Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

The Welshman

The copyright status or ownership of this resource is unknown.
Hide Articles List

6 articles on this Page

THE WELSH KSTIOSSL EISTEDDFOD…

Detailed Lists, Results and Guides
Cite
Share

THE WELSH KSTIOSSL EISTEDDFOD AT RHYL. Although Thursday, the 8th inst., was not the choral day, which in recent years has become such a feature of the national institution, it certainly was more international in its character than the preceding day. Hwfa Mon," ''Cadfan," "Eiticn- lvdd," and Watcyn Wyn were in their element, and indulged in rhythmic phrases and pretty com- pliments to sun, to earth, to sea, and sky to poesy to music, to art, to beauty, to the a\ven," and to the new and strange god of the gorsedd, the -great Pan-Celt," whose offering is heather. whose "HaHetulia Chorns" is an international medley of Hen W!ad fy Nhadau." whose lan.n-I age is Esperanto, and whose high priest is the French-Irishman Fournier d'Ahbe. The Bretons, headed by M. Jaifrennou, whose knowledge of I Welsh is really marvellous, had left for Lly- I 'daw by the first train that morning, so that I there was a gap in the list of englynwyr. In the pavilion Sir Watkin WiUiams-?Wynn pre- sided in the morning, and Mr. Tom John con- ducted, while in the afternoon Mr. D. Lloyd "George, M.P., presided, and Hew Tegid was 'the conductor. The principal feature of the day's work, of looilrse, was the chairing of the bard. It was when the bardic addresses became un- .necessarily numerous and tedious that cries for "Lloyd George" became frequent. It need 'scarcely be said that Nli- Hen Davies's rendering ]?e;i i-t-il d ei- i iig of the chairing song, "Gwlad fy Xgenedigaeth," 'was rapturously cheered. The official rendering of "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau in Welsh—not in Es- peranto—has sufficed for any little ebullition of musical patriotism which has marked the Rhyl National Eistedfod of 1904. The englynion were, of course, congratulatory, and "Watcyn Wyn was again peculiarly happy in his expression :— "Cadair Awen eleni—a lanwyd Gran gernunydd stori A Machreth hob ddim ochri Yn eitha' iawn aeth a hi." The victorious bard was, when found, escorted to the platform by the Hev. J. T. Job and the Rev. Ben Davies—both chaired bards—and that among the blue-robed throng was the bardic hero- ine of the morning's Gorsedd (Hiss Griffith), whose certificated title to a place in the bardic circle lent .a charm to the occasion. Now, to return to the choral contest of the day —the ladies' choral. That Welsh gem, Y Deryn Pur" (Emlyn Evans), was one of the three test pieces, and the singing altogether was excellent, As Mr. Francis Lloyd said, the most difficult task which the adjudicators had yet had was to decide between them. L'anbradach Ladies' Choir (led hy Mrs. S. Moses) and the Manx Ladies' Choir. (conducted by Miss Cannell) divided the honours under circumstances which did credit to both. 'The adjudicators were unstinting in their praises. Honorary Gorsedd degrees were then conferred upon the following, who were also given the nom de plumes indicated after their names: Mr. 1). Rees, of East London, South Africa, thrice mayor of that city (" ") Miss Carmichael Scotland (" Merch y Mor"); Mr. X, Hamilton: B.A., Trinity College, Dublin (" Ap Derwyn "); Mrs Hamer Lewis, Hafod Elwy, St. Asaph ("Mor- fydd Elwy"): Mr. R. S. Roberts, barrister, Lon- don ("Eurgrawnt "); Mr. Omally, Dublin, treas- urer of the Pan-Celtic Congress (" Mab y Glyn "); -the Rev. Morien Mon. Hughes, Presbvterian min- ister, Rome, America (" Morien Mon "); Miss Lily Jones Hughes, Rhyl ("Eryl"); Miss Gwladys 'ivoberts, the well-known Welsh vocalist (" Gwlad- ys "); Ir. A. ia>'Ior; his Majesty's inspector of s?hools, Penarth (" Arlunydd "); Mr. Howell Idris mayor of St. Pancras. and Liberal candidate for Mint Boroughs ("Idris"); Mr. Arthur Foulkcs Roberts, Prestatyn (" Y Llechryd "); the Rev. D. Tewyn Evans, Wesleyan minister (" Dewi Tec- j wyn "); Capt. Jones, Dublin (" Xeifion Dulyn "); the Rev. Hugh Evans, Weslevan Methodist min- ister, Brymbo ("Cynfor"); and Mr. J. Simpson, Greenhalgh (" Glasfryn.") Amongst those who had qualified as bard was a young sirl of 18, Miss L Griffith, now of Liver- pool, who was called Mtma