Anyone who has visited the Emerald Isle will tell you about the uniqueness of its landscape and its inhabitants. It is truly a life changing experience. Such was the case of Steve Spurgin (www.tricopolisrecords.com), who composed this song after his first visit to Ireland. He captures both the simplicity and sincerity of the Irish lifestyle in this song. Not only is it a beautifully crafted song, but also it's downright fun to sing and play.
Mae'r rhannau chwibanogl yn cael eu defnyddio yn y drefn hon cafodd ei dwyn o'r llyfr alawon poced: Mary Richards (Darowen), wedi eu golygu a threfnu gan Robin Huw Bowen, y Telynor Moreia (www.nancycarlinassociates.com/robinhuwbowen). Alaw Gymreig, draddodiadol ydi hi, ac, yn ol nodau Robin, yn nodweddiadol o'r fath o gerddoriaeth boblogaeth ceir yng Nghymru ar ddechrau ac yng nghanol y Bedwaredd Ganrif ar Bymtheng.
The whistle parts in this arrangement are taken from the excellent pocket tune-book: Mary Richards (Darowen), edited and arranged by the master triple harpist Robin Huw Bowen, y Telynor Moreia (www.nancycarlinassociates.com/robinhuwbowen). The tune is traditional Welsh, known as the Harlequin Hornpipe (Pibddawns Harlequin), and, according to Robin's notes, is typical of the kind of music popular in Wales during the early and mid 19th Century.
There certainly are a lot of “Rose” songs around the world but we particularly like this one. It is this fellow’s true love for the “Rose of Allendale” that sustains him through the difficult times away from home. This ballad hails from the county of Northumberland in northeast England.
Fe ddysgais yr alaw gyntaf anarferol o'r canwr gwych mandolin Billy Parker (www.mandolincafe.com/mp3), ble fyddwch yn dod o hyd i drefn arall o'r alaw hon gyda fi ar ffliwt hefyd. Mae Billy wedi dweud wrtha bod mae'r alaw hon yn sicr o aros unrhyw sesiwn Werin Americanaidd, efallai achos mae'n rhy lawer o rannau iddi hi!! Dw i byth wedi clywed y drefn anamlwg Bill Monroe (Tad Blue Grass). Cressandra oedd yr enw fy mamgu. Symudodd ei theulu (Mackintosh) o'r Alban i'r ardal Cwmafan yn hwyr yn y Bedwaredd Ganrif ar Bymtheng. Yr oedd Y Gymraeg (iaith yr aelwyd Cwmafan) ei mamiaith naturiol, a fe garodd i ganu mewn corau, yn y capeli, eglwysi, cyngherddau, eisteddfodau neu unrhyw le arall i ddweud y gwir. Yr oedd llawer o hwyl o 'i chwmpas bob amser, heb son am y bwyd! Dw i'n cofio ei chwerthiniad ac yn gallu blasu ei pasteion, bara, teisennau a sglodion hyd yn oed erbyn heddiw, ond gan bwyll crwt os mae hi wedi eich dal chi'n rhegi, yn bod yn bla, angharedig neu, yn arbennig, amharchus. Gobeithio fe fyddwch yn clywed yr hwyl, ei chwerthiniad, ysbryd a fy nghariad tragwyddol yn y cyfansoddiad hwn.
John learnt this unusual first part of the composition from the brilliant mandolin player, Billy Parker (www.mandolincafe.com/mp3), where you will find another arrangement of this tune, with John on flute. Billy told John that this tune is a "session buster" in blue grass circles, perhaps because there are so many parts to it. Cressandra was John's grandmother's name. Her family (Mackintosh) moved from Scotland to the Cwmafan (South Wales) area late in the 19th century. Welsh was her natural language, and she loved to sing in choirs, in chapels, churches, concerts, eisteddfods (www.britannia.com/wales/culture1.html), or anywhere else for that matter. John says: It was always fun around her, not to mention the food! I still can hear her laugh, and taste her pies, bread, cakes and chips today, but watch out boy if she caught you swearing, being a nuisance, unkind or, especially, disrespectful! Hopefully you will be able to hear the fun, her laugh, spirit and my everlasting love in this composition.
