Evening Express

The Great Tournament. SINGERS AND WRITERS, BATTLE FOR HONOUR. Keen Str&ggte between C rdrff and: Rfrymr.ey in the Great Choral Competition. "Morien" writes..— Tuesday morning at Carnarvon waa a loudy one, and oc- casionally small raR. fel1. said the result was that the numeroi.s coloured tags with whinh the streets were richly decorated presented a wooping, sad appearance, but as the day adtaiocd, and the sun gradually ascended, the gloomy atmosphere graduaity- cleared, and the blue of the sky began to appear through the rifts. in the clouds- Between eight and nine o'clock the Gorseddogion, that is to say, the en- rolled members of the Throne of Thrones, were seen coming from all directions towards the great arifh of the chief entrance, ajtd the corporation-chambers on its flanks. One of those chambers was the robing-room of the druids, bards, and ovates. For the first time w ithin living memory the varied orders of the gorsedd were to don the Coloured rebes, which, according to native records and the statement of Julius Csesar in his history of his Gallic wtra, the Druids, bards, and ovates wore in the ceremonies of the Draids. The Druids wore white, the bards sky-blue, and the ovates green robes. The last colour represented the verdant earth, the bards the colour of the sky, and the Druids white as the emblem of right and truth. The assembled enrolled members consisted of clergymen of the Church of Wales, Nonconformist ministers, and asso- ciates of literature from all parts of Wales. The attendance was large in the corporation chambers. and the scene when ail were robed was a pic- turesque one in the extreme. Each wore a flat cap and gold lace. On the front of each was the Druidic sign known in England as the broad arrow. Clwydfardd, as Archdruid, wore a white robe arranged in folds around his majestic figure, and on his head there was a tall mitre. When all had robed themselves—and one can say the best known in the annals of the modern literature of Wales were among their number- Mr. Lewis Morris, the eminent English poet, and president of the day, entered the chamber. All the assembly thought he came to don one of the sacred robes, and the writer, who was him- self in full canonicals as a Druid, quickly found for the future Poet Laureate a surplice of spotless purity, and was about to assist the English bardtoputiton, butafter eyeing the robe nervously for a moment, with the appearance of a man who halts between two opinions, the author of the" Epic of Hades" and of the Songs of Britain declined, but with the air of one who does a thing regretfully. Soon after this the road in front of the corporation buildings became full of the members of Carnarvon Corporation, and the mayor in his scarlet robes and wearing his chain of office at their head. They were attended by the servants of the corporation carrying the insignias, which comprised the banner of the borough with its open three-winged eagles. Preceded by a military brass band playing "Harlech," the procession started for the Gorsedd stone circles under the shadow of the tremendous old castle, which is sublime even in decay. As the head of the procession advanced, the philosophers of the old Western World filed out to the open street those in white, which comprised the smaller number, walked in front, followed by those in blue, by far the most numerous, and then succeeded those in green. The Marshal of the Gorsedd, Gwynedd, vicar of Llan- rhaiadr Moebnant, wore semi-military uniform made specially for the occasion. Eifionydd was the recorder. In the procession the mayor was supported on his right by Hwfa Mon, wearing sky blue, and by the Rev. D. Roberts, D.D., Wrexham, in a white surplice. It was whispered in the inner sanctuary of the cult that many of the Nonconformist ministers, after taking up the white surplices with a view to weir them, had afterwards taken to thebluegowns instead, lest some in the streets might suppose they had gone over to the Church. Be it under- stood that it is the rule of the Gorsedd that each PRINCESS VICTORIA INVESTING THE WELSH BARDS WITH ROYAL MEDALS AT BARON HILL, THE SEAT OF SIR RICHARD BULKELEY, M.P., 1832. (From an Illustration in "Royal Visits and Progresses." minister of the Gospel, be he Churchman or Dis- senter, is