FTX-005 - AMBELL I GAN

SONGS IN WELSH

EMRYS CLEAVER & OTHERS

A collection of 24 songs in Welsh, including 14 field recordings by traditional singers from both North and South Wales, the main contributor being the folksong collector, Emrys Cleaver, who was himself responsible for the Welsh chapter in FOLKSONGS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND edited by Peter Kennedy (Cassell/ Schirmer 1975 paperback by Oak 1985 and distributed by Music Sales). These are the original recordings of songs #49-72 in the book. It won the Library Association McColvin Award for the most outstanding reference book of 1975. It contains the full texts, translations, music notations and background information on the songs.

1. AMBELL I GAN (An Occasional Song) [#49 in book] Emrys Cleaver learnt from Watcyn o Feirion, Bala, Merionethsh 1954 rec by Peter Kennedy, Cardiff, July 1974 - 1'27"

2. AR BEN WAUN TREDEGAR (On the Fens of Tredegar) [#50] Emrys from Sam Davies, Pontrhydyfen, Neath, Glamorgansh collected by Rev Gomer M Roberts - 1'04"

3. AR LAN Y MOR (Beside the Sea) [#51] Ben Phillips, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh rec by Seamus Ennis 1953 - 1'18"

4. BACHGEN IFANC YDWYF (I am a Young Man) [#52] Tom Edwards, Bryneglwys, Denbighsh rec by Peter Kennedy 1954 (talk before) - 2'05"

5. Y BACHGEN MAIN (The Lanky Lad) [#53] Ellis Thomas, rec by Seamus Ennis, Corris, Merionethsh 1953 - 2'38"

6. BWMBA (Boomba) [#54] - Ben Phillips - 2'48"

7. Y CEFFYL DU (The Black Horse) [#55] John Thomas (with harp), rec by Peter Kennedy, Llangwm, Denbighsh 1954 (vs 1 & 5 omitted) - 2'13"

8. Y DERYN DU (The Blackbird) [#56] Tom Edwards - 4'05"

9. DYWETSE'R HEN DDYN WRTH EI FERCH (The Old Man said to his Daughter Dear) [#57] Ben Phillips - 1'39"

10. Y FARN A FYDD (The Judgement) [#58] Emrys Cleaver from Mrs G Megan Tibbott, Aberystwyth, Cardigansh 1954 - 2'08"

11. FFARWELIWCH, RHY'N MADAL A'N GWLAD (Farewell, for I'm leaving my land) [#59] Emrys Cleaver from Lewis Howel, Pontrhydyfen, Glam coll Rev Gomer M Roberts (1v fragment) - 0'43"

12. FY NORWYN FFEIN I (My Fine Maid) [#60] Andrew Thomas, rec by Emrys Cleaver & Seamus Ennis, Pencnwc, Fishguard, Pembsh 1953 - 1'08"

13. Y GWGW (The Cuckoo) [#61] Andrew Thomas - 2'37"

14. GWENNO FWYN (Gentle Gwen) [#62] John Thomas - 1'55"

15. HEN LADI FOWR BENFELEN (A Buxom Old Bonde) [#63] Ben Phillips - 1'10"

16. YR HEN WR MWYN (The Gentle Old Man) [#64] Emrys Cleaver from Mrs Gaerwen Jones, Cerrig-y-drudion, Denbighsh 1953 - 2'36"

17. LISA LAN (Fair Liza) [#65] Ellis Thomas - 1'54"

18. LODES LAN (Fairest Maid) [#66] Emrys Cleaver from John Thomas - 1'35"

19. NAE 'NGHARIAD I'N FENWS (My Love she's a Venus) [#67] John Thomas - 0'47"

20. Y MARCH GLAS (The Grey Horse) [#68] John Thomas - 0'50"

21. Y FERI LWYD (The Grey Mary) [#69] Margaretta Thomas, rec by Peter Kennedy, Nantgarw, Caerphilly 1956 (with talk) - 3'13"

22. ROWN I'N RHODIO MYNWENT EGLWYS (Wand'ring through the churchyard) [#70] Emrys Cleaver from Mrs T R Jones, Bronnant, Aberystwyth, Cardigansh collected by Rachel Thomas - 2'00"

23. TAFARN Y RHOS (The Tavern on the Moor) [#71] Emrys Cleaver from Sam Davies - 2'00"

24. TREN O'R BALA I FFESTINIOG (The Bala-Festiniog Train) [#72] John Thomas (talk before) - 3'45"

Recorded & edited by Peter Kennedy and first published by Folktrax 1975.

1. AMBELL I GAN - JWFSS 1956-7 5 pt1 p13 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #49 Watcyn u Feirion coll by EC, Bala, Merionethsh

The minor-keyed tune of this song is reminiscent Of the melodic phrases frequently found in Welsh melody and hymn tunes. It has been said of the Welshman that he is happiest when he grieves, and the Welsh certainly revel in this type of minor tune and their joy in the serious and grievous mood is reflected in many of the best hymn tunes, such as Aberystwyth by Joseph Parry. Watcyn a Feirion was an expert in the art of Penillion singing and learned this song from Evan Jones of Trawsfynydd, a well-known tenor in Merionethshire. Jones learned it from his father and it became well known in the district from his family's singing of it.

2.AR BEN WAUN TREDEGAR - JWFSS 1910 I pt2 pp78-80 "Cariad y Notws" Merthyr Tydfil/ Hirwaun, Glamorgansh - JWSFSS 1952 4 pt2 p54 Sam Davies - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #50 Rev Gomer M Roberts:Sam Davies ("Sam y Delyn") Pontrhydyfen nr Neath Glamorgansh -- Emrys CLEAVER 1954: FOLKTRAX 005 - MABSANT (Susan GEORGE & Stuart BROWN) rec by Bob Partridge, Cardiff 1983: FOLKTRAX 054

This is an example of Hen Benillion (Old Stanzas), which were single stanzas of repetitive lines frequently sung well-kno~ tunes. (The next song, Ay Lan y Mor (No.51), is also an example of this kind.) The stanzas are repetitive but the second half of each line varies in thought and increases in its interest to a climax in the last line. These songs were exceedingly popular in Wales, especially in the Vale of Glamorgan, and this particular one was sung in the taverns when Sam Davies was a youngster about sixty years ago. The words in the second verse are local Glamorganshire Welsh dialect: notws = nododd (from 'dodi'), to compel (gorfododd); wedws = ddywedodd; dorrws = dorrodd

3. AR LAN Y MOR - JWFSS 1937 3 pt3 pp125-6 - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1963 #100 p132 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #51 Phillips -- Ben "Bach" PHILLIPS rec Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh 1953: BBC 20192

On the BBC recording Ben Phillips sang the first verse:

Ar lan y mor case rhosys cochion/ Beside the sea there are red roses/ Ar lan y mor mae lilis gwynion/ Beside the sea there are lovely lilies/ Ar lan y mor mae glan rhosynnau/ Beside the sea there are beautiful roses/ Ar lan y mor mae nghariad innau /Beside the sea my sweetheart lives

A variant, Hen Benillion (T.H.Parry Williams) printed by J.D.Lewis & Son, Gwasg Gomer, Llandyssul, 1940 p90,#343 and p92,#351, reads thus:

Ar lan y mor mae carreg wastad / Beside the sea a rock is standing/ Lle bum yn siarad gair a'm cariad/ Where once my love and I were loving/ O amgylch hon fe dyf y lili/ About the rock there grows the lily/ Ac ambell gangen o rosmari/ Beside it also grows some rosemary/ Yng nglan y mor mae cerrig gleison/ Beside the sea are bluish pebbles/ Yng nglan y mor blodau'r meibion/ Beside the sea are silver brambles/ Yng nglan y mor mae pob rhinweddau/ Beside the sea is truth excelling/ Yng nglan y mor mae nghariad innau/ Beside the sea my love is dwelling

The 'triad' formula is well known in Welsh literature, the triad being the three ideas expressed, and the third ide being the climax or contrast. They are the single traditional stanzas type referred to as Hen Benillion (Old Stanzas). The particular version noted from Pembrokeshire however is interesting in as much that the formula ascends a third with every idea with a different twist in the phrases.