because she hailed i from Anglesey. For a wastepaper basket the prize was awarded to Air. Fred Gifford, Institute for the Blind, Car- diff. For two large flower pots of Welsh manufacture and for the best kitchen service, Air. Evan Jones, of Eyenny Pottery, Glamorgan, was awarded the prizes. A prize of L5 had been offered for an elegy on Llawdden" (Dean Howell), but there was not sufficient merit in any of the five essays. The violin solo competition was the first musical contest of the day, and it certainly elicited greater i effort than the harp solo of the previous day had done. The prize was awarded to Mr. Evan Wil. liams, Tunnel-road, Llanelly. Mr. G. F. Finch, Pain's Castle, Erwood, near Builth, won Mr. N .Yates's prizes for a wrought- iron garden gate and a large jardinniere. Miss Agnes Mostyn, daughter of Lady Mostyn, won the prize for any article in wrought-iron, coper or brass. Hir a thoddaid on Yr angor ("The An- chor ") There were 44 competitors, the best being that of Mr. Ceidrvn R ees, Glanamman. The ad- j udicators were" Herw and Professor J. Morris Jones. For the mezzo-soprano solo, A dream divine the prize was awarded to Miss Jennie Ellis, for- merly of Dinas Mawddwy, but now of Cardiff. For the cywydd on Y Gobeydd the prize went to lr. H. W. T. Davies, Bethel, Cardiff. For penillion singing M'r. Owen Owen, Llau- erchymedd, was awarded the prize. The string quartette prize was won by Ap Tyd- fil and party, of Pentre llhondda Valley. The duet contest on Baner Rhyddid" was a keen one, and although Mr. Protliero, Llanelly, and friend, and" Gwilym Taf and friend were among those who sang on the platform, the prize was won by Mr. Ted. Owen and Mr. David Lloyd, of Blaenau Festiniog. The orchestral band competition, although the prize was £ 25, attracted only two bands, viz., Rhondda Society (conducted by Mr. Percy Smith) and the Wrexham Society (led by Mr. W. S. Stephenson). The best performance was given bv the first band (Rhondda), and Mr. Percy G. Smith the conductor, was invested amid great applause by Lady Mostyn. The chairing of the bard was, as usual, an at- tractive item in the day's programme. The sub- ject for competition was Geraint. ac Enid," for which an oak chair and zC20 were offered. The adjudicators were Professor J Morris Jones, M.A.. Elfed," and Berw." The three adjudicators were absolutely unanimous in awarding the prize to tho author of the ode signed Cynonfab Clyd- no (applause). The Rev. Machreth Rees, Congregational min- ister ,London, was seen rising in the audience, and, amid loud cheers, he was conducted to the platform, when he was invested with the prize by Lady Mostyn. The bardic chairing ceremony was conducted by the Archdruid (" Hwfa Mon "'), as- sisted by a crowd of robed bards. Mr. Rees began life at farming, but went at an early age to Festiniog, and there for some years worked as a quarryman in the great quarries. His remarkable mental gifts soon marked him out for a more intellectual sphere of labour, and, passing with ease from manual to mind work, he entered the Bala Congregational College as a student for the ministry, and there again his innate ability quickly carried him to the front, and ere long he received his first call to the pastorate of Bettws- y-Coed. Some nine years ago he went to Chelsea, where he still remains. He was at Wrexham, Llanelly, and Bangor within an ace of achieving the coveted distinction which is now his. His suc- cessful composition this year, we are well informed contains many passages of exquisite beauty and the highest poetic merit. Mr. Lloyd George, M.P., the afternoon presi- dent was called upon after the chairing ceremony to address the assembly, and, in complying, was received with great cheering. As to music he said the great prize had gone beyond Offa's Dyke but it was a good thing to be reminded that they must keep at their best if they would attain the best (hear. hear). It was also" a good thing to encour- age the English choirs to compete so as to give .Welshmen a chance of beating them another time (laughter). A nation that had the courage to detect her own faults would have the courage also to mend them (applause). He had often drawn attention to the necessity of a Welsh drama. They were told that the drama was out of place in