The National Library of Wales - e-Resources Catalogue

Curriculum Cymreig--Music

Contents- Music

Music in Wales- general resources

Wales has always had an extremely rich and varied musical tradition and it is of great relevance to the Curriculum Cymreig. Tŷ Cerdd is a music information service network, bringing 'a world of music to Wales and the music of Wales to the world'. Tŷ Cerdd is a partnership between a number of Welsh music and orchestral organisations, and the Welsh Music Information Centre. The web site provides information on the Welsh Amateur Music Federation, Welsh Music Information Centre, Cyfansoddwyr Cymru (Composers Wales) and the National Youth Arts Festival. Community Music Wales is another useful resource. Its aim is to provide music activities for a wide range of people, especially those who have difficulty getting access to musical activity and is committed to developing creative music across Wales. Other important musical institutions in Wales include Welsh Music Institute at University of Wales, Bangor and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

History of Music

Those interested in the music history, could visit Josef Bayer's history of music in Wales website. Cecilia is another resource that contains historical information. Cecilia is an online guide to music collections in archives, libraries and museums in the United Kingdom.

Folk music

Trac's aim is to raise awareness of folk music within and outside Wales. Their website also has online access to the Trac newsletter, providing news and developments from the folk scene in Wales. Celfyddydau Mari Arts also posts information on folk music and musicians in Wales.

Ceolas is a Celtic music archive and a gateway to many hundreds of sites. The website provides information on the most popular celtic-style instruments, and has profiles and discographies of hundreds of musicians and groups.

Crasdant are a traditional folk band that use the traditional harp of Wales, the unique triple harp with flutes, fiddle, accordion, guitar and Welsh reed instrument - the pibgorn. The band's website provides information on the traditional instruments that they use. The band also provide workshops with schools in Wales in order teach about the instruments and traditional Welsh clog dance USING wooden clogs. Welsh traditional music provides online access to a number of articles on Welsh folk music covering Welsh traditional instruments, traditional step dancing, the Crwth and the Welsh triple harp.

Cerdd Dant

A musical form unique to Wales is the Cerdd Dant. The Gwyl Cerdd Dant is an annual festival held in different parts of Wales each year. The festival's website has a 'What is Cerdd Dant' section in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

Popular Music

Cool Cymru and Popular Music HAVE brought an additional dimension to Welsh cultural life in recent years. The BBC Music guide site contains a wealth of information on the music scene in Wales: both English language and Welsh. The site includes the latest news, profiles of artists, reviews, a gig guide and the latest Welsh charts. Pop groups such as Manic Street Preachers and the Stereophonics all have their own web sites. Many other sites exist for lesser known groups in Wales. Many websites also exist in order to nuture and develop such talent in Wales. They include Total Music Wales, WelshUnsigned.com and Pynci. Total Music Wales is a gateway to music resources within Wales. It has a directory OF publishers, rehearsal rooms, recording studios and record labels in Wales. It also has an updated gig guide and information on new releases.

WelshUnsigned.com is a web portal designed for unsigned Welsh music artists. Artists can register themselves on the site, and it is possible to find artists near you and join the on-line forum. Curiad has an A-Z listing of Welsh bands, groups and artists (many entries has information and discography to bands), and a listing of record labels and companies, as does the BBC Music profiles section. Please note that some of the information within Curiad is dated.

Singers

Wales has always had its fair share of Singers. They include:

The BBC Music Profiles section contains a brief biography of many singers in Wales. They include Bryn Terfel, Aled Jones, Charlotte Church, Sir Geraint Evans, Harry Secombe, Gwyneth Jones, Ivor Novello, Joseph Parry, Max Boyce, Shirley Bassey, and Mary Hopkin.

The Cardiff Singer of the World competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 and is a biannual event held every other June. Today it is considered one of the premier singing competitions in the world, and each competition sees hundreds of young singers from across the world enter. The site provides a complete guide and history of the competition, the concerts, the rules and the people involved.

Opera

Many Opera Companies also exist in Wales- these are listed within CAYW and include:

The Opera Box is a touring music education and opera company based in Brecon who have worked with many schools in Wales. Adelina Patti is also associated with Wales- the famous soprano spent much of her life at her castle in the Upper Swansea Valley. The Adelina Patti theatre is also home to Opera School Wales, a residential school offering educational courses.

Choirs

Many choirs now have an online presence on the Web and it is even possible to download selected songs from some of their concerts. Many of these are listed within the mixed voices/choirs section of Wales on the Web.

Musical Bands and Orchestras

Instrumental ensembles are also an important part of our musical heritage. Many Brass Bands, many established in the 1880's, are listed within Wales on the Web. The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales provides access to news articles, orchestra quizzes, and biographical sketches of the conductors.

The Harp and Piano

The Harp has always been an instrument associated with Wales throughout the last few centuries. Famous contemporary Welsh harpists include:

Iwan Llywellyn Jones is a pianist who has enjoyed success in many international competitions. He has also performed in such venues as the Wigmore Hall in London and broadcasts regularly on radio and television. He was awarded an 'Arts for All' grant from the Lottery Commission in association with the Arts Council of Wales, and has conducted workshops in many schools. The website contains a biography, reviews of his concerts and teaching material for schools.

Composers

Of major importance to Wales and the musical world is Composers. Composers with resources relating to their work include:

A contemporary and world famous Welsh composer is Karl Jenkins- many web sites exist with details of the composer from Penclawdd and his musical work Amedius, including by one by Learn ICT especially for schools. CAYW also features the Welsh Music Guild which is a body promoting the music of composers of Welsh origin, and encouraging the performance of music by contemporary composers. Composers of Wales is a professional association that aims to 'serve all the composers of Wales, both professional and students, in all genres of music, with associate membership for supporting organisations and individuals.'

Jazz and World Music

Wales is already accustomed to the Brecon Jazz Festival, a highly acclaimed international jazz festival and now one of Wales' premier festivals. Jazz in Wales has a number of Wales related jazz links- from jazz festivals to jazz singers from Wales. The Welsh Jazz Society actively promotes the development and appreciation of live jazz music, of all styles, through performance and education while the Women in Jazz website contains research into jazz musicians appearances and connections with Wales. It is a 'socio-cultural history of African American Music in Wales from 1800s'.

A band that has been very active in Wales in recent years is Samba Galéz, a Cardiff based community band. Their music is based on Afro-centric rhythms. The band meet every Saturday in Splott and hold workshops for beginners. They perform in many national festivals and local carnivals.

Music festivals

Over the last few years many large and small musical festivals have appeared across the whole of Wales. They range from village musical festivals to the National festivals such as the National Eisteddfod of Wales or the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen. Other music festivals include:-

Unfortunately not all festivals have an online presence but for a more complete listing of festivals, it is worth visiting Cerdd Ystwyth's listing of Arts Festivals in Wales or listings of Arts festivals or Music festivals.

Search History

Help: