First performed by the BBC Singers and Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leslie Woodgate, in 1945

Transcription

1 GOGONEDAWG ARGLWYDD First perorm by BBC Singers and Symphony Orchestra, conduct by Leslie Woodgate, in 1945 nstrumentation : 2 Ftes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets in Bb 2 Bassoons 4 Horns F 2Trumpets Bb 2 Tenor Trombones Bass Trombone Timpani Percussion (1 player) Clash Cymbals; Side Drum; Suspend Cymbal; Triang SATB Chorus Strings Duration : c.6 minutes The Grace Williams Centenary Edition has been produc as a collaboration between Grace Williams Estate, Oriana Publications, Tŷ Cerdd Music Centre Was and Welsh Music Guild Cymdeithas Cerddoriaeth Cymru l rights reserv No part o this publication may be reproduc, stor in a retrieval system, or transmitt, in any orm or by any means, ectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or orwise, without prior written permission o copyright owner.

2 Composers o Was, whilst undoubtly acing diiculties inancial and practical because o ir location, have always been bss with a rich vein o Welsh verse rom which to draw inspiration. One such poem is Arglwydd, an anonymous imploration in ree metre to all aspects o d's creation to him unceasingly, preserv in thirteenth century manuscript The Black Book o Carmarn (Peniarth MS 1: one o greatest treasures o National Library o Was). Grace Williams's setting o 199 represents her irst known attempt to set language that her parents had both once spoken regularly; anor would not ollow or over a decade. Still more surprisingly, it was also her irst choral composition (at ast, irst to survive) since her BMus graduation exercise at University Colge o South Was and Monmouthshire: Was may have been 'Land o Song' but, during earliest stages o her career, Williams ound her primary mium o expression elsewhere. Much as Welsh bards once perorm ir poetry to accompaniment o harp and crwth, so Grace Williams recognis essentially declamatory nature o her chosen religious text and set it accordingly. The anarelike rhythms o opening two bars are thus characteristic o uniormly syllabic, ragmentary vocal material that ollows, where hard consonants o mieval Welsh ensure text's prominence above accompanying orchestra. Moments o true repose are scarce, whilst continual interpolations o opening words ensure a vel o rhythmic and motivic unity. though triumph and cebration abound throughout, Williams saves greatest exhortation to until closing six bars; climax o an orchestral crescendo that brings this short work to its resounding concsion. Editorial comments: Where present English text reads ' Him', Williams's original 'Praise Lord Eternal' (cross through in pencil in main manuscript source, probably by Williams hersel) could be us in preerence with some justiication. The spelling and mutation o archaic Welsh have been kept as Williams, under guidance o her riend and translator Enid Parry, us in 199 and never alter: punctuation has has been slightly amend to conorm more closely with print itions o poem. When perorm at Grace Williams Memorial Concert in December 1977, inal two bars were substantially rescor, probably at behest o Vernon Handy. Whilst not an authoris alteration, and thus not reproduc in this ition, y are incd overa or interest's sake. Concise compositional history: Arglwydd began lie, in MayJune 199, as a concept or National Eistdod o Was but, as ar as can be ascertain, was never market as such. Despite asking Enid Parry or her suggestions o suitab poetry, Grace Williams irst ound her words in an textually incompte setting by Walord Davies that had been publish in a Wemby Festival songbook under tit 'Majestas Dei'. The timing o its composition is notab or, on 1 June, Williams had declar to dris Lewis ( BBC Welsh Region's Music Director) that she was giving up composition in wake o BBC's aire to schu a perormance o her irst major orchestral commission: Four lstrations or Legend o Rhiannon. t is quite possib that decision to write only a relatively short work (which was likely compt in a matter o days) was bas on a desire not to expend unnecessary energy on composing more substantial pieces that might never be heard. The Second World War, however, put paid to any immiate chance o a perormance o Arglwydd in Was, and it was premier, in English, only in 1945 by BBC Singers and Symphony Orchestra under Leslie Woodgate. By time o Williams's death in 1977, a Welsh perormance had still not been achiev, and it can be presum that its incsion in Grace Williams Memorial Concert in December that year represents only time to date that it has ever been heard sung in language that had inspir its creation.

3 Scoring o closing bars (1977 version, posthumous): GRAEME COTTERLL The precing note is Graeme Cotterill and may be reproduc in concert programmes providing that ollowing acknowdgment is add: Graeme Cotterill 2010, reproduc with permission o Oriana Publications

4 GOGONEDAWG ARGLWYDD GRACE WLLAMS [ ] Edit by Graeme Cotterill Ftes Oboes Clarinets in Bb Moderato maestoso q = 100 Bassoons Horns in F V Trumpets in Bb Trombones Timpani Percussion Cymbal (sot drum stick) m Soprano to Tenor Bass Violins go Ar glwydd, Violas 'Cellos pizz. Doub Basses Oriana Publications Limit 2010 Cwmni Cyhodi Oriana 2010 SMN: pizz. l Rights Reserv / Cwir pob hawl Print in Was / Argrawyd yng Nghymru

5 2 Fl. Ob. Cl. Bsn. Hn. V Tpt. in Bb Trb. 4 Timp. Perc. S. A. T. B. Vln. Vln. Va.,, go Ar glwydd, Ar glwydd, go Ar glwydd, Ar glwydd, han Ar p glwydd, han han han Vc. Db. arco arco

6 Fl. Ob. Cl. Bsn. Hn. V Tpt. in Bb Trb. Timp. Perc. S. A. T. B. Vln. Vln. Va. Vc. Db. 7 A'th Mag pizz. en ni dic y o him m arco cang ell chan cel ac and