Cafodd y geiriau'r gan hon eu cyfansoddi gan Albert Evans Jones (Cynan) o Bwllheli, ac y gerddoriaeth gan John. "Mae'n rhywbeth cyfriniol, fel yr arfordir yn cael ei ddarlunio yn y gerdd hon" meddai John. "Fe ges i fy nenu ar unwaith gan y naws, llif, chwaraegerdd ond esmwythder o'r geiriau, a hefyd gan gwrthodiad yr hen wr i roi yr ffidl yn y to, i orwedd ac aros am farwolaeth; y gad gyfan yn cael ei adlewyrchu mewn '.....creigiau Aberdaron a thonnau gwyllt y mor.' Mae'r trosiad yn gryf iawn ac yn benderfynol dros ben, yn tyfu gydag ailadroddiad ac y sylweddoliad cynyddol bod dydy yr olygfa unig ddim yn arwyddluniol o wendid ond penderfyniad. Wrth gwrs dydy'r grefft farddonol ddim yn hanner drwg hefyd! Yr wyf i newydd ddechrau i ddeall y traddodiad barddonol Cymraeg: Y llinell ddi-dor, yn ymestyn nol cyn y Canol Oesoedd; y gelf; y cymhlethdod; yr harddwch ac y lle canol bod barddoniaeth wedi dal ac yn dal i ddal yn y diwylliant, gwleidyddiaeth, hanes a bywyd y Cymry. Fe gafodd drws newydd enfawr ei agor i fi."
Yn isaf ydy'r safleoedd We dwyieithog ble yr ydych chi'n gallu darllen mwy am Cynan, edrych a gwrando ar y bardd ei hun a dysgu mwy am farddoniaeth draddodiadol Gymraeg.
www.gomer.co.uk/gomer/cy/gomer.ViewBook/isbn/1843234025/category/3
www.sain.wales.com/english/new/newproducts/2005/04/2488.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/cymru/cymruaryrawyr
www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/halloffame/arts/cynan.shtml
www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/gogleddorllewin/enwogion/llen/pages/cynan.shtml
"There's something mysterious, like the coastline described in this poem," says John. " I was attracted immediately to the mood, flow, drama yet ease of the words, and also by the refusal of the old man to "put the fiddle in the roof", lay down and wait for death; the whole battle being reflected in the rocks and wild waves of the seascape of Aberdaron. The metaphor is very powerful and extremely insistent, growing with repetition and the increasing realization that the lonely scene is not symbolic of weakness but resolve. Of course the poetic craft isn't half bad as well! I have just begun to understand the Welsh poetic tradition: the unbroken line stretching back before the Middle Ages; the craft; the complexity; the beauty and the central position that poetry held and continues to hold in the culture, politics, history and life of the Welsh. An enormous new door has opened for me." Above are bilingual web sites, where you can read more about Cynan, look and listen to the bard himself, and learn more about traditional welsh poetry.
Pan fwyf yn hen a pharchus
Ag arian yn fy nghod,
A phob beirniadaeth drosodd
A phawb yn canu 'nghlod
Mi brynaf fwthyn unig
Heb ddim o flaen ei ddor
Ond creigiau Aberdaron
A thonnau gwyllt y mor.
When I'm old and respectable
With money in my purse,
Every criticism over,
And everyone singing praise,
I'll buy a lonely cottage
With nothing before it's door
But Aberdaron rocks
And the wild ocean's roar.
Pan fwyf yn hen a pharchus,
A'm gwaed yn Ilifo'n oer,
A'm calon heb gyflymu
Wrth wylied codi'r lloer
Bydd gobaith im bryd hynny
Mewn bwthyn sydd a'i ddor
At greigiau Aberdaron,
A thonnau gwyllt y mor.
When I'm old and respectable,
My blood flowing cold,
My heart remaining quiet
At the rising of the moon
There'll be hope for me then,
In a cottage with it's door
Facing Aberdaron rocks
And the wild ocean's roar.
Pan fwyf yn hen a pharchus
Tu hwnt i fawl a sen,
A'i can yn ol y patrwm
A'i hangerdd oll ar ben,
Bydd gobaith im bryd hynny
Mewn bwthyn sydd a'i ddor
At greigiau Aberdaron
A thonnau gwyllt y mor.
When I'm old and respectable
Beyond rebuke and praise
My song as to be expected,
My passion at an end
There'll be hope for me at that time,
In a cottage with it's door
Facing Aberdaron rocks
And the wild ocean's roar.
