0:00:02 > 0:00:03Connie!
0:00:03 > 0:00:04SHE SCREAMS
0:00:04 > 0:00:08You may remember me from a place alive with the Sound of Music.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Well, I've been set free to explore a much more beautiful place
0:00:12 > 0:00:16where the hills truly are alive with the sound of music.
0:00:16 > 0:00:23I'm taking a magical mystery tour to draw my very own musical map of Wales.
0:00:23 > 0:00:29I'll be travelling the length and breadth of the country, meeting some fabulous people.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I used to be where you are.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34All with wonderful talents...
0:00:34 > 0:00:36# That will bring us back to doh... #
0:00:36 > 0:00:41'..and amazing tales to share.' Swept away!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Hold on for a bumpy ride!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I haven't driven a car in ten years. It's really fine, honestly.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Famous last words...
0:00:51 > 0:00:59# The hills are alive with the sound of music. #
0:01:03 > 0:01:08People say my driving is a bit erratic and so are my routes.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11I always go the pretty way, and today I'll be travelling
0:01:11 > 0:01:16from Cardiff, through the former mining valleys of South Wales.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Then I'm heading across the beautiful Upper Swansea Valley
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and ending up for a night in Treorchy.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24# The green, green grass of home... #
0:01:24 > 0:01:29When I agreed to embark on this musical journey across Wales,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I was promised a dashing, Welsh, handsome,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35head-turningly sexy co-star.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39So let me introduce you. This is Gilbert. He's a Gilbern -
0:01:39 > 0:01:43one of the last remaining Welsh-built sports cars.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the casting of my leading man.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51However, I'm secretly excited about our big musical adventure together.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54So, without further ado, let's get the show on the road!
0:01:58 > 0:02:00All right, Gilbert, off we go.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Good morning, Mr Magpie. Morning, Mrs P.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And I'll need all the luck I can get on this journey.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18My first destination is at one of my favourite things...
0:02:18 > 0:02:22rugby international Saturday in Cardiff, as Wales take on Ireland.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Music and rugby go hand in hand, like do, re, mi and ME!
0:02:26 > 0:02:29A name I call myself. And I'm here in Cardiff on match day
0:02:29 > 0:02:31because it's my turn... to do a turn.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35# Guide me, O thou great Jehovah... #
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I'm going to sing Cwm Rhondda in the lead up to the match.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But before I meet the massed ranks of the male voice choirs,
0:02:41 > 0:02:46my backing singers, as I call them, I'm doing a bit of market research.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51Could I ask a few questions. What's your favourite rugby anthem?
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Give me about 15 minutes and two beers, I'll be right back to you!
0:02:55 > 0:02:57- Do you know Bread Of Heaven? - Not at all.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- I'm afraid they don't sing! - Could you give me Bread Of Heaven? - DOG BARKS
0:03:00 > 0:03:03# Bread of heaven... #
0:03:03 > 0:03:06You have the lyrics! It's called Cwm Rhondda, you see?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It's Bread Of Heaven in disguise. Let's have a verse, OK?
0:03:09 > 0:03:11# Guide me, O thou great Jehovah... #
0:03:11 > 0:03:18- # Hold me with thy powerful hand - Bread of heaven...
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- # Bread of heaven... # - I know the words.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25- # Dee dee dee dee... - Now and evermore...- Evermore... #
0:03:25 > 0:03:32- # Feed me now and evermore. # - Beautiful ending. Bravo!
0:03:32 > 0:03:37# Bread of heaven, bread of heaven Feed me now... #
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's actually not the first time I've performed here.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44So I should be excited, but I'm a bit nervous,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48because I was stood here five years ago almost to the day, for my audition for Maria.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49SHE GASPS
0:03:49 > 0:03:54It's bringing it all back. But I've never sung in a rugby ensemble!
0:03:54 > 0:03:56So here I go. This is for the boys.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02# Bread of heaven, bread of heaven... #
0:04:02 > 0:04:05You need to be in four clear lines.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10My backing singers, conducted by Haydn James,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14come from three different male voice choirs from across Wales.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16And this is my first rehearsal with them.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21They're warming up with the National Anthem! Don't drop the ball, Connie.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Should I be nervous? - You should, I think.- Ah!