Wales The fact was, however, that they could not avoid it, and if they did not cultivate the national taste they would get the dregs instead of the best of the English drama. A national drama did not mean that only native compositions would be played. Their need in Wales was to create a greater taste among the people for the reading of the best in books and in literature (hear, hear). There was nothing that a nation ever did that W ales would not in the future be able to accomplish, for it possessed every essential for national success and prospet-itv. I" The ladies' choir competition has already been spoken of. I 1 For a translation into W„elsh of Islwyn's Fy Nhad a prize of tio was awarded. jM to Mr. Rhys D Morgan (" Ap Lleurwg ), Maesteg, and £4 to the Rev. J. V. Stephens, oi Pittston, United States of America. Welsh novels.—Miss Eilian Hughes, of Amlwch, ,was found to be the author of the three best short — and was stories sent in illustrative of Welssb 1if4. » awarded the prize of t5. In the evening the Eisteddfod Choir, ë(mdncl hy Mr. Wilfrid Jones, gave a performance before- a crowded audience of Gounod's The Redemp- tion." The Bishop of St. Asaph presided, and the artistes were Madame Bertha. llossoir, Miss Gwladys Davies, and Messrs. Ben Davies and A. Black. ( 190G EISTEDDFOD. The annual joint meeting of the Gorsedd and National Eisteddfod Association took place in the Town-hall in the afternoon. The meeting con- sidered applications received for the holding of the eisteddfod of 1UOG from Shrewsbury, Carnarvon, and Wrexham. Each town was represented by an influential deputation. On a division the application of Carnarvon was acceded to by a large majority, the figures being: Shrewsbury, 8 Wrexham, 10; Carnarvon, 74. Mrs. Buckley Owen said Shrewsbury would re- new its invitation for the Eisteddfod of 1908 (cheers). The day's receipts amounted to C800, making a total to date of £ 2,400. Friday afternoon, in one of the finest compe- titions ever witnessed in Wales for male voice choirs, the Cardiff Male Voice Choir (conducted by Mr Roderick Williams) achieved a notable victory, defeating a number of crack English choirs, and thus asserting once more the superiority of Welsh choral singing. Cardiff was found to excel by one point only, and when this was announced, and the thousands present realised that the laurels had returned to Wales, the great audience raised a deafening shout of joy. The hero of the hour, Mr Roderick Williams, the conductor of the winning party, had a crowd of Welsh M.P.'s to offer him their congratulations, Mr. Herbert Lewis remark- ing that lie had that afternoon rendered Wales a notable service. Madame Clara Novello Davies, the accompanist of the choir, was similarly com- plimented. I At the uorsedQ "Hwfa Mon" presided, and among t hose present were: Eifioiiydd," "Cad- fan," Machreth (the chaired bard of 1904), Ben Davies (" Pedr Hir "), Awstin," Ap Idanfryn," Gwynfi," the Hon. Mrs. Bulkely Owen, and others. Among the recipients of the honorary Gorsedd degrees were Miss M. E. L Williaiiis, Bodelwy- ddan Mrs. T..Jones, Liverpool; Mr. L. Hughes, ex-chairman of the Anglesey County Council; Mr D. Roberts, the blind harpist of Llanover Mr. J. H. Ellis, Hhyl; Hev. D. Jones, M.A.. Penmaen- mawr and llev. T. G. Thomas, Ilkstone. The following were some of the competitions :— Plan oi six cottages—Mr. Fred A. Llewellvn, Richmond, Surrey. Plan of single cottage to cost L220-.Ilr. A. H. Jenkins, Blackmill, Bridgend. Carved oak panels—Mr. J. J. Walker, Severn Road, Cardiff. Reproduction of any antique carving—Mr. D. Jones, Llanelwydd Schools, Builth Wells. Panel carved with Arms of Wales—Miss X. C. Baker, 8. Xinian Road, Cardiff. Specimen of turning, any wood —Mr. Thomas, Tanyrallt, Brechfa, South Wales. Wooden spoons in any white wood—Mr. W. Ll. Evans, Carmarthen. Best water colour (Welsh subject)—Mr. Hubert Coop, of Whitby and Conway. The painter of the best water colour, "Welsh scenery was Mr. W. Stephenson, Conway, Prize of tlO for the best list of colloquial Welsh names for birds, fishes, insects, and worms—Hon- ours were divided between Mr. T. C. Evans, Bridgend, and Mr. William Davies, Talybont. Translations.—Thirteen translations were re- ceived of selected Welsh lyrics, and Elfed and Mr. Robert Bryan awarded the prize to Mr. T. J. Thomas, Starneol, Llandyssu l. Compositions.