Oblegid mi gaf yno
Yng nghri'r ystormus wynt
Adlais o'r hen wrthryfel
A wybu f'enaid gynt
A chanaf a'r hen angerdd
Wrth syllu tua'r ddor
Ar greigiau Aberdaron
A thonnau gwyllt y mor
Because in that place I'll find
In the wind's stormy cry
An echo of the old rebellion
My soul knew before.
And I'll sing with the old passion
While gazing through the door
On Aberdaron rocks
And the wild ocean's roar.
The words of this song were composed by Albert Evans Jones (Cynan) of Pwllheli, North Wales, in the early 20th century; the music by John. Welsh language poetry does not translate into English very successfully. The arrangement of consonants, stresses and even the type of rhyme allowable, asks for a translation that seeks to convey overall mood rather than exact meaning, and works better as prose rather than in measured verse, as Welsh poetry tends toward syllabic count rather than meter, as found in English poetry. In the translation below, I have tried to convey the unrhymed sense and flavor of the verses rather than force the meaning into some distorted yet exact, metrical, rhymed rendition. SINGING IN CHAINS by Mererid Hopwood, is a very understandable, English language explanation of this 1500 year old art form:5. MacPherson’s Rant (Traditional/Good)
www.gomer.co.uk/gomer/en/gomer.ViewBook/isbn/1843234025/category/17
Jamie Macpherson came from a very “well to do” Northern Scottish family. He was one of several children and clearly was the bad apple among the bunch even though the story goes that he was a “Robin Hood” type of character. He was captured in Banff in the year 1700 and was promptly tried and convicted. Sentenced to the gallows, Jamie penned both the opening prose to our arrangement (adaptation) and the melody of the song (the lyrics were written by Robert Burns). The song has many titles such as MacPherson’s Rant, MacPherson’s Lament or MacPherson’s Farewell, each of which portrays a different meaning to what was in Jamie’s thoughts on the day(s) prior to his execution. Not only does he recant his past (prose/lament) but, as you’ll see, turns to ranting in the song. Legend has it that he was an accomplished fiddler and that he had hoped to sell or give his fiddle to a family member or friend just prior to the hanging. None coming forward he is rumored to have played a tune and danced below the gallows tree. He then broke the fiddle “o’er a stone” as his parting act of defiance (rant) prior to the hanging.
Mae John yn canu'r pibau Cymreig ar y trefniad hwn: yn offeryn chwilfrydig, prin, hynafol ac yn achlysurol cynddeiriogol, erbyn hyn yn eu dyddiau cynnar o'u hadferiad. Mae'r pibau arbenigol cafodd eu gwneud gan John Tose (www.pibydd.fsnet.co.uk/) ym Mresili o ddeunydd lleol. Mae John Tose yn y pen blaen o ddadeni'r pibau Cymreig, fel mae'r hogyn at: pibaupencader.info/ Hefyd, fe ysgrifennodd neu trefnodd John G y ril agoriadol a'r jig derfynol ar sail yr alaw lleisiol. Dyna mor llawer o alawon a chaneuon sy'n gweithio yn dda mewn 3/4, 4/4 a 6/8, neu fel walts, reel/ymdeithgan neu jig. Mae'n ffwrdd da i groywi'r curiad a golchi'r palet cerddorol.
John plays the Welsh bag pipes on this arrangement: an ancient, rare, intriguing and occasionally infuriating instrument, as yet in the early days of it's restoration. These particular pipes were made by John Tose (www.pibydd.fsnet.co.uk/) in Presili, West Wales from local materials. John Tose is in the forefront of the Welsh bagpipe renaissance, as are the lads at: pibaupencader.info/. John G also wrote/arranged the opening reel and closing jig based on the vocal melody. There's so many tunes/songs that work well in 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8, or as waltz, reel/march or jig. It's a good way to freshen the beat and cleanse the musical palette.
