| Show 1 I Peerless Glyndwr Gyndwr Has Led Singers rs SS S Through Many Contests to Victory J j. j V ot of the Welsh fI h and of r the he deEc de- de descendants Ec of ot the Welsh 11 ln Ing In u this S V i city throbbed with pride on the o occasion ot of the visit of ot the Mountain Ash Agh male maj S choir to this oily cIty II during the ven And VV thero there is ts reason for their pride Those Thosa xv Who vho ho heard th the masterly singing of ot the theS S S 1 V famous or organization at either or both con concerts will be Inclined to forgive any vainglorious aln remark that the V Welsh people may say sav about ut their tirig- tirig I hereafter e ef f V The te Mountain Ash rs created r a aS 5 f da l' l J fr f et n yiew choral h standard In this city II and anI leti S a. a flood tto d of ot pleasant memories behind them SV J V Any reference to the choir and ItS worK wort would Ifa ra uLd brief perhaps sketch k CI be e of or somewhat lie its eh history Incomplete re not t SS given After hearing the choir all over ers f of or mu musIc lc will be interested In following the V 1 V history of ot the organization or Tills This liLa liLa- k been prepared aa by 01 a countryman Z V I i Lofti men e with marvelous IO voices for foi the tha thaW W bone It of ot the tho readers of or this department SN y slip may wish to Know more of ot the orBY or or- t t V BY BY JOHN MORGAN n c il lO els of or vocal ocal music nm had an op- op this week of or hearing bearing a a. select party part drawn from picked ed voices of ot superb Mountain Ash male chorus center of or the Cy- Cy I 8 mining V al near I i ni niJi Vi Wales I The party parts Is under the Ji i VV le leadership of or Tom Glyndwr one onet t r thc Ot-thc most competent choir conductors V j e that h Valea has produced e a lt il f SV O who h has a long record c of suc- suc c c a th finest choirs In Britain a as ho he Is known at home f 7 l leaped aped Into national tame fame In the tho n it f l sa sta national elsted eisteddfod of or 1831 1891 whore with choir li lIe carT car- car V y J renowned T off the premier reward In tn a mentora- mentora V contest f thereby according to the theS theof S Ii opinion of ot the tho adjudicators setting cutting a t standard so o high that it would b be hard 1 vw V oqual lIe He again entered the lists of or W P national t In 3 the premier award w was wac divided be between be- be tween Glyndwr's choir al and aid d the Rhondda society I Tom I Stephen director Th The ind Z tt fOI l latter jatter tt choir It will I bo be remembered car car- in the male voice vole K lC the first prize ic at tho Chicago o worlds world's fair 1893 Va o choir of ot hailing bailing from Lland Llan- Llan d 5 0 s 1 haria birts and Bethesda North Wales the Wales the I second by one oner r fc point Ute the other contesting choirs being 1 fi ET ay y behind V r Gl again entered the tho lists Bats at ther the tho Jf T r Carnarvon national 1894 1891 and this 1 result result- sult- sult 0 H another memorable contest Some 1 noted choirs there especially th the 5 and Penrhyn The tests J S f David J. J Hall hail t Jenkins and Tho i Fhe Fishermen r Tom Trice Price In the tho V Fishermen Pon te i V choir fairly brought down the house the tho V V J storm scene with the lightning flash and andS S V J thOv crash of O thunder tho the lashing hashing of or the against the sides of ot the angry waves es V storm tossed ship were so vividly and draS dra- dra S portrayed that It literally held the huge V audience spellbound and theS the S choir received an ovation on concluding tho the exacting test In Halt Hall David Hall hail V the thc choir unfortunately had flattened a aV V shade and A A. J J. J Caldicott who delivered the adjudication stated he was sorry sorn that they were compelled to award the tho second prize to what was b by far tar the best choir that sans sang an Penrhyn n were given first But nut slight cheers mixed with some somo hissing greeted the result The audience audience au au- au though h 9 95 per ver cent halls hails from t th the orth holding the opinion that the musical musical mu mu- Wales Waits colliers had fully tully de dc- leal South I r eI l the iu orize Glyndwr again R entered the th Ilan lly national na na- na- na In 1895 Only four tour choirs entered the male voice contest for seventy t to ho ninety volle but they W were verc rf the th cr ery flower of the principality namely Pont cymmer n Perth Perth-Cymmer Rhondda Glee Gle society and The late Dr Joseph Jo Jo- seph Barnby who acted as spokesman fo for forthe the judges judge stated It It was tu the finest contest contest con on test ho had listened to In lii hl hH his whole musical musical mu mu- career In lit this contest Glyndwr was as penalized for o the ex ex- ex Barnby stated that Ponty f had attempted to paint the III lily even to outdo the rainbow In It UK Its II coloring while In the storm Safe Safe Iii Port t TU Lu- Lu Pg b er I d marder they e faIrly made a by blood bloo creep crool Glyndwr had hal to rest content wit with second place the first prize going t to W. W Thomas conductor th the principal colliery town lu in the Rhondda I Ii valley This choir won some som signal victories III In contests of a a. na semI character and In In- In all it had a aroc aroc- roc ord of ot fourteen firsts firsts' and three seconds 1 In eighteen contests V Somewhere around 6 Glyndwr migrated ml ml- mi- mi grated to Mountain to Ash nere he became becam choirmaster and of Congregational church lie He still acts 1 In that capacity and the church chuich Is renowned for for- Its congregational singing under th the Inspired leadership Of ot lIe He 1 Is also a respected deacon In that church Il Ho organized the tIle Mountain Ash mal nale ale chorus and V this tithe under tinder hl his Inspiration soon became the premier male choir 1 In Wales Vales though strange to relate the they have never won in Iii the national eisteddfod In fact theY appeared there on only tw two occasions Those were in tn Newport and Cardiff 1899 and In both contests this choir was placed second lint Hut International exposition 1896 this choir chol won von a veritable triumph being aw away a ahead defeating C Perth II a the male voice vole month previous had hadn n won won- on contest at national the test tes piece being the same V With M Mountain Ash mostly In contests contest of ot a a. semi-national semi character GI Glyndwr won eleven cleven firsts and three seconds in jn fourteen contests In about 1904 the choir tia was into a a. choral society society mixed voices voices and and It ft was around this that th the great ca choir choir of ot voices voles was raised to perform 01 on ib fh h even mr sessions o of the tho national eisteddfod f held in iii Iii Mountain Ash In 1905 1901 For competitive purposes Glyndwr undertook undertook undertook under under- took the leadership of ot the Resol en male mal voices and at Mountain Ash in 1903 h he divided the tile premier prize with th the male voices Dan Owen direr diree- tor Again aln at Swansea national 1907 leading Resolven Glyndwr achieved another another an an- ait- ait other triumph That was tho the last appearance o ot Glyndwr a as a contestant In the national eisteddfod While conducting Resolven Glyndwr got nine firsts and two seconds In twelve he contests So his lila series of or victories vie vic tories is a remarkable one this Ills home in Mountain Ash is a veritable museum o of chairs caps shields medals batons etc trophies won in many a hard fought fough contest Yet Ye t notwithstanding various honors showered on on him Glyndwr assumes no airs alts is a a. modest genial and social gen gen- leman tieman and is endeared of ot all who have como come in contact with him whether n aJ at host boat or guest He ITo has the art of ot conducting conducting conducting con con- ducting down to a finesse lie He has the tips an anthe and choir as It were at his the ma may they respond to his every word and gesture whether of eye eyo or hand band one would think h he had the singers hypnotized hypnotized It Is a treat even to watch this master nast r in han handling the choir |
