The Height of Cader Idris

[Jim Besser]

Once again I was seduced by a gorgeous post by Andy Turner on his Squeezed Out blog and had to learn it right away. The Height of Cader Idris, a Welsh air, played on a 30 button Jeffries G/D Anglo concertina.

 

Leveret recorded it a few years ago, but it did nothing for me; Andy's version brought it to life. Maybe it's just my Anglo-centricity.

 

https://soundcloud.com/concertinist/height-of-cader-idris-7-12

[Roger Hare]

6 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

Once again I was seduced by a gorgeous post by Andy Turner on his Squeezed Out blog...

That's extremely nice. Thank you! Thanks for the link to that blog too!

 

Here is some basic ABC from a recent transcription by Peter Dunk, (I think for the Village Music Project, though I don't think it has actually made it onto the VMP site yet?). I edited it a little for my own purposes. The source was 'Davidson's Welsh Melodies' an 1859 publication which I've never seen referenced anywhere except in PD's transcription:

 

%%measurenb 0
%%notespacingfactor 1
%%infoname B "Printed source/MS and catalogue number: "
%%infoname Z "Transcriber(s): "
%%writefields BZ 1

X:755
T:Height of Cader Idris, The
%A lightly edited tune from Davidson's Welsh Melodies, 1859: http://www.cpartington.plus.com/Links/ChrisPartingtonsLinksPage.html
%Rudimentary accompaniment chords generated by ABCMus, setting 0.
A:Wales
B:Davidson's Welsh Melodies, 1859. DWM.27.2
B:Davidson's Musical Miracles
B:Two Hundred and Fifty Welsh Airs For a Shilling 1859
Z:Peter Dunk 2024
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=105 "    Maestoso
K:Dmaj
!f! "Bm" d3 A d2 f2 | "Bm" B3 F B2 d2 | "A" c3 d e2 dc | "Bm" d2 "^tr"e2 f4 |
"Bm" d3 A d2 f2 | "Bm" B3 F B2 d2 | "A" c3 d e2 A2 | "D" d2 f2 d2 z2 ||
!mf! "Em" e3 A e2 g2 | "D" agfe d2 f2 | "F#m" gfed c2 f2 | "A" edcB Agfe |
"Bm" d3 A d2 f2 | "Bm" B3 F B2 d2 | "F#m" c3 d fedc | "Bm" d2 f2 d4 |]

 

hoci.abc hoci.pdf hoci.mid

Edited July 13 by Roger Hare

[Jim Besser]

Here is some basic ABC from a recent transcription by Peter Dunk, (I think for the Village Music Project, though I don't think it has actually made it onto the VMP site yet?). 

 

Thanks!  I mostly learn by ear, but had a friend notate Andy Turner's version so I could check what I was doing.  The two versions look very similar!

 

 

[Roger Hare]

20 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

Thanks, etc...

My pleasure. I'm always a little hesitant about follow-ups like this. I don't want to be perceived as hijacking someone else's thread...

 

I checked just now - the height of Cader Idris (aka Cadair Idris) is 893m...🙂 

 

Later, Oh! I now see that the 'Squeezed Out' blog references both 'Davidson's Welsh Melodies', and gives T'height o't 'ill...

Edited July 14 by Roger Hare

[jim troy]

Jim,  could not get into that Sound Cloud link

But I did get into that Squeezedout link

 

Thank you for the link

pretty much all the English Dance tunes I ever wanted to hear, on Concertina

So now, the afternoon is gone, no parsnips will be buttered here today

listening to all of that.

 

 

https://squeezedout.wordpress.com/

[Jim Besser]

2 hours ago, jim troy said:

Jim,  could not get into that Sound Cloud link

But I did get into that Squeezedout link

 

 

 

I'm curious; what happened when you tried to access SoundCloud?

 

I've heard the same from some others, but can't seem to identify the problem. I've tried accessing the link from a different browser (not logged in, no cookies, etc.) and had no problem.

 

It bothers me that I'm paying for this account, but some people - it seems mostly people across the pond - can't access the links!

 

 

[jim troy]

Apologies Jim

 

                          I could have gotten in to the Sound Cloud link, I'm sure, but it wanted me to set up an account

                           and maybe a few other hoops to to get through.

                             never saw that on previous Sound Cloud things

 

                              Looking at 80 shortly, so I'm not doing too badly, skyting around the digital world

                                but I was happy with the squeeze link, and for that, many thanks.

[John Wild]

35 minutes ago, Jim Besser said:

 

I'm curious; what happened when you tried to access SoundCloud?

 

I've heard the same from some others, but can't seem to identify the problem. I've tried accessing the link from a different browser (not logged in, no cookies, etc.) and had no problem.

 

It bothers me that I'm paying for this account, but some people - it seems mostly people across the pond - can't access the links!

 

 

I was prompted to sign in or create an account. I have a soundcloud account so that was not a problem. The options given were to continue with Facebook, with  Apple, or with Google, or continue with email and password.

[alex_holden]

1 hour ago, Jim Besser said:

I'm curious; what happened when you tried to access SoundCloud?

 

I got a popup overlay asking me to sign in or create an account, but I clicked on a white X in a black circle up in the top right corner of the screen that made the popup go away and I was able to play the tune anonymously.

[Roger Hare]

Ooops! deleted. No longer relevant - Alex Holden just posted the same reply while I was composing this one.

Edited July 14 by Roger Hare

[David Barnert]

44 minutes ago, alex_holden said:

I got a popup overlay asking me to sign in or create an account, but I clicked on a white X in a black circle up in the top right corner of the screen that made the popup go away and I was able to play the tune anonymously.

 

40 minutes ago, Roger Hare said:

Alex Holden just posted the same reply while I was composing this one.

 

Ditto, ditto.

[Jim Besser]

On 7/14/2025 at 1:13 PM, alex_holden said:

 

I got a popup overlay asking me to sign in or create an account, but I clicked on a white X in a black circle up in the top right corner of the screen that made the popup go away and I was able to play the tune anonymously.

 

It's really irritating that people following the links of paid users  are forced to X through sign in / sign up popups. I wonder if there's a Soundcloud alternative that makes it easier for people to follow links.

[RAc]

1 hour ago, Jim Besser said:

 

It's really irritating that people following the links of paid users  are forced to X through sign in / sign up popups. I wonder if there's a Soundcloud alternative that makes it easier for people to follow links.

 

actually, Soundcloud is not half as bad as Instagram. When I want to go up on Alex's blog, I sometimes get the dreaded signup box, sometimes not, and when I get it, it comes with or without the opt out button (I believe I know why there is no x when there is none). Once I am in and I want to look at a particular entry, I must right click and open it in a separate tab, but that will only work for so many entries (around 10 or so) before the next one asks me to sign in again. I need to close and reopen the browser and restart the procedure, beginning with entry 11. Go figure.

 

It all boils down to business models, I guess. It is hard to make money with software these days, and rumors have it that they (soundcloud) are not doing too well.

 

But coming back to the topic at hand: Thank you, that IS a very nice tune!

Edited July 15 by RAc