Ar y dydd a dderbynias fy ffliwt bren hen yn y post, roedd cymylau mawrion yn yr awyr anialwch dwym. Y tymor "Monsoon" oedd hi yn Arizona! (Lle sy wedi cael naw modfedd o law bob blwyddyn!!) Cafodd y ffliwt hon ei gwneud yn Hanover tua 1890, ac mae swn gyda hi wedi fy hudo ac ysbrydoli i. Felly, cyfansoddais ddarn i ddathlu'r achlysur wedi enwi "Cymylog", sy'n dechrau'r gadwyn o alawon hyn. Wn i ddim pam, ond y casgliad hwn o f'ayre, tri jig , pennill can drist o haf, a ril draddodiadol Cymreig gan Pat Shaw (Padrig Farfog), yn gweithio gyda'u gilydd yn ardderchog i fy nghlust, ond mae fy mhlasau byth yn bod yn ddetholiadol. Gobeithio fe fyddwch yn cytuno gyda fi. Y jigau yw: The Welsh Rabbit, Cymro o Ble? a Chwi Fechgyn Glan Ffri. Y tri i gyd oddi wrth y detholiad Blodau'r Grug (homepage.virgin.net/dawn.webster/publications.html). Y gan yw: Beth Yw'r Haf i Mi, oddi wrth y detholiad Canu'r Cymry (cerddystwyth.co.uk/newtest/acatalog/Collections.html). Yr alaw olaf yw Coleg y Brifysgol Abertawe gan Pat Shaw (Padrig Farfog), hefyd oddi wrth y detholiad Blodau'r Grug (www.gwales.com/goto/biblio/en/0000870552/).
On the day John received his very old, wooden flute in the mail, there were great clouds in the warm desert air. It was the Monsoon season in Arizona (a place that gets 9 inches of rain every year!) This flute was made in Hanover about 1890, and the sound charmed and inspired me. Therefore, I composed a piece to celebrate the occasion called Cymylau (Clouds), which begins this medley. I don't know why, but this collection of my aire, three Welsh jigs, a sad song of summer and a traditional Welsh reel by Pat Shaw (Padrig Farfog), work excellently together to my ear, but my taste has ever been eclectic. Hopefully you will agree with me. The Welsh traditional jigs are: The Welsh Rabbit, Cymro o Ble? (A Welshman from Where?) a Chwi Fechgyn Glan Ffri (You Carefree Young Lads). All from the collection Blodau'r Grug (homepage.virgin.net/dawn.webster/publications.html). The traditional sung verse is: Beth Yw'r Haf i Mi (What’s the Summer to Me) from: Canu'r Cymry (Singing of the Welsh - cerddystwyth.co.uk/newtest/acatalog/Collections.html). The last tune is: Coleg y Brifysgol Abertawe (Swansea University College) by Pat Shaw (Padrig Farfog), also from Blodau'r Grug (www.gwales.com/goto/biblio/en/0000870552).
Beth yw'r haf i mi?
Dim ond gaeaf llwm a dagrau'n lli'
Er pan gollais di,
Nid yw'r hirddydd haf yn ddim i mi.
Cariad bach er cilio'n ffôl
Dwed a doi di eto'n ôl.
Nid yw'r haf i mi
Dim ond hirlwm er pan gollais di.
What is summer to me?
Only dreary winter and flowing tears.
Since I lost you,
The long summer day is nothing to me.
Little love, you foolishly fled, but
Tell me you’ll return.
Summer is nothing to me
Only winter long and lonely.
The fisherman’s trade has been much maligned by excessive government regulation and technology. This medley addresses the travails of herring fishermen and includes some of Ewan MacColl’s (www.pegseeger.com/html/ewan.html) greatest musical contributions including, “The Shoals of Herring” and “The North Sea Holes”. We had a lot of fun putting this medley together since it’s the kind of arrangement that tests our musical creativity. This medley ebbs and flows in and out of three tunes and two songs and utilizes seven keys. The planned fourth tune, written in the key of Fb was scrapped.
The three fun-to-play Scottish reels used in this arrangement are: The Ale is Dear, Dinky Dorian's and Dundee, and can be found in The King Street Session Book, available at: The Gift Shop (602) 254-6094 or by writing to: irelandsownaz@aol.com
Here’s our arrangement of the classic Michael Smith (www.artistsofnote.com/michael/index.html) song. What makes this song different from all the rest is that it has no rhyme. With its lilting melody and lyrical pathos it harkens back to a time when husband and wife made the lifelong marital commitment to each other and nourished it. What a concept!
Ceir y tair alaw hon yn Blodau'r Grug (Gwelwch yn uwch), ond ces i'r fersiwn hwn o'r Ril Llanofer oddi wrth Elonwy Wright, y delynores wych o Gaerdydd. Gyda llaw, mae Nansi Richards (Telynores Maldwyn) wedi gwneud cyfeiriad at yr un alaw fel Y Pibddawns Sipsiwn. Am fwy o wybodaeth ewch i:
www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/cymru/cymruaryrawyrBeth bynnag y tair alaw hyn yn boblogaeth dros ben yng Nghymru gyda cherddorion a dawnswyr.
www.ladyllanover.org.uk
You can find these three tunes in Blodau’r Grug /Hill Flowers (See above), but John learnt this version of the Lanover Reel from the brilliant, Cardiff harpist Elonwy Wright. By the way Nancy Richards made reference to the same tune as the Gypsies’ Hornpipe. For more information, go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/cymru/cymruaryrawyrWhatever, these three tunes are extremely popular in Wales with musicians and dancers.
www.ladyllanover.org.uk
John wrote/arranged the opening reel and closing jig based on the vocal melody. "The song is a bawdy old Scottish ballad that Robbie Burns turned into a lyrical masterpiece. It was piper extraordinaire Caven Clark who sat me down and first introduced me to the incredibly perceptive and humanistic poetry of Burns", says John. "This opened up another huge and unexpected door for me." www.robertburns.org
No matter the reason for departing one’s homeland and seeking opportunity and freedom elsewhere the longing to return home is never ending. This song is a story of how an individual migrated to Canada only to become melancholy and homesick for his place of birth. Apparently he was never to return again. When you hear about, “the daisy spangled lea”, “craggy linn” or “wee bit gowany” you understand the anguish this man felt.
Mae Morfa Rhuddlan yn alaw hynafol, efallai yn gyfeiriad at yr oes Offa, yr un dyn sy wedi adeiladau'r clawdd enwog yn yr wythfed canrif (www.offasdyke.demon.co.uk/dyke.htm). Does neb yn gwybod, ond mae'n sicr bod rhywbeth drwm, drist a bwysig dros ben wedi achosi'r y cyfansoddiad o'r alaw hon. Mae'n rhy lawer o deimladau dyfnion am unrhyw beth arall. Yr wyf i wedi defnyddio'r fersiwn yn Caneuon y Ddraig, www.celticpandc.com/gymanfa.ganu.hymnals.html. Mewn gwrthgyferbyniad, y Twmpathe yw'r gwrthwyneb. Yr wyf i wedi dod o hyd yr alaw hon ar y safle we John Tose (gwelwch yn uwch), ond mae hi'n dod o Bennett's `Alawon fy Ngwlad, 1896 yn wreiddiol.
The Marsh of Rhuddlan is an ancient tune, perhaps referring to the age of Offa, the same man who built the famous dyke in the 8th century (www.offasdyke.demon.co.uk/dyke.htm). Nobody knows, but it is certain that something, heavy, sad and extremely important caused the tune to be written. There's too much deep feeling for anything else. I used the version from Songs of the Dragon, www.celticpandc.com/gymanfa.ganu.hymnals.html. In contrast, Y Twmpathe/ The Dance is the opposite. I found this tune on John Tose's web site (See above), but it comes from Bennett's Alawon fy Ngwlad, (Melodies of My Country) 1896 originally.
At the “tale” end of this set is a classic old Irish song called, “Health To The Company”. Performed a capella, this is a hardy song about friendship and good times. Its origins are unknown but it has all the elements of a group pub-type song. Placed before it is an instrumental version of the much-loved song, “The Parting Glass”, and the opening tune in this set is the Irish hornpipe the "Stack of Wheat", which we learnt from the piper Caven Clark. Again a seemingly random collection of tunes and songs fit together, to our ears, very well, and it seemed an appropriate medley with which to conclude our second CD -- By Land or by Sea -- and to remind our friends how much we appreciate their support.
Producers:
Steve Colby
Kyle Harris
John Good
Engineer:
Steve Colby
John Good
Mix down and mastering:
Kyle Harris
Graphic designers:
Mark Foshee
John Good
Steve Colby:
6 & 12
string guitar, banjo
bouzouki, vocals
John Good:
flute,
whistles, vocals
harmonica,
Welsh pipes
Musical arrangements by Steve Colby and John Good.
Disc photo by John Good.
Copyright 2005, All rights Reserved
1. A Walk in the Irish
RainBuy the CD - Each CD: $15.00 plus shipping and handling
($2.50 US Orders, $5.50 International Orders)
