ
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