—(a) Part song for female voices: Mr. A. E. Floyd, Oswestry, (b) Movement for orchestra: Mr. W. H. Dean, Mus. Bac., Wells. The triple harp contest this year was particu- larly interesting and pathetic. Three competitors appeared Miss Ethel Williams, daughter of the Vicar of Vvrnwy. She is paralysed, and was brought on the platform in an invalid carriage, in which she lay as her fingers deftly played the strings of the sweet toned harp. Xext, Mr David Roberts, the blind harpist of Llanover, and third, "Telynores Mynwy," whose appearance in Welsh costume was appropriate to an attempt at reviv- ing interest in the national instrument. They awarded the prize to Mr. D. Roberts because he had the best instrument and played best and strongest but there was deep pathos and skill in the playing of Miss Ethel Williams, which induced Dr. Cummings to offer out of his own pocket £ 1 as a second prize to that lady. The subject of the crown poem this year was Tom Ellis," for which a prize of £ 20 and a silver crown was offered. "Edmygydd," who was de- I dared the winner, and turned out to be the Rev. Machno Humphreys, Baptist minster, Llanelly. The winner was escorted to the platform amid deafening cheers, and was invested by Mrs. Tom Ellis. The crowning ceremony was then proceeded with, bards in robes thronging the platform. Hwfa" conducted the ceremony, and was as- sisted by "Eifionydd," Cadfan," "Watcyn Wyn," "Machreth," and others. In the eagerly anticipated competition for male voice chors the prize was £50, and there were two test pieces-viz. (a) Son of God (D. Jenkins), and (b) The King of Worlds (A. D'Ard-Janin). Seven choirs competed and sang in the following or d er: 1, k li- C. order: 1, Moelwyn, Festiniog (conductor, Mr C. Roberts); 2, Wigan Harmonic (Mr. R. A. Moss); 3, Manchester Orpheus (Mr. W. S. Nesbict); 4, Victora, Birmingham (Mr. J. Xorthwood); 5, Rhosllanerchrugog (Mr. Wilfrid Jones); ü, Cardiff (Mr. Roderick Williams); 7, Manx (Miss Cannell). The adjudicators were: Dr. WT. H. Cummings, Messrs. C. Francis Lloyd, Mus. Bac., D. Jenkins, Mus. Bac., and D. Emlyn Evans. Mr. Francis Lloyd said W ales need never fear England or any other country in the matter of choral singing. He strongly believed that in no other country in the world of the same size would one meet with so many grand voices as in Wales (cheers). If the Welsh choirs had fallen behind the English choirs, as they had occasionally done, it was not because the voices were inferior, but because they had had few advantages in the matter of training, and they wanted all the good singing that was possible brought to them, in order to teach the Welsh con- ductors their duty in the matter of choral train- ing. Mr. D. Jenkins followed in Welsh with a detailed adjudication. As Mr. Lloyd had said,' there were two choirs that stood conspicuously above all the others, and these two had given per- formances that very closely approached each other in merit as regards both pieces. These choirs were No. 3 (Manchester) and No. 6 (Cardiff) (loud cheers). The marks given to them were as fol- lows: Manchester for the English piece 19 marks, for the Welsh piece 18 marks total, 37. Cardiff for the English piece, 18 marks, for the Welsh piece 20 marks; total 38 marks. Cardiff was therefore placed first and Manchester second. The announcement. was received with great cheering. The evening concert, presided over by the Hon. Laurence Brodrick, was of a miscellaneous char- acter. The Rev. R. Machno Humphreys, winner of the crown, was born at Talybont. He spent three years at Llangollen Baptist College under the late Dr. Hugh Jones, and was ordained as min- ister at the Docks, Cardiff, in 1877. He removed to Wrexham, where he laboured for seven years, and for the last 15 years lie has been pastor of Calfaria Baptist Chapel, Llanelly. "THE EASY CHAIn," This is the name of a new penny weekly magazine of good literary tone, published by Mr. R. S. Cartwright, St. Johns in the Court, Fleet Street. There is a serial, to- gether with a short story by Violet Hunt, and numerous pithy articles of varied interest.

Advertising

- - - - - - - | FARM AND GARDEH…

I LLANDllO AGRICULTURAL SHOW.I

Advertising

SWPER Y PLANT. I