''Myfanwy'' (; a woman's name derived ) is a popular

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 peopl ...

song, composed by Joseph Parry and first published in 1875.

Background

Sources differ as to whether Dr. Parry composed the music for an existing poem by Richard Davies (" Mynyddog Mwynfawr"; 1833–1877) (the common belief) or whether Davies wrote the words to Parry's melody following its use with an English lyric by Thomas Walter Price (Cuhelyn; 1829 - 1869)(*1), journalist and poet, called "Arabella". Richard Davies' lyric may have been influenced by the 14th Century love story of Myfanwy Fychan of Castell Dinas Brân, Llangollen, and the poet Hywel ab Einion(*2). That story was also the subject of the popular poem, "Myfanwy Fychan" (1858), by John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–87). Some sources say it was written with Parry's childhood sweetheart, Myfanwy Llywellyn, in mind (*3). In 1947, Merthyr-Tydfil-born author Jack Jones wrote a book entitled ''Off to Philadelphia in the morning'' where he relates the story within some aspects of the life of Parry, weaving facts into his fictional narrative (*4).

Lyrics and Translation

Usage and Performances

A hundred years after it was first published

Ryan Davies Ryan Davies (22 January 1937 – 22 April 1977) was a Welsh comedian, actor, musician, singer, and songwriter. Though his career lasted just 11 years, he became widely known in Wales through his work with Ronnie Williams as the comedic double a ...

performed the song at the Swansea Top Rank introducing it as "the greatest love song ever written". A live recording of this version was included on Davies' album ''Ryan at the Rank'' and quickly became one Davies' most notable and familiar performances. Davies' rendition began a renewed popularity for the performance of the song, especially with Welsh Male Voice Choirs. Two of the most widely recognized choral renditions are by the

Treorchy Male Voice Choir Treorchy Male Choir, also known as Treorchy Male Voice Choir, is a choir based in Treorchy in the Rhondda, Rhondda Valley, Wales, United Kingdom. History Choirs have existed in the Rhondda Valley for more than a 150 years and Treorchy is one of ...

,and the Neath Male Voice Choir. The song is often performed at the

Principality Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

during the Welsh rugby team's home matches, and the Morriston Orpheus Choir recorded a version of the song for the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

s official album in 2006.

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...

has performed the song throughout his career, most notably a 1992 TV performance on the

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

programme '' Heno''. Opera singer, Bryn Terfel recorded a choral version of the song on his album "We'll Keep a Welcome". Cerys Matthews recorded a guitar version for her 2010 album ''Tir'',

In popular culture

The song features in John Ford's Academy Award-winning film '' How Green Was My Valley'' and also in the last scene of the

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

-based movie ''

Twin Town A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

'', where it is sung by members of many local choirs, including the

Pontarddulais Male Choir The Pontarddulais Male Choir ( cy, Côr Meibion Pontarddulais) is a Welsh male voice choir from Pontarddulais near Swansea, Wales. It is the most successful choir in Wales and is internationally renowned having performed in many parts of Europ ...

. At a key moment of the plot, the protagonist in the 1992 Welsh-language film '' Hedd Wyn'', which was nominated for an Academy Award, sings it to his former fiancée. It is both played and discussed in the episode "Death and Dust" of the show ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'', during a visit to Wales by detectives from an English village. Myfanwy Thomas is the main character in Daniel O'Malley's '' The Rook''. In Torchwood, the pterodactyl that is kept by the Torchwood team as a pet is called Myfanwy.

References

* * * *

External links

Midi rendition

Trelawnyd Men's Choir Performs "Myfanwy"

Morriston Orpheus Choir Performs "Myfanwy"

Myfanwy - Neath Choir (Welsh-English Lyrics)

Mal Buck at Tonyrefail Workingmen's Club
{{authority control Compositions by Joseph Parry Welsh folk songs 1875 songs Welsh patriotic songs