4. BACHGEN IFANC YDWYF - JWFSS 1937 3 pt3 pp125-6 & JWFSS: 1952, vol.IV,pt 2, p23: Ffarwel i Ddociau Lerpwl (version with chorus from Pembrokeshire - DE LLOYD: 193I; Can Ffarwel, Ferched Llanwennog (collected in Cardiganshire)- GWYNN WILLIAMS 1963 #100 p132 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #51Edwards. The tune of this song will be familiar as it is the one used (transferred into even-time) for the American minstrel song O Susannah. In fact, in the six-eight, or uneven, jig-time it was much used throughout England for quadrilles, country and morris dancing. Other versions of the song have farewell verses and the young man is represented as a sailor. The Pembrokeshire version was in fact known to be sung at sea by sailors. -- Tom Edwards, Bryneglwys, Denbighshire, rec. by P.Kennedy and E. Cleaver, 1954: BBC 22425 -- Ben "Bach" PHILLIPS rec Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh 1953: BBC 20192

5. Y BACHGEN MAIN - WILLIAMS 1844 "Callyn Serch" - THOMAS 1927 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #53 -- Ellis THOMAS rec by Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Corris, Merionethsh 4/9/53: BBC 20198 This is one of a group of popular Welsh ballads relating the tragic love affairs of young maidens (e.g. Y Ferch a Gefn Ydfa and Y Ferch o Sger). The tune used is also popular for a number of ballads, of which the most well known is Y Ferch a Blwy Penderyn. The tune has been used as a signature tune for a television serial version of Richard Llewellyn's How Green was my valley. The words of the song are also sung to different tunes and there is also an old carol tune with the same title. Ellis Thomas (i879-i956) who also sang Lisa Lan (No. 65) learned his songs from his father, the local blacksmith. Ellis himself worked as a 'rock man' in the slate quarries.

6. BWMBA - JWFSS 1922 2 pt3 #128 p194 Llanwddyn Merionethsh "Pan Oeddwn i Gynt yn Fachgen" - JWFSS 4 pt2 p60 Andrew Thomas "Can yr Hen Wyddeles" - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #60 p67 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #54 Phillips -- Ben "Bach" PHILLIPS rec by Seamus Ennis, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh 17/10/52 19068/ FOLKTRAX 052 - Andrew THOMAS Pembrokesh 1953: BBC 20195 'Ben Bach' (Little Ben)

Phillips was a great exponent of Welsh folksongs, and had a wonderful repertoire. He possessed a sweet tenor voice, with a pronounced Pembrokeshire dialect, and his was an excellent example of the old style of singing. Listening to him, well-known songs took on a different image and every song was something personal to him. This song gives a humorous account of a young man who married without much thought, then repented when he found out that his wife was a good-for-nothing. It is a type of ballad, often found in country districts, of the Llofft Stabal (Stable Loft) class. The stable loft was the room above the shippen where the farmhands used to sleep in the old days. Local lads would get together in the winter evenings for a sing-song, and extemporise verses alluding to comical incidents that had happened to someone in the company, or to someone they knew in the vicinity. There is much jollity in singing this type of song with its chorus and nonsense syllables. This version is also noted with slight differences from the singing of Andrew Thomas as shown above. (See also JWFSS: vol.II, pt 3, pI94 and vol. IV, pt 2, p6o for a different tune, a minor version, quite as jolly but with different words, from Llanwddyn, Merionethshire).

7. Y CEFFYL DU - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #55 -- John THOMAS (blind shepherd) with Ossian Ellis (harp) rec 17/3/50: BBC 17299/ Talk about song by Elizabeth, his daughter rec by Peter Kennedy & Emrys Cleaver, Llangwm, Corwen Denbighsh 9/11/54: BBC 17299

This humorous song is not old, but is an excellent example of popular folk singing in Wales (in the vicinity of Bala, North Wales, in this instance) where the well-known Tai'r Felin party kept alive the tradition of 'caneuon y werin' (the people's songs)-'by the people, of the people, to the people' in the 'Noson Lawen' (sing-song gatherings) and concerts. John Thomas and his singing partner, Bob Roberts, were the two star exponents of these songs. So popular were these two old singers amongst the 'gwerin' of Wales in the 1920s and I930s that an Old People's Home in Bala has been dedicated to the memory of John Thomas, and a bust of Bob Roberts erected outside his home, 'Tai'r Felin'. Both represent the culture of a generation of Welsh people, possibly the last, who contrived and sang a song and a stanza spontaneously and without self-consciousness, inspired by sad or humorous events which were part and parcel of their daily lives. This song is another exmnple of the Welsh 'hwyl' in the minor key.

8. Y DERYN DU - JWFSS 1911 1 pt3 #1 p123 - GWYN WILLIAMS 1961 #24 p31 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #56 -- John THOMAS, rec by Peter Kennedy, Llangwm, Corwen, Denbighsh 9i/11/54 : FOLKTRAX 051 - Tom EDWARDS (65) rec by PK, Bryneglwys, Corwen, Denbighsh 9/11/54: BBC 22426

Tom Edwards, an old Ballad singer who lived in a little cottage on his own in Bryneglwys, Denbighshire, was a farm hand, and spent much of his time singing in local taverns for his beer. His kind of robust voice, typically North Welsh in quality, is often found in the mountainous areas of North Wales. A reticent man, in the joy of singing he could, as someone commented, be heard for miles. It is sad to think that he died of malnutrition. This song of the question and answer type was very popular in both North and South Wales. The form of conversing with a bird has a literary tradition in Wales, dating from the classical period of Dafydd ap Gwilym. It was called 'canu llatai' ('llatai' love-messenger) and describes the love-struck poet sending the bird with messages of love to his sweetheart. The folk ballad was known to have been sung by Dic Dywyll (Blind Dick), alias Richard Williams, a very famous singer, in the streets of Caernarvon in the 1830s, and the words have been frequently printed in ballad form. They were written some 200 years ago by David Jones, a mole-catcher of Llandyssul, Cardiganshire. There are several variants of the tune, four of which are printed in JWFSS.

9. DYWETSE'R HEN DDYN WRTH El FERCH - JWFSS 1941 III pt4 pp189-90 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #57 -- Ben "Bach" PHILLIPS, rec by Seamus Ennis, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh 17/10/52: BBC 19068-9/ FOLKTRAX 052 - Andrew THOMAS rec by Seamus Ennis, Pembrokesh 1/9/53: BBC 20195

The version published in JWFSS comes from the Jennie Williams collection of folksongs of the counties of Cardigan, Carmarthen and Pembroke. The version collected in Aberystwyth contains some different verses which mention pink shoes, silk stockings and worsted garters with silver buckles which the rich old man gives to his daughter. She has however no respect for these riches but prefers a plain garter, stockings of sheep's wool and a leather shoe to fit her foot. The love of a young man is more precious to her than all the riches of her rich old man! The tune used for this song might well be an old dance air, for several of the other rhythmical songs we have encountered are sung to old Welsh dance tunes. The inner rhyme of the Welsh 'triban' (triad) is noticeable in some of the verses, in the second stanza, for example: Braf yw'r tai a theg yw'r tir A dweud y gwir amdano The houses are large and the land's not bad To tell you the truth it's my plan-o

10. Y FARN A FYDD - JWFSS 1954 IV pt4 p91 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #58 -- Emrys CLEAVER 1954: FOLKTRAX 005 from Mrs G Megan Tibbott Aberystwyth, Cardigansh

Mrs Tibbott learned this and many other Welsh folksongs from her father, Arthur Wellesley Jones, a former Welsh Board of Health inspector, who died in 1937. He learned most songs from his father, but this tune in fact was sung to him by his mother, Mary Jones of Pontweli, Liandyssul, Cardiganshire. Although born in Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, she was brought up at the old family home at Panteg, Felindre, Drefach, near Llandyssul, and died in 1910 at the age of sixty. Mrs Tibbott doubts whether her father knew more than four verses of the song or the name of its composer. She herself discovered quite recently that the author was a certain Ebenezer Thomas (Eben Fardd), a local schoolmaster (1802-63). In the opening line Mrs Tibbott's father sang, 'Gwna'n llawen, wr, ynghylch dy fro'

11. FFARWELIWCH, RWY'N MADAL A'M GWLAD - JWFSS 1953 IV pt3 p71 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #59 Coll by Rev Gomer M Roberts from Lewis Howell, Pontrhydyfen Glamorgansh -- Emrys CLEAVER 1954: FOLKTRAX 005 (1v only)

Farewell songs of this type were popular in different parts of Wales and were great favourites amongst soldiers and sailors. It strikes the characteristic 'hiraeth' note of the Welshman (the nearest meaning in English is 'longing'). Here it means the sailor's sadness on leaving his home and his family. Stanzas in the other farewell songs consist of local names of favourite sweethearts. These farewell songs are very beautiful in form and expression. Notice the continual change from major to minor, and the effective upward run on the word 'byd' at the end with the repetitive descent to the tonic. The one traditional stanza has a flavour of the Glamorganshire dialect.