0:04:28 > 0:04:33It's a privilege for you to sing with us today!
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Every male voice choir says that.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- Is it because I is a woman?! - No, because you're famous.- Aha-ha!
0:04:38 > 0:04:40You're a good singer too.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43You're more famous, you're heading out there, are you nervous?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I'm more nervous for the team. That's what's important to me.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It's not us singing, it's the game that's important.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Is the singing going to help us win? - Guaranteed.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01This is nerve-wracking. You go out there, and if I forget the words,
0:05:01 > 0:05:06I could be the failing mascot for Wales v Ireland.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12# Guide me... #
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Ah, who turned off the microphone?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19This didn't happen to Katherine Jenkins!
0:05:19 > 0:05:24Ah well, keep smiling... and singing.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29# ..But though are mighty, Hold me in thy powerful hand... #
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Just don't forget the words, whatever you do, don't forget the words!
0:05:33 > 0:05:40# Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
0:05:40 > 0:05:48# Feed me till I want no more
0:05:48 > 0:05:56# Feed me till I want no more. #
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- Oops! Nobody noticed, did they? - SHE LAUGHS
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Ah, dear!
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I feel like they're cheering for me! But they're not.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15I'm cheering for me. I've never done that before. Wooh!
0:06:15 > 0:06:16WHISTLE BLOWS
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I think it's possible that the linesman who didn't notice
0:06:24 > 0:06:29that this try should have been disallowed was still remembering my singing...
0:06:29 > 0:06:30A girl can dream.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38No time to bask in reflected glory as Gilbert and I hit the road again.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Well, that psalm was absolutely incredible.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It's made me think a little more about the song Cwm Rhondda,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48why is it such an important piece of music to all of us?
0:06:48 > 0:06:49I'm off to find out.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55We're travelling up the A470 towards the heart of the Rhondda Valleys
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and I've got a rendezvous in the birthplace of Bread Of Heaven,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Hopkinstown, just a stone's throw from Pontypridd.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09The tune was first written in 1907 and first performed in the same
0:07:09 > 0:07:15year in this chapel in a Christmas service. But the man who wrote it,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18John Hughes, was not your average composer.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23I'm meeting his great nephew, Geoff Hughes, who's going to reveal the family secrets.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Tell me about John Hughes, the man.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29He worked in the pits, started at the age of 12.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32He eventually became a transport manager for the mines.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36One of the jobs he had to do was make sure the wagons with the coal
0:07:36 > 0:07:40went from here down to Cardiff Docks for export.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44There is a story that he used to write on the sides of the wagons,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48he used to write the tunes, in chalk, and would send the wagons off.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52And his friends at all the stops and stations all the way to Cardiff,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56who in those days could pretty well all read music, would write comments,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00in chalk, on the sides of the wagon, as to whether they liked the tunes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05The wagons would come back up here and he would get all of his comments back as to what reception they got.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Cwm Rhondda was soon to become the hit hymn tune of Wales,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13when they really were top of the pops.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16There were lots of outdoor, community hymn singing festivals.
0:08:16 > 0:08:23John Hughes went along to conduct these hymns, including Cwm Rhondda, to up to 30,000 people.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26So, this is how it spread. But its fame spread very quickly.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32It was written in 1907 and even within five or ten years, it was already a famous hymn.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It was sung and appreciated all over the world.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41John Hughes even receiving thanks from Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44There are lots of stories of people writing from all over the world
0:08:44 > 0:08:47saying what the song meant to them.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51There's one from the First World War, where a major was writing in,
0:08:51 > 0:08:58saying how it inspired his Welsh guards at a time of, clearly, great problems during the war.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It has touched so many people over a great many years now, and still is.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- So you get royalties?- I wish we did. No, we don't get anything.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Just the enjoyment of listening to it, time and again.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20From one Valleys superstar to another. I'm travelling a few miles
0:09:20 > 0:09:25to the green, green grass of home of someone you may just have heard of.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29# Do do doo do, do doo do doo... #
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Can you tell who it is yet?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35# When I see you out and about, it's such a crime...
0:09:35 > 0:09:41# If you should ever want to be loved by anyone
0:09:41 > 0:09:45# It's not unusual to find out I'm in love with you... #
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Almost as popular as Cwm Rhondda, if not more so, are the songs
0:09:49 > 0:09:54of a man who was born here - No 57, Kingsland Terrace, Treforest.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59And it's hard to believe that it's almost 45 years since he had his biggest hit,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03my personal favourite - The Green, Green Grass Of Home.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07And even harder to believe that his biggest fan doesn't live in his old home town at all.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Oh, no, she lives in North Wales, over 150 miles away.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16But, by the powers of television, I'm off to visit her. Beam me up, Scotty!
0:10:19 > 0:10:25Ann Hughes is a Tom Jones superfan. She's even created a shrine to him in her front room.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29# Why, why, why, Delilah? #
0:10:29 > 0:10:34So I'm here to find out, why, why, why, Ann?
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Wow, Ann, this is amazing! How did this all start?
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Oh, many years ago, when I first saw him in a club.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47He hadn't recorded any music then, and had to turn the microphone off
0:10:47 > 0:10:51because his voice was so powerful. And I said to my friend,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53"He's going to go places, this lad."
0:10:53 > 0:10:57And how many times have you been to see him?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- Oh, it must be over 250 times now. - Have you ever thrown your knickers?
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Well, I haven't thrown any at him, but on one occasion,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09in Liverpool, I went to the front of the stage and I gave him these.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15- I handed them to him and he wiped his brow... .- Did he give them back? - He gave them back to me, yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19That's just one of the magic moments, being a Tom Jones fan.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Since you first saw him, how much do you think you've spent on his concerts and memorabilia?
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It must be thousands of pounds.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- What does your husband think? - Oh, he doesn't mind.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Does he mind that it's taken over a whole room of your house?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34No, in fact, he suggested it,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38because I didn't realise how much memorabilia that I did have.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And I put it all together and it took me two days to fill this room.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47- Do you just sit and admire Tom quite a lot?- Erm, well, yes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51And I put his music on in here. If it's raining or anything,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I'll come in and give Tom a dust, you know? Keep him respectable!
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Keep Tom looking presentable! - Oh, yes!
0:11:58 > 0:12:02You actually held a campaign for Tom to be knighted, didn't you?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Yes, I thought he deserved it for his contribution alone to music.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08He's 71 this June
0:12:08 > 0:12:13and, do you know, Connie, he still does over 200 live shows a year.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Do you think that you're Tom's biggest fan?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18He's got fans all over the world,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22but I can say for sure I am his biggest Welsh fan!
0:12:22 > 0:12:27I love Tom. Do you ever, like I do in my bedroom, grab a hairbrush?
0:12:29 > 0:12:33# Do de dooo, do de dooo.... # Throw your knickers, everyone!
0:12:33 > 0:12:38- # It's not unusual to be loved by anyone... - Do de doo...
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- # It's not unusual to have fun with anyone... - Do de doo... #.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48# But if I ever find that you've changed at any time
0:12:48 > 0:12:52# It's not unusual to find that I'm in love with you
0:12:52 > 0:12:58# Oh wooo oh oooh oooh, wooah woooah ho oooh... #
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Back to my roots and my musical map, and I'm travelling north
0:13:02 > 0:13:07towards the Cynon Valley, where you and I are in for a little surprise.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10People have the wrong impression of the South Wales Valleys.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16It's often described as grimy and industrial. But, since coal left these valleys, it's anything but.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23On a beautiful day like today, this could almost be a film set.
0:13:23 > 0:13:29And high on a hill I meet four nuns, six goat herders, and a pair of Marias.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33What on earth are you doing? I mean, who are you?
0:13:33 > 0:13:35We are the Sound Of Music Appreciation Group.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Randomly singing, in the middle of Cwmbach?- Yes!
0:13:38 > 0:13:44- Who'd have thought it? So I guess you're big Sound Of Music fans, then?- Yes, we are.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- Actually, I recognise a few of you. - These are drama students in the school where I work.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51And we're all going to do a show in tribute to The Sound Of Music.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Go on, then, give us a blast!
