Robert ap Huw (or ''Hugh''; c.1580 – 1665), 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 ...

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

ist and

music copyist A copyist is a person that makes duplications of the same thing. The term is sometimes used for artists who make copies of other artists' paintings. However, the modern use of the term is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are emplo ...

. He is most notable for compiling a manuscript, now known as the ''Robert ap Huw manuscript'', which is the main extant source of ''

cerdd dant ' (, or ') is the art of vocal improvisation over a given melody in Welsh musical tradition. It is an important competition in . The singer or (small) choir sings a counter melody over a harp melody. History is a unique tradition of singing ly ...

'' and is a late medieval collection of harp music. It is one of the most important sources of early Welsh music.

Life history

Robert ap Huw was born circa 1580, growing up in the settlement of Llanddeusant on the island of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

. The grandson of the poet Sion Brwynog, Robert was related to the

Tudors The House of Tudor was a royal house of largely Welsh and English origin that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd and Catherine of France. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and it ...

Penmynydd Penmynydd (; ), meaning "top of the mountain" in Welsh, is a village and community on Anglesey, Wales. It is known for being the birthplace of the Tudors of Penmynydd, which became the House of Tudor. The population according to the United Kingd ...

.Davies (2008) p.766 In his later life he moved to

Llandegfan Llandegfan (; ; meaning ''The Church of St Tegfan'') is a village on the east of island of Anglesey in Wales. It is part of the community of Cwm Cadnant.Davies (2008) p.180 Population is around 1,580. History and description The original villag ...

where he became a gentleman farmer. He was an able poet, but was best known as a harpist, having graduated ''pencerdd'' (chief musician) by c. 1615.

The Robert ap Huw Manuscript

Around 1613, Robert ap Huw compiled a retrospective manuscript of harp music, the only reliable source of ''

'' to survive. The compositions within the manuscript include 31 in

tablature Tablature (or tabulature, or tab for short) is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches. Tablature is common for fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar, lute or vihuela, as well as many fr ...

notation which are supplemented by a series of exercises on the 'twenty-four

measures Measure may refer to: * Measurement, the assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event Law * Ballot measure, proposed legislation in the United States * Church of England Measure, legislation of the Church of England * Meas ...

' of ''cerdd dant''. The compositions all date from between 1340 and 1500, and have clear associations with the

eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

repertory mentioned by

Gruffudd ap Cynan Gruffudd ap Cynan ( 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembe ...

. During the 18th century the manuscript came into the possession of Welsh poet and antiquary

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

. Morris had the manuscript bound with extra leaves added to the front and back, to which he added his own notes on the antiquities of

Welsh music The Music of Wales (Welsh: ''Cerddoriaeth Cymru''), particularly singing, is a significant part of Welsh national identity, and the country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song".Davies (2008), pg 579. This is a modern stereotype ba ...

. Upon Morris' death in 1765 the manuscript passed to his brother Richard, who at one stage lent the work to the noted Welsh harpist John Parry. The manuscript eventually found itself in the ownership of the London Welsh School, whose Governors presented it to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1844. The manuscript continues to be held by the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, and is designated Additional MS. 14905. It is recognised as one of the key sources of early Welsh music.

Modern attempts to revive Welsh bardic music

Modern attempts to revive

Welsh bardic music Until the 17th century a bard would compose a poem knowing it was going to be sung. Poetry was called music of the tongue and string music was called music of the string ("Cerdd Dant ' (, or ') is the art of vocal improvisation over a given melo ...

, with reference to the manuscript, are led by the musical ensemble

Bragod Bragod is a duo giving historically informed performances of mediaeval Welsh music.North Atlantic Fiddle Convention page abouBragod/ref> The members are Robert Evans and Mary-Anne Roberts. Their music ranges over a very wide timescale, from verses ...

and harpist Bill Taylor.Medieval Welsh Bardic Music
Interpreting the Robert ap Huw MS. by Bill Taylor

References

Bibliography

External links

* ''Website on the ap Huw manuscript with a downloadable facsimile of the manuscript'' * ''Video of Robert Evans and Mary-Anne Roberts of Bragod teaching music students about Welsh medieval poetry and music'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert Ap Huw Welsh harpists Music copyists People from Anglesey 1665 deaths Year of birth uncertain 17th-century Welsh musicians