12. FY MORWYN FFEIN I - JWFSS 1925 II pt4 #133 pp223-4 "B'le 'rwyt ti yn mynned?" - JWFSS 1930 3 pt1 #44 p76 "B'le 'rwyt ti yn mynned?" - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #62 p69 as JWFSS 1925 - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1963 #122 p154 version in JWFSS 1930 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #60 Thomas & Phillips -- Andrew THOMAS rec by Seamus Ennis, Pencwk, Fishguard, Pembrokesh & Ben PHILLIPS rec by Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Lochtwrffin, Mathry, Pembrokesh 3/9/53: BBC 20194/ FOLKTRAX 052

This song is a Welsh equivalent of the English Where are you going to, my Pretty Maid? The version published in JWFSS: I925 was said to have been popular in Pembrokeshire and parts of Camarthenshire; that in JWFSS: 1930 was noted from an old man at Glynneath, Glamorganshire. The two tunes are quite different and show how popular were the words in many different areas at one time. Local influences also show variations in some of the verses. The question and answer of the last two verses were sung: Beth yw dy ffortiwn/ Dim ond a welwch/ Yna ni'th briodaf/ Ni ofynnais ichwi/ What is thy fortune/ Only what you see/ Then I will not marry you/ I did not ask you ... In the South Wales dialect 'dau' (two) is pronounced 'dou'. 'Gwedodd' in the second version is the colloquial form of 'dwedodd'.

13. Y GWCW - JWFSS 1910 I pt2 #1 pp128 & 206 "Cerdd y Gog Lwydlas" - JWFSS 1954 #4 pt4 #21 p33 & #58 p93 - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1963 #98 p130 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #61 Thomas -- Ben "Bach" PHILLIPS rec by Seamus Ennis, Lochtwrffin, Mathery, Pembrokesh 17/10/52: BBC 19068/ FOLKTRAX 052 - Andrew THOMAS, Oencnwc, Fishguard rec by Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver 1/9/53: BBC 20195/ FOLKTRAX 052 joining in with playback of rec

The words of this song are given in Hanes Plwyf Llandysul (The History of the Parish of Llandyssul). In Cardiganshire it is stated that the song was composed by Daniel Jones, a local bard and mole-catcher, and later revised by Thomas Humphries, another local bard. The following verses were contributed from Llandyssul:

Mae crydd yn byw hefyd wrth fron Gwaralltryn/ Dyw wiw imi dreio byw'r gaeaf ffordd hyn/ Mae hwnnw fel filain a'i elfen am ladd/ Pe gallwn ymguddiwn o'i olwg fel gwadd/ Cyn elot ar gerdded dwed ble rwyt yn mynd/ Eglura'r dirgelwch i ambell hen ffrind/ Ddaw neb i dy ganlyn, d'oes undyn mor ffol/ Cei eto lawn groeso pan ddelot yn o1/ O gadw'r dirgelwch caf heddwch fy hun/ Ffolineb o'r mwyaf yw dweud wrth un dyn/ Ffarweliwch mewn heddwch ar ddiwedd y go1 Os byw fyddaf eto retyrnaf yn o1 A shoemaker also lives by the slopes of Gwaralltryn/ It's no use my trying to live this way in the winter/ He is like a villain keen on killing/ If I could I would hide from his sight like a mole/ Ere thou goest away, say, where dost thou go?/ Explain the mystery to some of your friends/ No one will follow thee, none is so foolish/ Thou wilt again get a full welcome when thou returnest/ By keeping the secret I get peace myself/ It is most unwise to tell any man/ Bid farewell in peace at the end of the journey/ If I shall live I shall return again

Ben Phillips in Pembrokeshire had the following: Mae'r gwcw yn canu ar frigyn y pren/ A chanu wnaf inne' wrth fadel a Gwen/ A chanu wnaf inne' wrth fadel a Gwen/ Pan ddelwyf 'ma nesa'i ro'i 'nghaniad ar bren/ By idd llawer gwran dawr yn sel ei ben/ By idd llawer gwran dawr yn sel ei ben/ / The cuckoo is singing on the branch of a tree/ And I shall also sing when parting with Gwen/ Before I come here next to give my song from a tree/ Many a listener's head will have been laid low

14. GWENNO FWYN - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #62 -- John THOMAS, rec by Emrys Cleaver & Peter Kennedy, Corwen, Denbighsh 9/11/54: FOLKTRAX 005 & 051 - Tom EDWARDS rec by PK, Bryneglwys, Corwen, Denbighsh 9/11/54: BBC 22425

The words of this song were composed by Mynyddog in 1866 and the tune is well known as that of the American minstrel song Nelly Bly:

15. HEN LADI FOWR BENFELEN - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #63 Phillips -- Ben Phillips, rec by Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Lochtwrffin, Pembrokesh 17/10/52: BBC 19069/ FOLKTRAX 052

A song containing the 'double entendre' erotic imagery of 'mowing the meadow' provides a good example of the type of seduction ballads which, at one time, must have been more common in the Welsh language. It is sung to a variant of the well known Ton y Melinydd (Miller's Tune).

16. YR HEN WR MWYN - JWFSS 1910 I pt2 #10-11 pp81-4 & JWFSS 1956-7 V pt1 p18 - BENNETT 1896 p84 - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #19-20 pp26-7 (2var) - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #64 coll by Emrys Cleaver from Mrs Gaerwen Jones, Cerrig-y-drudion, Denbighshire - see LORD RENDAL - MY GOOD OLD MAN -- Emrys CLEAVER & Francis MON JONES (unaccomp) 8/9/53: BBC 20198 - Emrys JONES, Cerrig-y-drudion 1955: BBC LP 26555 (won 1st prize at Pwllheli Bat Eisteddfod) - Siwsann GEORGE (voc) with Robin Huw Bowen (Celtic Harp): SAYDISC CD-SDL-406 1993 Caneuon Traddodiadol Cymru (Traditional Songs of Wales) from Kennedy

This song is a variant of an old singing game which must have been very popular throughout Wales. The late J.Lloyd Willims, the editor of the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society (JWFSS), received a large number of variants from all parts of the country. It was known to have been sung in the streets in Glamorgan, and in the 'Noson Lawen' in Anglesey. David Lloyd George, the one-time Prime Minister, remembered it being sung by children when he was a boy at Llanystumdwy, Caernarvonshire. There are about four variants quoted in the JWFSS and another in BENNETT 1896. The late Lady Herbert Lewis quotes an example published in Manx Ballads and Music entitled My Henn Ghooiney Mie, the tune being 'sung by the old woman, the old man's answer being spoken ... the last verses being strikingly similar to those of the Welsh form: "What if thou should'st die, my good old man", etc.' (see JWFSS 1925, Vol.II, pt4, pp.198-9). The idea and the tune must be very old. Even though there is a great variation in the question and answer in different localities, in all the Welsh versions the last questions and answers are the same. The first part should be sung very slowly with mock pathos. The pitied old man, however, is in a rollickingly light- hearted mood in his answers, even in the last two verses when he refers to his death and his burial. The version noted here is a recent find, with yet another variation in the stanzas. It was sung by a Mrs Jones, who heard it from her father, and it was a singing game popular with the children in the neighbourhood sixty years ago. Mr Emrys Jones of Cerrig-y-drudion won the first prize in the Pwllheli National Eisteddfod in 1955 when he sang it, unaccompanied, in the Folk Song competition.

17. LISA LAN - JWFSS 1909 1 pt1 #20 pp37-9 - JWFSS 1925 2 #4 p272 - GWYNEDDON DAVIES 1923 2 Anglesey - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #8 p16 from JWFSS 1909 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #85 -- Ellis THOMAS rec by Seamus Ennis & Emrys Cleaver, Merionethsh 4/9/53: BBC 20198/ FOLKTRAX 005 - Beth LEYSHON (voc) with Dererk Boote (gtr): WREN WRE-1025/ A-ROVING Radio Prog #1 - Siwsann GEORGE (voc) with Robin Huw Bowen (triple harp), Ceri Matthews (whistle) & Iolo Jones (fid): SAYDISC CD-SDL-406 1993 Caneuon Traddodiadol Cymru (Traditional Songs of Wales)

Perhaps this is the most widespread, both in North and South Wales, of all Welsh folksongs. The version given here is similar to the one noted in Anglesey by Mrs Gwyneddon Davies, which has the 'lattened seventh. Here the flattened seventh is only used sparingly: in the last verse, where it is used to give a special melodic effect. In England this type of tune is used mainly for ballads such as Barbara Allen. The version contributed to the JWFSS 1909 also contained a flattened seventh and further 'hen benillion' (old stanzas):-

Bum yn dy garu lawer gwaith/ Do lawer awr mewn mwynder maith/ Bum yn dy gusanu Lisa gel /Yr oedd dy gwmni'n well na'r mel/ Fy nghangen 1an, fy nghowlad glyd/ Tydi yw'r lanaf yn y byd/ Tydi sy'n peri poen a chri A thi sy'n dwyn fy mywyd i/ I loved thee dearly many a time/ Aye, many an hour in joy sublime/ I kissed thee freely, Lisa fair/ Oh honey sweet, beyond compare/ My fairest branch, my armful warm/ In all the world you have most charm/ 'Tis you that's caused both tears and pain/ 'Tis you that's stole my life away

