Henry Brinley Richards (13 November 1817 – 1 May 1885) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

composer, who also published some works under the pseudonym 'Carl Luini'. Richards was born in Hall Street,

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

, his father being organist at St Peter's Church in the town and an organiser of local musical events. Richards won a prize at the Gwent-Morgannwg Eisteddfod of 1834, held at

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, for his arrangement of the popular folk song, "

The Ash Grove ''The Ash Grove'' ( cy, Llwyn Onn) is a traditional Welsh folk song whose melody has been set to numerous sets of lyrics. The best-known version was written in English by Thomas Oliphant in the 19th century. History The first published version ...

". As a result, he received the patronage of the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

; this enabled him to study at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

. After completing his studies, he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he became a pupil of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. It was in Paris that his first major work, the ''Overture in F Minor'', was performed. He taught piano at the

, becoming one of the Academy's directors and instigating its regional system of examinations. Richards' most famous work is the song, "

God Bless the Prince of Wales "God Bless the Prince of Wales" ( cy, Ar Dywysog Gwlad y Bryniau) is a patriotic song written to mark the occasion of the marriage of the future King Edward VII to Alexandra of Denmark. The song was first proposed at the Caernarfon Eisteddfod of ...

" (1862), written in honour of the future King

Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. Amongst his greatest works for the piano is the Fantasia On Favorite Airs From Meyerbeer's Opera "Les Huguenots", Op. 75. Although not Welsh-speaking, he was a patron of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

and gave encouragement to Welsh music students. He used the

bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh term bardd ("poet") originally referred to the Welsh poets of the Middle Ages, who m ...

"Pencerdd Towy", and supported

Lady Llanover Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover (21 March 1802 – 17 January 1896), born Augusta Waddington, was a Welsh heiress, best known as a patron of the Welsh arts. Early life She was born on 21 March 1802, near Abergavenny, the youngest daughter of ...

in her efforts to popularise the

triple harp The triple harp is a type of multi-course harp employing three parallel rows of strings instead of the more common single row. One common version is the Welsh triple harp (Welsh: ''telyn deires''), used today mainly among players of traditional We ...

. Brinley Richards died at his home in Kensington,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and is buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...

Henry Brinley Richards (H Hering NPG x32354)

Bibliography

* A. J. Heward Rees: "Henry Brinley Richards (1817–1885): A Nineteenth-Century Propagandist for Welsh Music", in ''Welsh Music History'', vol. 2 (1996) * Owain Edwards and A.F. Leighton Thomas: "Richards, Brinley." ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Web. 9 Dec. 2015. <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/23384>

References

External links

Brief biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Henry Brinley Welsh composers Welsh male composers 1817 births 1885 deaths Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Burials at Brompton Cemetery 19th-century British composers 19th-century British male musicians