admitted, by virtue of his sacred office, to the Druidic Order, and, there- fore, that each of them present on this occasion was entitled to don white. The robed literati walked two a-breast, and kept step to the music as if to the manner born. The associations of the scene which the procession passed, the Menai and the shores of Anglesea on the right, and, withal, the ruined Edwaràian Castle of Canfiarvon, echoing back the strains of the "March of the Men of Harlech," was enough to give power to the tread of the bards, and to make them feel in their hearts they were the sons of a victorious race. The Gorsedd circle was railed in by a strong barrier of wood, and the general public were not admitted within that fence. As the large procession, as described, filed into the circle, the scene was a truly remarkable one, and indeed had an electrical effect on the I historian. One's thoughts flew back to the days of Claudins Caesar, when on the Menai, near Lianudain, which is within view of the town of Carnarvon, in the year A.D. 60 Junius Paulinus, a Roman general, murdered the vast numbers of old Druids and Druidesees, and the graphic account of which, written by Tacitus, was given to him, no doubt, by Agricola, who was most certainly present on the memorable occasion, and who was after- wards the father-in-law of the said great Roman historian. During a moment of self-forgetful- ness, as the Druids now coming from the direc- tion: of the Menai Straits poured into the Holy Cylch, one almost imagined for a moment that a. resurrection had taken place at last. The white-robed advanced to the Logan Stone in the centre of thecircle, and thereat formeda circlo in line with the twelve zodiacal stones forming the outer circle and with their backs towards the people. The scene at this moment was startling for its resemblance to that of a circular throne and the white-robed elders described in, I thiak, the fourth chapter of the Book of Revelation. It is quite certain that the sublime scenes of which the present one was but the merest shadow, similar to tho one described by St. John the Divine, were often witnessed in the Blessed Ielea of the West long before St. John penned his marvellous description. But while one's thoughts were thus busy among sacred speculations one became aware that Archdruid Clwydfardd had not arrived, but the next moment a British chariot was seen approaching In it was the Archdruid, a majestic-looking figure in white, with the mitre on his head and the golden outlines of the Divine name on its front, reflecting tho sunshine. He waaaceom- panied by a military-looking personage, who [might be .ail I. k»a* fce the Welcome to Wales. j Dame Wales.—" Merch anwyl i, how I do love you! A warm welcome to you both." contrary. As the Archdruid of Ordovia ad vanced,leaning on the arms of twofriends,toward the circle through the open lane, flanked by hundreds of reverent-looking people, I thought I never in my life witnessed a more dignified spec- tacle. Clwydfardd is within six years of being a century old, and now, with almost an erect carriage, and with hair as white as snow forming a deep fringe beneath the mitre, he seemed an ideal Druid of the olden time. The noble spec' tacle excited all to welcome him, and they paid homage by loud hand clapping. The usua tites were then proceeded with, the Rev. David Roberts, D.D., delivering the Gorsedd prayer, In the eye of Light." Ewa Dar, robed in green, afterwards accom- panied the harp with stanza singing. The bards delivered from the summit of the Logan Stone some remarkableenglynion, breathingthe deepest aftachment for the Gorsedd and a. profound appreciation of its sublime lessons. The Gorsedd wa.s then closed for the day, and the procession re-formed and returned through the town to the pavilion, where the competitions were pro- ceeded with. THE COMPETITIONS. The following is a full list of the adjudica- tors — Poetry.-Elis Wyn o Wyrfai, Dyfed, iolo Caernarfon, Tudno, Pedrog, and Watcyn Wvn. Prose-—The Venerable Archdeacon Griffiths, B.D., Sir William Thomas Lewis, Mr. Egerton Phillimore, M.A., Mr. Richard Williams-, F.R.S., Mr. D. Emlyn Evans, the Rev. W. R. Jones (Goleufryn), the Rev. John Owen, M.A., (Bangor), Professor John Rhys, M.A., LL.D., Mr. Thomas Darlington, M.A., Mr. W. H. Preece, F.R.S., Principal T. F. Roberts, M.A., Principal John Owi-n, M.A. (Llanbedr), Mr. Edward Edwards, M.A., Mr. Morris Owen (Isaled), and Mr. Isaac Foulkes (Llyfrbryf). Translations.