Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 12 Posted June 12 (edited) This is a gorgeous traditional Welsh tune, often played on harp. I've arranged it for 20 button G/D anglo concertina, with a little contrasting dance, based on the tune, at the end. I have heard it played as a very slow air, but it feels so nice as a lilting waltz. Morfa is an old word, still used in place names, meaning a place by the sea, a coastal landscape, such as mudflats, saltmarsh or sand dunes. Neither land nor sea - a place in between. I'm not sure which queen would have reigned over this particular saltmarsh, maybe in medieval times. Perhaps it is one of folklore - somewhere on the western coast, where there are legends of a lost land, now sunken - Cantre'r Gwaelod. Perhaps she roams it, mourning the loss of her kingdom! Edited June 12 by Kathryn Wheeler 12
Roger Hare Posted June 12 Posted June 12 (edited) 37 minutes ago, Kathryn Wheeler said: This is a gorgeous traditional Welsh tune, often played on harp... You just made my day, thank you so much! There is a setting of this lovely tune on The Traditional Tune Archive... Edited June 12 by Roger Hare 1 1
Tiposx Posted June 12 Posted June 12 This is exceptional. Really a joy to listen and watch. Is that counterpoint as well? 1
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 12 Author Posted June 12 2 hours ago, Roger Hare said: You just made my day, thank you so much! There is a setting of this lovely tune on The Traditional Tune Archive... I'm so glad, thank you for letting me know! The Traditional Tune Archive setting is really interesting - especially because there's an extra bar in there (bar 8 ) (I think it might be to make it a standard 8 bar phrase), compared to the version I know where there's a rather unusual, and I must admit, very lovely, pause at the end of bar 7 before resuming the tune). I came across the version I play in the tunebook by the band Alaw, but now I've just had a look at the version in Nicholas Bennett's collection "Alawon fy ngwlad". Isn't it great that it's available to look at! https://archive.org/details/alawonfyngwladla01benn/page/n33/mode/2up
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 12 Author Posted June 12 (edited) 3 hours ago, Tiposx said: This is exceptional. Really a joy to listen and watch. Is that counterpoint as well? Thankyou! Do you mean the end section? I think when I came up with it, I had the melody going in my head and the two parts go with it, more or less, if that makes sense. It wasn't something that was planned out, more it just happened and fell under the fingers. As many interesting things often do! It came out of playing with sixths and mostly moves in a parallel way, and both have the same rhythm. Certainly both parts would work on their own as melodies as well as going together. I often harmonise when other people are playing melodies (or singing), so this sort of thing transfers to the concertina like this. Edited June 12 by Kathryn Wheeler
Roger Hare Posted June 12 Posted June 12 (edited) 3 hours ago, Kathryn Wheeler said: I'm so glad, thank you for letting me know... My pleasure! The TTA is a great resource. I like Welsh Music! Welsh music doesn't get enough of an airing, so something like this is just dandy. Wales is the nearest 'foreign country' to where I'm based so it's an 'obvious' place to look for 'exotic' foreign music... (coming from Lancashire, maybe I should regard Yorkshire as a foreign country - it's a bit nearer...🙂) Edited June 12 by Roger Hare 1
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 12 Author Posted June 12 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Roger Hare said: My pleasure! The TTA is a great resource. I like Welsh Music! Welsh music doesn't get enough of an airing, so something like this is just dandy. As do I - its my go-to when I want to play something for myself. Especially the slower stuff. It always deserves lots of airing, as does the work of many a fine Welsh music band. Most of what I listen to is for stringed instruments (such as VRï, at the moment who are doing really interesting arrangements of trad stuff for string trio), but I love how the anglo lends itself very well indeed to so many of these tunes. I also love anything with non-standard phrase lengths (like in this piece) and how the rhythms of the language appear in the music (such as the short-long rhythm that appears in the tune which I've taken and used as an accompaniment the second time round). Do you play much Welsh stuff? Edited June 12 by Kathryn Wheeler
Roger Hare Posted June 12 Posted June 12 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Kathryn Wheeler said: Do you play much Welsh stuff? At the moment, no, but I'm gearing up to give it a go - I have a small collection of Welsh tunes which I'm intending to dip my toe in, fairly soon... Edited June 12 by Roger Hare 1
Roger Hare Posted June 12 Posted June 12 (edited) I see I already had a version (in Emin) entitled 'Floating from Skerry' in my tune book. Basic ABC, PDF and MIDI attached for what it's worth... ffs.abc ffs.pdf ffs.mid Edited June 12 by Roger Hare 1
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 16 hours ago, Roger Hare said: I see I already had a version (in Emin) entitled 'Floating from Skerry' in my tune book. Basic ABC, PDF and MIDI attached for what it's worth... I wonder which Skerry island that is - Northern Ireland, Shetland?
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 13 Author Posted June 13 I have another video of a really beautiful Welsh piece - Gwel yr Adeilad here: 7
CrP Posted June 14 Posted June 14 Now that's a gem of an arangement. Thank you, Kathryn. The tune flows well and easily, as it it need not ever end. 1
Roger Hare Posted June 14 Posted June 14 (edited) 4 hours ago, CrP said: Now that's a gem of an arangement... Absolutely! Thank you from myself also. Setting also available on the Traditional Tune Archive... Edited June 14 by Roger Hare
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 14 Author Posted June 14 15 hours ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said: Always so enchanting a performance🌝 Thankyou very much!
Kathryn Wheeler Posted June 14 Author Posted June 14 7 hours ago, CrP said: Now that's a gem of an arangement. Thank you, Kathryn. The tune flows well and easily, as it it need not ever end. Thankyou very much. I love how you described this, like a flowing watercourse! It links with something I've found in quite a few traditional Welsh tunes - some of them, in particular, seem to have no obvious end and could literally burble onwards like a bubbling brook forever.
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