18. LODES LAN - THOMAS 1927 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #66 -- John THOMAS rec by Peter Kennedy, Llangwm, Corwen, Denbighsh 1954 Oral tradition produces variants of folksongs, but often awaits the personal imprint of the true folksong exponent to make its impact. This is an example of such a song. When first seen in print, in THOMAS: 1927, it makes little impression, but when heard from John Thomas with his characteristic pauses and his choice of a few different notes to point the words, what seemed quite ordinary on paper becomes a living thing. The ad-lib style of some of the old singers was part of their artistry and often transformed a simple song into a moving experience. Thus the appeal of this song, as in the case of many similar simple ones, is in observing the pauses and to endear the words by ad-libbing.

19. MAE 'NGHARIAD I'N FENWS - JWFSS 1922 2 pt3 #193 & 218 J Lloyd Williams: Wm Thomas, Llangefwl (who heard it in Anglesey) - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #67 John Thomas -- John THOMAS rec by Seamus Ennis, Corwen, Denbighsh 3/9/53: BBC 20190 This love song has a typical flavour both in tune and words. The tune is mainly in the minor key, but makes an effective change to the major in the third and fourth bars. These two verses are an excellent example of Welsh euphony with the long vowels making a good sound for 'singing out'. An Anglesey version of the song uses another well-known tune in the major key and shows some variation in the first verse.

20. Y MARCH GLAS - JWFSS 1954 4 pt4 #68 - GWYN WILLIAMS 1963 #111 p144 - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #68 Mrs G Megan Tibbott, Aberystwyth Cardigansh -- Emrys CLEAVER rec by Peter Kennedy, Cardiff 1954 According to Mrs Tibbott this song was sung near the borders of southern Cardliganshire and in the parish of Llangeler in Carmarthenshire. In the local dialect of south Cardiganshire, it describes a fop of a man and the different parts of his attire. There were many more verses, but Mrs Tibbott could only remember four. The tune is effective, and does suggest the trotting of the horse. 'Towli' is a dialect form of 'tafiu', and in this context is used to describe a horse trotting: 'Oboiti' is a dialect form of 'oddeutu' = 'around about'.

21. Y FERI LWYD - ROBERTS 1852 Full account of custom with verses (also in Llangollen Ms 1858) - Transactions of Cardiff Naturalists Society XXIX 1897 - Rev W Roberts 1852: "The Mari Lwyd and its origins" - TREVELYAN FL & Stories of Wales 1909 - JWFSS 1909 I pt1 p30 "Canu Cwnsela" - GWYN WILLIAMS 1927 T Bassett Llansantffraid-ar-Lai, Glamorgansh - WILLIAMS 1938 arr for 4 voices SSAA - JEFDSS 1939 III/4 p222 Violet Alford - Royal Anthropological Soc Journal #35 May-June 1943 - MAN XLIII 1943 Iorweth C Peate - OWEN WFC 1959 Texts & photos - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #4 p12 from JWFSS 1909 - FOLKLIFE 1 1963 p95 Cf to Irish & Manx Variants of Custom - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #69 "Y Feri Lwyd" from Margaretta Thomas - HOLE DictBC 1976/8 p185 - ALFORD HH 1978 p62 - CAWTE RAD 1978 p94 -- rec Llangynwyd, Glamorgansh 15/12/47 "Greeting" "Challenge" "Final Song" & Churchbells: BBC 12110 - William David THOMAS rec by Peter Kennedy, Llangynwyd, Maesteg, Glam 15/12/47: BBC 12110/ "Mari Lwyd" Party rec by PK, Llangynyd 1956 with David THOMAS, David JENKINS & Thomas JENKINS & group: BBC LP 23514/ FOLKTRAX 050 - Margaretta THOMAS rec by PK, Nantgarw Caerphilly 1956: FOLKTRAX 050 with talk about custom