—Mrs. Anna, Walter Thomas (Morfudd Eryri), Professor D. Rowlands, M.A., (Dewi Mon), Professor E. Anwyl. M.A., Pro- fessor J. E. Lloyd, M.A., Mr. W. Cadwaladr Davies, Mr. W. E. Davies, and Mr. T. Mar. chant Williams, B.A. Music.—Mr A. J. Caldicott, Mus.Ban. Cantab; Mr. John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia), harpist to her Majesty che Queen; Mr. J. H. Roberts (PencM-dd Gwynedd), Mua.Bac. Can- tab; Mr. C. Francis Lloyd, Mus.Bac. Oxon; Mr. D. Emlyn Evana, and Mr. George Miller, Mas.Bac. Cantab, bandmaster of the Royal Marine Light Infantry. Penillion Singing.—Eos Dar. Art.—Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne), Lady Penrliya, his Honour Judge Horatio Lloyd, Sir Pryce Pryoe-Jones, M.P., Mr. H. Clarence Wliaite, F.R.C.A., Mr. Leonard Hughea, R.C.A., Mr. T. J. WIIliaiM. J.P.. Mr. G. Wa.tmough Webstpr, T.C.S., Mr. R. J. Thomas, Mr. J. Douglas. Mr. Morris H. Roberts, Mr. William Jones (Bleddyn), Mr. J. J. Evans, F.G.S., Mr. Robert Roberts, and Messrs. Taylor and Son. The ccanpetitioma. opened with penillion singing with the harp. Several competitors took part, "nd the adjudicator, Eos Dar, of Mardy, Rhondda Valley, declared Mr. Robert Jones, of Llanerchymedd, to be the best. The winner was invested by Mrs. Jones, of Minavom. Next came the adjudications on musical com- position. Mr. J. H. Roberta (Pence rdd G-wynedd), Mus. Bac., delivered the award on anthem with organ, accompaniment, declar- ing no composition fulyl worthy of the prize. They, therefore, awarded half of the prize to Mynyddfab, and a similar award of half prize was declared by Mr. Emlyn Evans as encouragement to Excelsior, the best in the quartette composition, although five compo- sitions had been sent in. Eifionydd then drew attention to a condition laid down by He committee, that prizes must be withheld if there was not full merit. No thalf prize could, therefore, be awarded. Of the 44 entries forsmging the solo, "Bugail J yr Eryri," three had been selected to appear" in the pavilion, and only two of those came forward, a well-known South Wales singer, Gwyn Alaiw, not answering to his name when called. The competition, therefore, lay be- tween the two remaining, of whom Mr. T. Thomas, Wrexham, was considered best. Elis Wyn o Wyrfai, delivered the adjudi- cation on the Welsh drama, "Owen Tudor, of Peninynydd, Anglesey," for which a prize of £10 and a silver medal was offered. Only one drama had been received, but it was de- clared well worthy of the prize, when judged by the standard of Welsh compositions of tW kind. The winner was Dr. Gurnoa Jones, of Porthoawl, whose representative, Mr. BeriaJv G. Evans, was invested amid enthusiastic cheers, by Mrs. Hughes, widow of tbf cele- brated Ceiriog Hughes, the Burns of Wales. Adjudications on.Works of Art. Group of flowers in waiter-colours, painted from Nature: 1st prize, two guineas, Miss Davies, Erwood Villa, Caerau-road, Newport (Mon); second, Mr. C. J. Williams, West Brompton, London. Monochrome study of a figure (restricted to amateurs under 21): First, Miss Hartley, Upper Bangor;, eeoond, Miss Ediih Bellas, Llandudno. Outline drawing by amaterrs of a model or group executed in the presence of the adjudi- cators: First, Mr. Christopher Williams, Maesteg; second, Mr. T. H. Bruoe, of Llan- gefni, Anglesey. Mr. Clarence Whaite, P.R.C.A., submitted the adjudication on the six pen and ink ak-efcohes of Welsh scenery, not less than three of which must be birthplaces of eminent Welshmen (restricted to Welsh amateurs): First prize, silver medal and four guineas. He stated that the collection waa the best seen, in any eisteddfod. First prize, Mr. Archi- bald Lewis, Morfa House, Carmarthen; second be^t (prize of one guinea), Mr. C. D. Williams, West Bromptcw. wftteg-eolcmr paiataiiigLQf aag view in wftteg-eolcmr paiataiiigLQf aag view in Wales (open only to amateurs), Miss Maud Salmon, of Deganwy, Llandudno, was declared best, and got the prize of five guineas, while the second prize of two guineas was awarded! 