Hanes Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

-888

-# The land of my fathers

-# Is dear unto me... #

-The lyrics use the first person

-singular - this is my country.

-So everyone can identify

-with the words.

-# Its warring defenders... #

-It's tribal, rather like the Haka.

-There's something in it that

-transports us onto another plane.

-It reaches out to something

-very primitive within us...

-..and affects the way

-we respond to music in public.

-# Wales! Wales!

-# True am I to Wales! #

-What happened, very quickly...

-..was that the melody and lyrics

-captivated the Welsh.

-It seemed to belong to the people.

-Gradually, 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-became the anthem...

-..of the Welsh people.

-# Oh may the old language endure. #

-CHEERS

-The anthem has never been sung...

-..with so much conviction

-or passion. A nation awaits.

-March 1, 1912.

-Good news! I have obtained a copy

-of the photographs I needed...

-..of Evan James and James James,

-for the monument.

-It's strange,

-when you compare both photos.

-Although they look

-like father and son...

-..the son, James James,

-seems older than the father.

-Of the two, you'd think Evan James

-was the younger but he's the father.

-These are the only photos the family

-has and the only ones that exist...

-...as far as we know.

-I consider myself lucky

-to have known them...

-..and that I followed their story

-over the years.

-November 10, 1847

-Dear Diary...

-..I got a job with Mr Evan James

-in the woollen mill at Mill Street.

-He and his wife, Elizabeth,

-and their children...

-..came here from Caerphilly.

-He used to be a publican,

-but moved to the woollen mill.

-Six mills have recently

-opened on the banks of the Rhondda.

-The place has altered so much,

-and is so lively.

-Mr Evan James's son, Mr James James,

-is very fond of playing the harp.

-He asked me

-which were the best taverns here.

-Perhaps he'd like to perform there.

-The family live next door

-to the mill, in Factory House.

-Evan James is quite a poet, he says.

-In style, the lyrics are typical

-of the period.

-Romantic images, the sort of thing

-you'd expect to hear.

-The longing expressed

-in this song...

-..appealed to everyone,

-and still does so today.

-April 22, 1854

-A most enjoyable evening

-at the Llanover Arms last night.

-James James entertained us

-with his melodies. He is excellent.

-I don't believe it when he says

-he's self-taught. He's a marvel!

-He's in demand

-in almost every tavern in town.

-But then, he does like his pint.

-We had a hell of a thirst.

-There's trouble in town these days,

-especially Saturday night.

-People like Dafydd Morgan call

-for a religious revival in the area.

-He'll have his work cut out here.

-Too many infidels posing as druids,

-they say.

-Iolo Morganwg's followers...

-..like Myfyr Morganwg, and his

-Gorsedd of Bards on the Common...

-..and Ieuan ap Iago,

-to give Evan James his bardic name.

-Infidels posing as druids, indeed!

-People of all ages

-like a good story.

-It's exactly the same with music.

-The simpler the story, the better.

-'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-is simple and easily memorized.

-Musically, it develops

-leisurely from note to note...

-..based on simple chords.

-Actually, it has very few chords.

-Just ordinary, basic chords.

-In very few chords,

-it builds up in steps...

-..and within the natural confines

-of the scale...

-..creates an unforgettable melody.

-It was quite a feat for James,

-because there's a knack to it.

-When you think of popular

-melodies from any age or country...

-..their main virtues are simplicity,

-and something that's memorable.

-May 9, 1854

-A morning at the market.

-So many people buy and sell here.

-The place is still growing.

-There's so much work in the area.

-I met Evan James and his wife there,

-buying meat.

-We conversed,

-and Evan went on to complain...

-..that not enough Welsh

-was heard on the streets.

-You hear a certain amount, I said,

-but had to admit, not very often.

-As we walked, he told me that

-he'd joined the Treforest branch...

-..of the Philanthropic

-Order of True Ivorites.

-Mrs James explained

-that it was a charitable society...

-..that aimed to increase respect for

-the Welsh language in south Wales.

-"What about Welsh language

-education for our children?"...

-..asked Evan fervently.

-I pondered awhile, then bade

-them farewell, and went home.

-As I parted, Evan called after me,

-"May the old language endure!"

-BELL RINGS

-'The land of my fathers

-is dear unto me.

-'Old land where the minstrels

-are honoured and free.

-'For freedom,

-their life's blood they gave.

-'Wales, Wales!

-'True am I to Wales.

-'While seas secure the land so pure,

-'Oh may the old language endure.'

-Well done.

-September 26, 1899

-In today's Western Mail, there was

-a letter from Mr Daniel Owen.

-Not the novelist from north Wales,

-but a gentleman from Cowbridge.

-He knew James James...

-..so he decided

-to share with the readers...

-..the story behind

-'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'.

-While James James walked along the

-River Rhondda, a melody came to him.

-The more he whistled it,

-the more he liked it.