William Roberts (1852) suggests that this Christmas custom is a relic of the ancient festival of Balaam's Ass, the flight of Mary into Egypt (hence 'Mari Lwyd' meaning 'blessed Mary'). It is now thought, less romantically, to mean only 'Grey mare' and to be related to the similar Hooden Horse and Old Tup ceremonies found in parts of England. The Mari Lwyd itself is represented by a man covered by a white sheet. He holds a broomstick on which is mounted the skull of a horse's bead decorated with bells and jingles. The horse is accompanied by a party of four or five men, sometimes including the two characters of Punch and Judy. The Mari Lwyd Party go round the farms and houses at Christmas and New Year. They sing outside and the families inside the house make their answer in song. Many of the verses in the old days were improvised (this is still done at Llangynwyd) but Mrs Margaretta Thomas sang us the verses she remembered sung at Nantgaru from 1880 to 1920. J.H.Davies in JWFSS states that at one time 'this type of song was common all over Wales. There is a large collection of the Anglesey ones in the British Museum'. Verse one is sung by the Feri outside the house. The doors are locked and they are not allowed in until after a series of questions and answers. During verse three the Mari makes a loud gnashing of teeth by working the jaws of the horse's skull. During verse five, Punch is heard tapping the stones outside with a poker, while Judy is busy sweeping the doors and windows with a brush. Should those inside not succeed in keeping the doors and windows fastened, Punch and judy would come in and rake the fire and sweep the dirt all over the house. After verse twelve, when everything inside the house was ready, the door would be unlocked and the Mari would be admitted. Verse thirteen was then sung by all the company and a loaf of cake and a gallon of beer offered to the visiting party. There was great merriment, the singing of ballads and love songs, such as The Maid of Cefn Ydfa and The Maid of Sker, dancing to the fiddle and harp and after some hours the Feri would sing her farewell (verse fourteen) at the door - MARGARETTA THOMAS.

22. ROWN I'N RHODIO MYNWENT EGLWYS - JWFSS 1925 I pt4 #168 & 170 pp71 &192 - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1961 #68 p75 "Mynwent Eglwys" - GWYNN WILLIAMS 1963 #116 p149 Sailors along shore Cardigan Bay "Pan own t'n rhodio Mynwent Eglwys" - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 ##70 Rachel Thomas from Mrs T R Jones Bronnant Aberystwyth at Abertridwr, Caerphilly Glamorgansh -- Frances Mon Jones rec by Seamus Ennis, Denbigh 1953: BBC 21844

Rachel Thomas was singing a variant of this Welsh cradle song at a recital of Welsh song, prose and poetry at Abertridwr, Caerphilly when Mrs T. R. Jones came up to her after the recital and sang her mother's version. It is a combination of lullaby and a method of teaching the English alphabet with which her mother used to rock the children to sleep some sixty years ago. There are other examples of Welsh songs used for teaching numbers and also the tonic sol-fa.

23. TAFARN Y RHOS - JWFSS 1953 4 pt 3 pp72-3 2var - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #71 Rev Gomer M Roberts from Sam Davies, Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgansh

This is an example of a conversational ballad in which the singers recite the words in a singing style, with a syllable to every note. The story is all-important: the tune simply follows the words phrase by phrase in a free and easy manner. The Rev. Gomer Roberts remembered Sam Davies at the age of 77 singing this kind of sobering up song with gusto to the accompaniment of the harp played by his son. He also noted a different tune with similar words, but for dialectical differences, from his old uncle who lived in Llandybic, Carmarthenshire. According to the Rev. Thomas Levi (Y Traethodydd, 1869,p31) the words were written by Sion Levi from the Swansea Valley.

24. TREN O'R BALA I FFESTINIOG - KENNEDY FSBI 1975 #72 -- John THOMAS (blind shepherd) rec by Peter Kennedy, Llangwm, Corwen, Denbighsh 9/11/54: BBC 22337/ FOLKTRAX 051

John Thomas sang this song with his typical Welsh 'hwyl'. It was a treat to watch him in his rocking chair smiling through the humorous ballad, and he imbued it with his typical colouring of some of the notes, the words, the old placenames and the names of the old characters. The words of these ballad-type tunes were all-important to the old singers, the music being only a means of expressing the meaning and the spirit of the words. An example of the Stable Loft type, it shows the old custom among country folk in Wales to be always ready to sing a song with topical allusions to incidents concerning local characters: in this one, in connection with the advent of the first train running from Bala to Ffestiniog. Notice the mixing of broken English with the Welsh. The tune is typically Welsh in its minor idiom. To follow John Thomas' style, the first verse is to be taken rather slowly in the ad-lib fashion, and the chorus quickens its tempo to resemble a fast-moving train with the people running after it to catch up.