Blaenwern is a Welsh Christian hymn tune composed by

William Penfro Rowlands William "Penfro" Rowlands (19 April 1860 – 22 October 1937) was a Welsh schoolteacher and composer. Rowlands was born at Llys y Frân, Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro in the Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language o ...

(1860–1937), during the Welsh revival of 1904–1905. It was first published in Henry H. Jones' ''Cân a Moliant'' (1915). The

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

of the tune is 8.7.8.7.D (alternating lines of eight and seven syllables) in F major or G major key, or occasionally A flat major. The tune is named after Blaenwern Farm near

Tufton, Pembrokeshire Tufton is a crossroads hamlet in the parish of Henry's Moat in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the B4329, a road between Eglwyswrw and Haverfordwest across the Preseli Hills. It is in the community of Puncheston. Name The origin of the place name Tu ...

, where Rowlands sent his son from Porth to stay with friends of the family to convalesce as it was thought the fresh air would assist his recovery: he named the tune in honour of them. In the United Kingdom Blaenwern has come to be used as the prevalent setting for the hymn '' Love Divine, All Loves Excelling'', but also in other settings including the Welsh ''Deued Dyddiau O Bob Cymysg'' by William Williams Pantycelyn, and ''

Calon Lân "" () is a Welsh hymn, the words of which were written in the 1890s by Daniel James (Gwyrosydd) and sung to a tune by John Hughes. The song was originally written as a hymn, but has become firmly established as a rugby anthem, associated with ...

'' by Daniel James. It also became familiar to a wider audience through the

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

crusades when it was used as a setting to ''

What a Friend We Have in Jesus "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, a ...

''. As a setting for ''Love Divine'' it is a popular choice at English weddings and was voted as one of Britain's ten favourite hymns in October 2005. ''Love Divine, All Loves Excelling'', set to Blaenwern, was sung at the wedding blessing of Prince Charles and

Camilla Parker-Bowles Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

and it was also selected as one of three hymns sung at the

wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The groom was second in the line of succession to the British throne. The couple had been in a relationship si ...

, the others being '' Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer'', set to

Cwm Rhondda Cwm Rhondda is a popular hymn tune written by John Hughes (1873–1932) in 1907. The name is taken from the Welsh name for the Rhondda Valley. It is usually used in English as a setting for William Williams' text "Guide Me, O Thou Great ...

, and ''

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

''. The tune was also used for ''Love Divine, All Loves Excelling'' at the funeral of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in 2013, the

wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank The wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank took place on 12 October 2018 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The bride is a member of the British royal family. The groom is a British wine merchant ...

in 2018 and the

funeral of Queen Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death wa ...

in 2022.

References

{{authority control Hymn tunes 1915 songs