LLOYD GEORGE ON WELSH MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 16675, 6 March 1918, Page 1

LLOYD GEORGE ON WELSH MUSIC

iho Prime Minister of Cre.it Britain is a lover of music, and greatly admires Ihe hymns of his native 1. nneipa'iity. This year a psalmody id to be held in connection with the annual Jiistuddiod. and he contended recently that only Welsh hvmns .•moultl he snug thereat. This is what he .lad to say on the point: " I am a great believer in the old ■ mesnr Salni' times, so long as they are ■ml rattled through as ii the conductors were engaged in piecework, and paid according 10 the number of tunes thev rush Moii-I" per hour. ];%- this process thev ■use their stately impressiveness. I wish -hat there had been a lew more of these ■i\ .vim- list; ami if you will not bo •mended by my saying so, the committee ■■n:ght hrMc done better if thev had ■'rapped some of the Knglish tunes and great Welsh hvmn tunes like ■DymuiiKKl' and " I'.ryn livl'ivd." Ono of the great objects of 'associating congregational singing <Umi-.nstrauons with "the Eisteddfod was to show that Wales had a contribution, and an important contribution, of her own to this important branch of music The Hindis): hvnm tunes inav he better—J have grave doubts about that —but that does not tnd the matter. Eng'islimen know their own tunes, and theworld knows them, whereas the congregational music of Wales is a revelation vet to be made. Hence, in my judgment, the introduction of such a number of English tunes derogates from the main purpopo "i tins festival. Unless the festival presents the characteristics of Welsh congregational mnsic, I fail to see the point of the gathering."