0:13:54 > 0:13:56# High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
0:13:56 > 0:13:57# Lay-ee-odl, lay-ee-odl, lay-hee-hoo!
0:13:57 > 0:14:01# Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd
0:14:01 > 0:14:03# Lay-ee-odl, lay-ee-odl-oo. #
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Oh, amazing, I couldn't better it.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10OK, I think it's time for a fan-off.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Who has seen The Sound Of Music ten times?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Oh, everyone. OK, 20 times?
0:14:18 > 0:14:21This could be a long process. Over 50 times?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Oh, my Lord. Just the stalkers, then.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27OK, who's seen it over 100 times?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Oh, you are the winner. You could be Maria.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33What do you love about the show?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Everything. All the words, all the characters, all the songs,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and the lyrics are so fab as well.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40If I'm nervous, I listen to I Have Confidence.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Nothing can pull you out of a bit of a black hole like that can.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46I'd love to play Maria one day and sing that song.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I love the fact that, when Maria comes to the house,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52she brings music back into the Von Trapp family,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and she brings music to every family who watches it.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Wales is known for romantic love songs, and we are known as singers.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- We are the land of song.- We are, indeed, and I think the songs
0:15:03 > 0:15:06in The Sound Of Music are just so joyful to sing
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- that everybody in Wales likes to sing them, don't we, girls?- Yeah.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It's been a lovely afternoon on the hillside,
0:15:13 > 0:15:14but it's time for me to say...
0:15:14 > 0:15:20# So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
0:15:20 > 0:15:24# The sun has gone to bed and so must I
0:15:25 > 0:15:29# Goodbye!
0:15:29 > 0:15:32# Goodbye!
0:15:32 > 0:15:37# Goodbye!
0:15:37 > 0:15:43# Goodbye! #
0:15:49 > 0:15:51That was a bit random, wasn't it?
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Anyway, now, from the ridiculous to the sublime.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59I'm travelling over 20 miles across stunning scenery to find out about
0:15:59 > 0:16:04a lady with an amazing voice, and an incredible connection to this area.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08# Ahhhh! #
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I'm heading out of the mining valleys of South Wales
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and into the foothills of the Brecon Beacons.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24In this stunning and secluded countryside is Craig-y-Nos,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26a country house and theatre
0:16:26 > 0:16:29renovated and built by an astonishing woman.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37I'm wondering how a world-renowned opera diva like Dame Adelina Patti
0:16:37 > 0:16:39ended up here.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42The woman with all the answers is Welsh singer, performer
0:16:42 > 0:16:46and mah-hoosive Adelina fan Beverley Humphreys.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51She was the most celebrated diva of the 19th century.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54A real prima donna, adored by fans all over the world.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59Imagine the operatic version of Kylie, or Madonna.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Oh, I'd go see her! I'm there! What was her voice like?
0:17:02 > 0:17:06It was, by all accounts, exquisite.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Verdi, when he heard her,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11said that she was the most stupendous singer that he'd ever heard.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13And that was from the maestro. What an accolade.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29She sang all over the world.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Europe, North America, South America, Russia.
0:17:32 > 0:17:39At the height of her powers, she could command a fee of 5,000.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- For one performance? - For one performance.- What?!
0:17:42 > 0:17:44How did she end up here in Wales?
0:17:44 > 0:17:49- By this time, she'd taken a lover, Ernesto Nicolini.- Oh, I love him.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50They needed a bolt-hole
0:17:50 > 0:17:54where they could carry on their liaison in private,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58and she spent 40 years transforming it into this fairy-tale castle.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And this was her piece de resistance,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05this bijou theatre that she caused to be built.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08She created her own shrine here.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09There she is, Madame.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Can you imagine me painting my own curtain,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15me on the hill, with some nuns and some goats?
0:18:15 > 0:18:16I think you could do that!
