Caneuon Serch a Gofid

Notes

Caneuon Serch a Gofid (Songs of Love and Sorrow) was commissioned in the 2009 by the Liverpool Welsh Choral, and is in memory of Eileen Vaughan. It’s a piece for choir and harp based on traditional Welsh tunes, and sung in Welsh. As someone with an interest in languages but with scant knowledge of Welsh, I needed much help in preparing for this. Rhiannon Liddell, a member of the choir, put her great expertise and many hours of her time into helping me with the texts, providing me with literal, word-for-word translations. I also recorded her speaking all the texts in natural Welsh speech rhythms.

The six songs I selected are as follows: Hob y deri dano (All the day), Bum inau’n rhodiana (I was strolling, also known as One Bright Summer Morning, or Cadair Idris), Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock), Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech (The Campaign of the Men of Harlech, or Men of Harlech), Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn (Watching the Wheat, or Idle Days in Summer Time) and Llwyn Onn (The Ash Grove).