-He went home to his father

-and said, "I've composed a melody.

-"I want you to write

-the lyrics for it."

-Mr Evan James replied, "Fetch some

-beer from the Colliers Arms, son.

-"I'll write the words for you."

-Mr Daniel Owen adds that Mr Evan

-James was a moderate drinker...

-..but his muse needed

-a pint to awaken it!

-Mr Daniel Owen claims that the tune

-came first, followed by the lyrics.

-That's not how I remember it

-in 1856.

-Let me check again the diary entry

-I made at the time.

-Maybe I should write

-to the Western Mail, too.

-There's no mention of a committee...

-..deciding that 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-should be the anthem.

-We should remember that eisteddfodau

-during that time were massive.

-'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau' was sung

-regularly at large eisteddfodau.

-It's clear that it became rooted in

-Welsh people's minds at that time.

-It became very special.

-# Its warring defenders

-# So gallant and brave... #

-There's no doubt that

-'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau' contributed...

-..to an awareness of Welshness

-and of Wales, all over the world.

-It became popular

-as a national tune at a time...

-..when postcards were sent

-from Wales all over the world.

-'Everyone and everything

-in Wales sings.'

-It belongs to a certain age.

-And it has transcended that age.

-It belongs to every age, really.

-In a way, it's a part of us...

-..plucking

-at the nation's heartstrings.

-It does so very successfully

-on every public occasion.

-# Oh, may the language endure. #

-888

-James, James!

-# The land of my fathers

-is dear unto me... #

-You're supposed to be bloody Welsh!

-# Old land where the minstrels

-are honoured and free. #

-I have just found the diary entry...

-..about Evan and James James

-composing 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'.

-It took hours to find.

-There has been a lot

-of disagreement about the story.

-But this is how I remember it,

-in any case.

-January 26, 1856

-I walked home from the Welsh Harp

-with Evan James.

-He and his son James have composed

-a new melody, called 'Glan Rhondda'.

-We enjoyed singing it tonight.

-There's something about it,

-it's as if we've always sung it.

-Evan said he'd written

-the patriotic words...

-..after receiving a letter

-from his brother in America.

-He described America

-as the Promised Land...

-..and invited Evan to pack up

-and follow him across the ocean.

-Clutching the letter...

-..he went to walk along the banks

-of the River Rhondda.

-The weaver had to choose

-between a new life in America...

-..or remaining

-in the land of his fathers.

-He returned to the mill, and wrote

-the first verse in no time.

-Then the second, and the third.

-'The land of my fathers

-is dear unto me.'

-He gave the words to James, who also

-walked along the river bank.

-The melody, which is very memorable,

-by the way...

-..came to him immediately.

-It seems they spent the night...

-..composing an answer

-to the brother in America.

-Mrs Elizabeth James told them off,

-for playing the harp on the Sabbath!

-We both laughed, slightly drunk.

-Then he turned to me.

-"The weaver sat down to write,

-but the poet fashioned the words.

-"Goodnight!" he said.

-Everyone in Wales sings the song.

-But I'm not sure if everyone

-understands all the words.

-Very often, it's the only bit

-of Welsh that many people know.

-But how many Welsh speakers

-understand words like 'Pau'?

-'The line 'I'r bur hoff bau', is

-a wonderful sound, in strict metre.

-'Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau.'

-The word 'pau' means 'country'.

-It comes from the same root

-as 'pays' in French, Pays de Galles.

-Maybe many of us sing the words

-without fully understanding them.

-But the passion's still there.

-The marriage of words and music

-is superb.

-# To the land so pure... #

-March 1, 1856

-Our patron saint's day.

-I hoped to go to see Elizabeth John

-in a concert tonight...

-..at Tabor CM Chapel, Maesteg.

-I missed the coach. Damn!

-I had looked forward to hearing

-her sing 'Glan Rhondda'...

-..for the first time in public.

-John Davies, son of Myfyr Morganwg,

-the Archdruid...

-..had taught it to Miss John.

-I'm sure he emphasized every line.

-Myfyr Morganwg had heard the song...

-..in Evan James's house

-one night when I was present.

-He was mesmerized, and said

-it should be sung at the Eisteddfod.

-"A triumph!" he said. But I think

-that the title 'Glan Rhondda'...

-..does not convey the passion

-in Evan James's lyrics.

-I believe it needs another title.

-One distinct musical feature

-of 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'...

-..is its similarity

-to other national anthems.

-For example, Finland's

-national anthem, 'Finlandia'.

-It's almost a second national anthem

-for us in Wales. Why?

-It's in a similar key.

-It moves in a similar way too,

-like a powerful hymn tune.

-But it's memorable too,

-and is very easy to sing.

-We remember the tune,

-perhaps the tune above all.

-Everyone all over the world

-knows about 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'.

-It's one of the greatest national

-anthems, without any doubt.

-August 12, 1857

-Scores of people climbed the Common,

-to the Rocking Stone...

-..for Myfyr Morganwg's Eisteddfod.

-He still calls himself the Archdruid

-of Glamorgan, I notice.

-He is a bit strange, in my opinion.

-I had the company of James,

-Cecilia and their son Taliesin.

-I noticed that John Davies was

-courting the singer, Elizabeth John.

-Dr William Price was present,

-of course.

-At the end, Myfyr Morganwg

-asked James James to sing his song.

-The audience were so enchanted,

-they tried to sing with him.

-But they didn't know the words.

-Quite amusing, really.

-In the great Llangollen

-Eisteddfod of 1858...

-..a prize was offered for a

-collection of unpublished melodies.

-There were two collections, one by a

-contestant calling himself Orpheus.

-The other was by Llewelyn Alaw.

-Curiously, both collections

-included 'Glan Rhondda'.

-We know that James James

-was the composer, of course.

-In the 1860s,

-the National Eisteddfod developed.

-The old melodies were popular,

-evidently.

-'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-appeared almost immediately...

-..as the 'Eisteddfod Song'.

-That's what it was called,

-not an anthem.

-But it's clear that very soon...

-..the melody and the words

-captivated the people of Wales...

-..and were adopted by the people.

-Gradually, 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-became the national anthem...

-..as far as ordinary

-people were concerned.

-November 4, 1878

-Very late arriving home last night.

-Travelled through wind and rain.

-In the Colliers Arms,

-Mountain Ash, all night.

-James took a fancy to the place...

-..and will take it over

-in a few weeks time.

-But that's not why we celebrated.

-We celebrated the life of old

-Evan James, and sang all night.

-Yesterday afternoon,

-he was buried in Carmel Cemetery.

-We sang 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-with the Male Voice Choir.

-A lump came to my throat.

-Evan would have liked to hear

-his song becoming Wales's anthem.

-I remember that night...

-..when he described how he composed

-it, on the banks of the Rhondda.

-And I think of Kate Wynne,

-Llew Llwyfo, Eos Morlais...

-..all the greats, singing it

-on the National Eisteddfod stage.

-And I think, not bad, mun, not bad.

-'HEN WLAD FY NHADAU'

-Guitar Solo.

-A key event took place

-at the London Eisteddfod...

-..Victoria's Jubilee Eisteddfod,

-at the Albert Hall in 1887.

-After almost 25 years of trying to

-get him to come to the Eisteddfod...

-..Prince Bertie was finally present.

-The Prince of Wales and his family

-attended the Eisteddfod.

-The renowned singer of the time was

-tenor, Eos Morlais - Robert Rees.

-When the old prince

-came to the stage...

-..they sang 'God Bless

-the Prince of Wales', of course.

-Eos Morlais led the singing.

-When that session ended,

-the prince prepared to go home...

-.. and Eos Morlais stood

-to sing 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'.

-The prince stood too.

-I don't think there's any doubt

-that it was a significant event.

-If one had to put a finger

-on an event that clinched...

-..'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-as the national anthem...

-..it was probably that moment.

-August 12, 1887,

-in the Albert Hall, London...

-..at Victoria's Jubilee Eisteddfod.

-I think you can safely say

-that from that moment onwards...

-..'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'

-was Wales's National Anthem.

-July 14, 1911

-There's a great demand in town for

-a memorial for the father and son.

-I've been saying this for years.

-Sir Goscombe John himself

-has agreed to create one.

-Ponty isn't as prosperous as it was,

-I know.

-But no matter, I'm determined.

-Column upon column of newspaper

-reports tell the story...

-..of the investiture in Caernarfon.

-'God Bless the Prince of Wales'

-was sung, rather badly.

-Embarrassing, to be honest.

-Everyone sang 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau',

-our national anthem, heartily.

-Everyone knows it.

-Every choir and society sing it.

-You hear it everywhere.

-Evan and James have touched us all.

-I can almost hear James laughing

-from his grave in Aberdare.

-It's almost ten years since he died.

-But I can still see him walking

-around Ponty, his harp on his back.

-If only Evan and James knew...

-..that their song, written

-on the banks of the Rhondda...

-..had become

-the national anthem of Wales.

-If only they knew

-that it was famous across the world.

-And if only they knew

-that it is still sung in Welsh.

-# The land of my fathers

-# Is dear unto me.

-# Old land where the minstrels

-# Are honoured and free. #

-I think that

-every Welsh man or woman...

-..feels proudly patriotic...

-..when they hear

-those words and that melody.

-Maybe we don't understand

-every syllable...

-..but we understand the deeper

-meaning, that lies at its core.

-It's a feeling that makes us

-declare to the world...

-..our pride in being Welsh.

-# Wales, Wales!

-# True am I to Wales.

-# While seas secure

-# The land so pure.

-# Oh, may the old language endure. #

-S4C Subtitles by: GWEAD