0:18:18 > 0:18:19She lived for music.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Can you imagine 150 people assembling here,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29with her servants at the back?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32She always made sure there was space for the servants.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And she would give performances
0:18:34 > 0:18:37of excerpts of some of her most famous roles.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42She used to hold charity concerts here,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46to raise money for the impoverished people of Swansea and Bridgend
0:18:46 > 0:18:48and Ystalyfera and Ystradgynlais.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54I think people appreciated that she didn't come and close herself away,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56and was not aware of what was going on around her.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59So she was adored all over the world
0:18:59 > 0:19:03by her audiences, but she was also loved by the people here in Wales.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Adelina's given me an idea - I think I might turn my back bedroom
0:19:12 > 0:19:16into my very own... slightly smaller theatre.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25The final leg of my journey is taking me some 25 miles south,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27back into the heart of the Rhondda Valleys.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Even though the scenery is stunning,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I have to admit that Gilbert and I are feeling the strain.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Oh, are we nearly there yet?
0:19:39 > 0:19:43But there's no time to waste, as I've got an appointment
0:19:43 > 0:19:45with a lot of brass and over a century of history.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I'm going to the granddaddy of them all,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50the Cory Band based in Ton Pentre.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Named after coal owner Richard Cory, who originally helped fund the band,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56they're the current world champions.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59They've won more awards than you can shake a baton at
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and have been playing for nearly 130 years.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I bet they're out of breath!
0:20:05 > 0:20:09It's been a true family affair, and I'm meeting
0:20:09 > 0:20:12the band's longest-standing member, John Trotman.
0:20:12 > 0:20:19I started in 1937, as an 11-year-old boy. There I am.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- What were you playing? It looks very small.- A cornet.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27In fact, that's all the Trotman family, which played in the band.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29My grandfather started in 1911.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34It's 2011 now, so the Trotmans have been associated with the Cory Band
0:20:34 > 0:20:35for 100 years.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Wow.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Do you think, if you hadn't been brought up in this area,
0:20:39 > 0:20:40you'd be a brass player?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44No, it was in the family, wasn't it? I had to play.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50The band rehearses every week for competitions and performances
0:20:50 > 0:20:51across the UK and abroad.
0:20:51 > 0:20:57Bob Childs has been a member of the band since he was a youngster, and is now their conductor.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Being in a band, isn't that a very male-orientated hobby?
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It used to be, of course. Most bands, especially in South Wales
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and the North of England, were allied to industry.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10The industry down here was the coal mine, so generally speaking,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14they were male-dominated and so the bands were male-dominated as well.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16But since, I suppose, the last 25 or 30 years,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19there's as many good girls musicians as boys,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22so they've filtered their way into the band.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24What it's like being a woman in a brass band?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I don't consider it to be anything special, I suppose.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I've grown up with it, my family all play,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31so I have never known anything different.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- It's a family affair here? - Very much so.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38There's myself and my brother, his wife, and my dad, we're in the band,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and lots of other families within the band, too.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04What makes a Welshman a good brass player?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Singing tradition is very important.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11The way that you play a brass instrument is very much like singing.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Just like you were trained to breathe,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16our players were trained to breathe similarly.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Hypothetically, I should find this easy?
0:22:18 > 0:22:23You should do, except that to create a noise on any brass instrument,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26the sound generates from the lips vibrating,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28so you need to make a little raspberry with your lips
0:22:28 > 0:22:29into the mouthpiece.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31We'll see if you can do it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32CONNIE BLOWS A RASPBERRY
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Exactly. You're going to be perfect.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Yes! Get in!
0:22:35 > 0:22:40I was wandering if I could be cheeky enough to ask to blow your horn.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- No problem at all, yeah. If you'd like a go.- Thank you.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44CONNIE CLEARS THROAT
0:22:44 > 0:22:47What do I do? Do I hold it like this?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- You put your hand under there. - Right, OK.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Hey, wasn't bad? Woo!
0:22:55 > 0:22:59I would have to be truthful and say there's not as many bands now as there was,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03but you'd expect that, when all the bands were allied to the coal mines.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07A big tradition in brass bands is that father will pass on
0:23:07 > 0:23:08the knowledge to the son.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12It's not a dying tradition, it shall live on in the valleys.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Yeah, I'm sure it will, yeah.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- Can I have a go?- You can. - No idea what I'm doing.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- Let's go for the fast bit, shall we?- OK, right.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'm nervous, are you nervous?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27One, two, three, four...
0:23:58 > 0:24:02'Woo-hoo! This is fun!'
0:24:02 > 0:24:03I'm rubbish, but I don't care.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Woo! Love it! Thank you!
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Phew! After that, Gilbert and I are looking forward to a rest,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22and thankfully, it's just a short drive east to Treorchy.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23# Oh hokey hokey-Treorchy!
0:24:25 > 0:24:27# Oh hokey hokey-Treorchy!
0:24:27 > 0:24:30# Oh hokey hokey-Treorchy!
0:24:30 > 0:24:33# Knees bent, arms stretched Rah rah rah! #
0:24:33 > 0:24:34No hands!
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I'm going to discover a very different musical tradition
0:24:37 > 0:24:41that has changed dramatically over the years.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45# I'm a chap that's always getting into trouble... #
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Between the two world wars, music halls and theatres
0:24:48 > 0:24:50were virtually in every town in the Valleys,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54full every night with some of the greatest acts of the day,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and doubling up to show the new talking pictures.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Hardly any remain.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03The Parc & Dare Theatre, Treorchy, like many others,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05was built by miners' contributions
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and is one of the last remaining theatres still open for business.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Recently refurbished, it's looking great.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15# There's no business like show business... #
0:25:15 > 0:25:17What a place.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19# Da-da, da-da-da-da! #
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I'm meeting a man who loves this place even more than me,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25local playwright and actor Frank Vickery.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Frank, I think we have the best seats in the house.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30What better place to perform than in the Parc & Dare?
0:25:30 > 0:25:31I absolutely love it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35The first musical I did here, it was with the Rhondda Theatre Group,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I was about 16 and I had one line.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40"The horses are leaving the paddock, Mrs Higgins."
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I can remember standing on the side, with my heart beating like hell,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- waiting for my cue to move. - Cue's coming up!- Absolutely.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Tell me the history of this place.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52There were two collieries, the Parc and the Dare.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54The miners that worked in the two collieries,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57they paid a penny in every pound contribution,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and it was from that money that they built the Parc & Dare.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04And it was a library, where the miners would come and study,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06then it was a cinema,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08then, of course, all the amateur operatic societies,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11plus some amateur theatre companies.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14So it has a great tradition of musicals and theatre here.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17What makes it so popular for an audience member?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20We have telly, film, DVDs now,
0:26:20 > 0:26:25but nothing will ever beat coming to see a live show, whatever it is.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29When you've got a good house here, boy, have you got a good house.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30He's live at Treorchy!
0:26:30 > 0:26:32CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Tonight, as it was over 60 years ago,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39the place is packed with people to watch one of their very own stars,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and Max Boyce is the ideal man to bring our journey full circle.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Music, Max and rugby.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- # Wales defeated England! # - Yes!
0:26:51 > 0:26:53# In a fast and open game
0:26:53 > 0:26:59# We sang Cwm Rhondda and Delilah and they sounded both the same... #
0:26:59 > 0:27:00All together now!
0:27:00 > 0:27:07# He started singing
0:27:07 > 0:27:09# Hymns and arias
0:27:09 > 0:27:14# Land of my fathers
0:27:14 > 0:27:17# Ar hyd y nos. #
0:27:17 > 0:27:19CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Next time, I'm heading north,
0:27:29 > 0:27:34to find out what happened the day the Beatles came to Bangor...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37You couldn't move with hundreds and hundreds of people,
0:27:37 > 0:27:42especially the girls. They were all screaming, "Beatles, where are you?!"
0:27:42 > 0:27:44..visiting Portmeirion to hear about
0:27:44 > 0:27:46a Welsh music star from a Welsh stargazer...
0:27:46 > 0:27:49# Take your girl For the cherries on her lips
0:27:49 > 0:27:52# For the cherries on her lips Take your girl. #
0:27:52 > 0:27:58..and star in my very own Welsh Bollywood extravaganza.
0:28:00 > 0:28:06# So do la fa mi do re... #
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:08 > 0:28:10E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk