News Archive

January 2010

Research Student

The Gwynn Publishing Company is proud to welcome a research student from University of Wales Bangor as a part time addition to the staff for a period of 12 months, as work experience and to promote certain aspects of the company's work. This arrangement has been made possible by the University's KESS scheme (Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship). Mared Emlyn is a native of Eglwysbach in the Conwy Valley. She graduated in the Bangor University School of Music last year, specialising in the harp, and she is currently following an MA course which will hopefully lead on to a PhD course next year. She will work part time for Gwynn during her studies.

July 2009

Gareth Glyn

The Gwynn Publishing Company are publishing 15 choral pieces by the well known Welsh composer, Gareth Glyn. The majority are brand new pieces, others are pieces composed over a number of years for specific choirs or for special occasions, but have never been published as such before now. Eleven of the pieces are for mixed choirs and four for male voice choirs.

The variety of the collection, in content and mood, is one outstanding feature. For example, on the one hand the jubilant setting of Psalm 150 (a piece performed by Pontarddulais Choir with the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra), and on the other hand, Feet – a light-hearted poem by Gwyn Thomas describing a baby discovering its feet for the first time!

Another piece, ‘Never Was Dawn So Bright’ has its own story. The lyrics were originally composed by Gareth’s wife, Eleri Cwyfan, when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. “The barriers were shattered and flung aside, The menacing portals were opened wide…Now hear us as we pray, O Lord above, Forever bind us in your chains of love.”  By a sheer coincidence, the Gwynn company was preparing the final version of this piece for printing on November 5, 2008, the day Barack Obama was elected President of the USA, and the words – the title in particular - seemed specially appropriate on that day. 

The variety of the pieces reflect the great variety of poets whose work have been set to music - Gwyn Thomas, Gerallt Lloyd Owen, Alan Llwyd, Gwenallt, Saunders Lewis, Gwynn ap Gwilym, Geraint Vaughan Jones, Elinor Wyn Reynolds, Gwyneth Evans, and even Madog ap Gwallter, a 13th century Welsh bard (The Nativity).

All the pieces except four have words in English as well as Welsh – and most of the words have been translated into English by Gareth himself.

“Having so many pieces appearing at the same time is a unique experience for me, “ said Gareth, “and I’m extremely grateful to Cwmni Gwynn for undertaking such an ambitious publishing programme, and also for their great care and imagination as far as the front covers are concerned. I hope there will be something in this collection to please all kinds of choir and achievement level.”

Arfon Gwilym, Director of Cwmni Gwynn said: “It’s a great privilege to publish a collection such as this by one of the most respected composers in Wales today. It’s difficult to imagine a more prolific composer than Gareth Glyn anywhere, nor a composer with such a gift for conveying the exact mood of a poem in music, all in a style which is unique and modern. These pieces will hopefully be a valuable addition to the choral repertoire, not only in Wales but in other parts of the world also.”

 December 2009

Songs for Children

The latest publication from Gwynn Publishing is Caneuon Migmas, a collection of fun songs for children based on the popular television series broadcast on S4C, the Welsh fourth channel. The songs are a collaboration between four members of the same family: Dyfan Roberts, author of the lyrics, his daughter Efa Dyfan, an art student who created the artwork, his wife Angela who wrote the original storylines, and his sister-in-law Sioned Webb who arranged the music. The original music was composed by Dilwyn Roberts (no relation!).

April 2008

Pwyll ap Sion

A young North Wales composer will receive international recognition at a major violin competition in Cardiff starting on 11th April.

Pwyll ap Sion’s piece for solo violin, White Wheat/Gwenith Gwyn, has been chosen as one of the test pieces for violinists under the age of 16 in the Menhuin Competition which takes place over a period of three days. It will also be performed in the spectacular final Gala and prize giving ceremony at the Wales Millennium Centre on Sunday 20th April.

The piece also appeared this month in the prestigious magazine for violinists The Strad.

The Menuhin Competition is the world’s leading international competition for young violinists.  It was founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1983 and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year in Cardiff. The competition attracts some of the world’s most gifted violinists; previous winners, such as Tasmin Little and Nikolaj Znaider, have achieved international success at the highest level.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” said Pwyll. “The pianist and director of the Menuhin competition, Gordon Back, invited me to write a piece for the event in Cardiff. We both agreed that bringing in a Welsh element would be appropriate so I set about composing a theme and four variations on ‘Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn’. Gordon also stressed that I shouldn’t feel constrained in any sense because I would be writing for some of the world’s most talented young players.”

Pwyll, a senior lecturer at the University of Wales, Bangor School of Music, has composed music for some of Wales’ foremost performers, including Bryn Terfel, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, Jeremy Huw Williams, and Llŷr Williams, and also musicians from outside Wales, such as the Japanese group, Ensemble Tozai.  His music has been featured on CDs made by the WNO Brass Consort, Jeremy Huw Williams (Baritone), Iwan Llewelyn-Jones (Piano), the soprano Buddug Verona James, and the Davies Piano Duo.

The White Wheat / Y Gwenith Gwyn is based on a well known traditional Welsh tune, Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn.  It is published by the Gwynn Publishing Company, Talysarn, together with a further two pieces in a similar vein, also for solo violin and based on well known Welsh melodies, Y Deryn Pur and Y Bore Glas.

His latest composition is a piece for a male voice choir called Diwedd, in memory of the prominent Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott who died last month.

Arfon Gwilym, Manager of Cwmni Cyhoeddi Gwynn, said he was delighted that The White Wheat had been chosen for such an occasion. “It is entirely appropriate that a Welsh composer and Welsh music are given prominence when such an important competition takes place in Wales."