1v Miss Kate Hugihas, of Abergele. The ladies were invested by the president, who found some difficulty in getting the ribbons over the broad rimmed hate of the victorious fair one3. This re- lieved the monotony of the proceedings for Upon water colour painting of any view in Wales (open only to amateurs) Miss Maud S&lmon, of Deg-anwy, Llandudno, was declared the best, and got the prize of five guineas, while the second prize of two guineas was awarded to Miss Kate Hughes, of Abergele. The ladies were invested by the president, who found some difficulty in getting the ribbons over the broad- rimmed hats of the victorious fair ones. This I CARNARVON CASTLE. relieved the monotony of the proceedings, for it must be admitted that reading the adjudica- tions is rather dull work for most people except the adjudicators and the winners. endeavoured to raise the smile into a laugh, by expressing a hope that ladies who intended winning National Eisteddfod prizes would think of the ceremony of investiture, and limit the width of their hats to 2ft. In the pianoforte solo competition, out of 48 entries 32 played in the preliminary contest, and of tho>e four were selected to appear before the audience, and 2uiSs Mariali Williams, o Maesteg, Glamorganshire (a very young lady), was declared the winner. Mr. A. J. Caldicott, Mus. Brie., delivered the adjudication. Mr Isaac Lewis, of Port Dinorwic, was the best of twelve competitors for the prize of ±.5 for pastoral poems, lolo Carnarvon thus award- ing on behalf of himself and Watcyn Wyn and Elis Wyn of Wyrfai. Once more we come to a competition interest- ing to South Waliins, viz., the rendering of the quartette, "The sea hath its pearls. Of er.tries three appeared before the audience, and the prize of four guineas was accorded by acclamation, as well as by the adjudica or* award, to Mr. Ivor Foster, of Tonyrefail, and party, and one of the ladies of the party Wa* dnly Invested bv the Lord Bishop of Bangor. There were 36 entries for the contralto solo competition, "Ye that love the Lord, and several of thr.se were selected to sing in the pavilion. Mr C. Francis Lloyd in delivering the adjudi- tion said he did not think thty had had one contralto voice that morning, and all they had to do was to award the prize to the lady who had sung best, but it was not sufficient that a singer should be ;i|,le to sing certain notes. hat they would like to hear in a contralto competition woulo. be contcilto voices. The singing, however, had been pxceedingly gocd, and the best was that of Miss Gwen Thomas, of Treharris, pupil cf Madame Clara Novello Davies, Cardiff. A splendidly executed harp solo was given by Telynores"Menai, whose performance led to an enthusiastic enoora. Mr. Clarence Whaite next delivered the .id- judication on original paintings of Welsh landscape, measuring not less than 36in. by 24in. Of the twenty sent in that of Miss Maud Salmon, Deganwy, was declared best, and she was awarded the first prize (twelve guineas), while the second prize, of three guineas, went to the Rev. John Owen,. Bettwsyeoed. Then, for translations of selections from Mr. T.ewis Morris's poetical works, tha adjudica- tors (Mrs. Anna Walker Thomas, Professor D. Rowlands, and Professor E. Anwyl) de- clared that Mr. Hugh Hughes, schoolmaster, Llanddeilionen. was victor on the translation of "At the Eisteddfod and "At the Meeting Field," while the first prize for the translation of "The Curse of Pantrmnas" was awarded to Mr. W. Spekeman, Post-office, Penisarwaen, Carnarvon. Mr. Vincent Evans, secretary of the Cym- mrodorion Society, read the adjudication of Mr. Egerton Phillimore, M.A., on the poems of Iolo God), with historical and critical notes thereon. The prize, of £5!J, was given by the National Eisteddfod Association. Three com- positions had been received, the best being that of "John Jones, who turned out to be Mr. Charles Ashton, of Dinas Mawddwy, generally known as the literary policeman," who now, for the third time, secured the JB50 prize of the National Eisteddfod. The winner was PENRHYN CASTLE. Penrhyn Castle, where their Rc.val High-I nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales are staying during a portion of this week, stands amidst scenery than which there is none more wild eyea in UJjilsj invested by the popular vocalist, Madame Annie Marriott, who subsequently Banff the old English ballad, The Bailiff's Daughter," and, in response to an encore, gave Cherry Ripe." Chief Choral Competition. About two o'clock in the afternoon one of the conductors announced that they were pre- paring for the chief choral competition, and immediately there was a rustle of dresses, as ladies belonging to the various choirs began making their way to the doors so as to be ready to join their friends. The seats thus vacated were quickly filled by anxious lis- tners, and an expectant hush fell upon the assembled multitude. When Cadfan an- nounced that as the result of the balloting for places the choirs would sing in the following order: — 1. Cardiff. 2. Birkenhead, 3. Carnarvon, 4. The Rhymney, 5. Shrewsbury, then it was that Cardiff folks whispered tha,t they did nofc expeot to be called so soon, and they feared all their members were not yet on the wound. The natural delays of an eisteddfod helped them, and by tho time the oall came from. the platform they were ready. The test pieces were :-(a) Chorus, "All men, all things," Hymn of Praise (Men- delssohn). (b) Part song, "Yr Ynys Wen" CONTEST FOR THE GOLD HARP AT THE ROYAL DENBIGH EISTEDDFOD BEFORE H.R.H. THE DUKE OF SUSSEX, 1828. (From an Illustration in Royal Visits and Progresses.") ("Isle of Beauty"), J. H. Roberts, Mus. Bac., Cantab. First prize £ 150, and for the conduc- tor a. gold medal and £3 worth of music (the latter given by Messrs. Novello, Ewer, and Co.); second prize. JB25. Adjudicators, Messrs. A. J. Caldicott, Mus. Bac., Cantab., chairman; D. Emlyn Evans, John Thomas (Penoerdd Gwalia); J. H. Roberts (Pencerdd Gwynedd), Mus. Bac., Cantab.; C. F. Lloyd, Mus. Bac., .Oxon. A new feature of the programme was the fixing of Mr. Caldicott as chairman of the adju- dMa.tcrs. It was laid down that the choirs should number from 120 to 140 voices, and, taking them in the order in which they sang, we may give particulars of them thus: — 1. Cardiff Choral Union, conducted by Mr. J aoob Dav.e?, 138 voices. 2. Birkenhead Caimbriain Choral Society, Mr. D. O. Parry, 128 voices. 3. Cam^von Choral Union, Mr. W. Jones, 140 voicee. tlwt is so vivid and dutiful. Its stately toners command on the one side the well- vr*oded valley of the Ogwen, & picturesque I mountain stream, whose atttber-eolomed waters mske their way to the sea. from the lake of -Log-t-oJ IDA-xd- tifcft,aam8jaaa»a.»aitiie fpot_of Garaedd Xtefx&iy 4. Rhymuey United Choir, Mr. John Frio*, 140 voioea. 5. Shrewsbury Choral Society, Mr. W. T). I Philling, 162 voices. Earn ohjoir was vociferously dhooE'^l as it came on the pUtform, aliA we singing of tsovfaral of the uboirs was entlrasiasfct^allly ap- plauded. Mr. J. IL Roberts and Mr. CaMieott de- livered the adjudication, the ilaji named in Weigh and the last named in English. Some time flapsed after the close of the oom-petition before the adiudicatoro emerged from the room in which they were looked while considering their verdict. Mr. Roberta, the composer of the part-iong, stavsd that it was very evident that what had giv^n choirs the greatest trouble was the pairt- iong, for it had been written in a style wiiich they in Wales had not cultivated to the degree they ought to. They felt that, I oil tha whole, idl the eltoirs had givtui creditable ¡ fou-ierrngs of the part-song, although net one of thsm haa given entire sa,W3famioli. Tho in- tonation was difficult, and they had not kept I it perfectly from beginnu^ to end. Tin j weak- ness in maintaining the pitch was one winch they had long felt in Wolsh choirs, and it was to meet chat difficulty that the part-sc-ii; had been so composed. (Applause.) He would not say anything more lest ha might let slip the not say anything more lest ha might let slip the names of the winners. daughter.) I' Mr. Caldicot, who followed, remarked that the competition had been a remarkably close one-so close, indeed, that the adjudicators had I had considerable difficulty in weighing" and balancing one choir against another. Choirs coming from distance, and singing in that pavilion for the first time, naturally experienced a difficulty in ascertaining its accoudtio proper- ties and in finding their own pitoh. In that respect, of course, Carnarvon Choir had a. mani- fest advantage, which was perceptible enough in their rendering of the first chorus, but their falling away in the second competition was un- accountable. The adjudicators, he went on to say, had to deal mainly with the respective merits of two choirs, which were about equal in proportion, in body of tone and brillance of attack. In one case, the unnecessary forcing of the voices sharpened the tone, and, consequently, made a perceptible difference between the tones of the voices and the pitch of the instrument accompanying them. In the other case they had this brilliance of attack, combined with an absolute keeping of the pitch. That waa singjing perfectly m tune. The difficulty of the adjudicators had been, in some respects, with the part-song, where it had been necessary, not merely to have a display of brute force-lio said this with all respect to the vocahtts-not a display of force of voioos, but also an amount of judgment, style, and ex- pression for which there was no room in tHe first chorus. In passing he deprecated extra- vagant gestures on the part of conductors as being unnecessary after full rehearsal, and as tending to distract the attention of the audience from the composition and the rendering of it. He declared that the competition was so close that the difference in the value of prizes was altogether disproportionate to the difference that existed between the two fortunate com- petitors. It Was a matter of regret with the adjudicators that they could not adjust it. At the same time, they had weighed in the balance everything from a study of the quality and tone, execution of passages both as regards pace, time, points of expression, and attack, and they unanimously decided to give the second prize to No. 1 Choir (Cardiff), and the first prize to No. 4 Choir (Rhymney). The result was received with cheers, and it was announced that the conductors would be invested at the evening concert. Votes of Thanks. A vote of thanks to the chairman was pro- posed by Sir John Puleston, seconded by Dr, Parry (Carnarvon), and carried with accla- mation. Mr. Lewis Morris having replied, the National Anthem was played, and the pavilion soon emptied. Outside the conductor of the Rhymney Choir was chaired by his friends and carried through the streets amid manifes- tations of great joy. Shortly afterwards Mr. Price appeared in the upper window of the hotel, and, after bowing to the immense (-on- course in the street, called for oheers for the Cardiff Choir, which were given. THE EVENING CONCERT. I Speech by Professor Rees. In the evening the Eisteddfod Choir, led by Mr. John Williams, gave a capita! performa-nce of Handel's oratorio, "Samson." The choir ccnsisted of 220 voices, and were assisted by a full orchestra of 37 performers (led by Mr. Thomas 8ha,w), while the artistes who also took part were Madame Annie Marriott, Miss Eleanor Rees, Mr. Maldwyn Humphreys, Mr. Watkin Mills, and Mr. Daniel Price. The chair was occupied by Professor John Rhys, M.A., LL.D. Professor Rhys during the evening delivered a short address, in which he deprecated long speech-making in such assemblies as those, which were dedicated to thea&uglitgro of Song and to the sons of Jubal, the father of all such as handle the harp and the organ." He feared < he could not reckon that great man among his ancestors—(laughter)—nor his brother, the mighty manipulator of braes and 1ron-. (renewed laughter)—for he (the speaker) was lacking both in lungs and in brass. There was one thing he would like to mention in connec- tion with music. It was on all hands admitted that the Welsh people were, in one way or another) fond of musio and possessed a talent for the study of it, so it was not unreasonable to expect that more of their countrymen would by-and-hye succeed in reaching the higher walks of musical art, and that some of them might be found to treat our Celtic stories and romances in somp such way as Wagner had been dealing with those of other nations. (Applause.) In- deed, among those which Wagner had handled two at least were of Celtic origin, viz., those of Tristran and Parsifal. Those two would Snowdon's victorious rival. On the other side are thó riverlike Alenai Straits, of the bright blue colour of the ocean, but with banks fringed with trees; beyond, Anglesey extends its level meadowy dot^Qfi here aftil e wijtjh white cpitaaea* :v