Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
hyrwyddo a dathlu cerddoriaeth Cymru
promoting and celebrating the music of Wales
+44 (0)29 2063 5640
John Thomas
(Pencerdd Gwalia)
1826-1913
Yn delynor i’r Frenhines Fictoria a’r Brenin Edward VII, enillodd John Thomas fri rhyngwladol fel perfformiwr a chyfansoddwr ac fe’i harwisgwyd â’r enw barddol Pencerdd Gwalia yn Eisteddfod Aberdâr 1861.
Wedi’i eni i deulu cerddorol ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr ar Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi 1826, dechreuodd Thomas ganu’r delyn deires Gymreig yn blentyn. Erbyn iddo fod yn 12 oed roedd ei ddoniau aruthrol wedi ennill y wobr gyntaf iddo yn Eisteddfod y Fenni 1838 a’r llwyddiant hwn a ddaeth ag ef i sylw Ada Lovelace (mathemategydd a merch yr Arglwydd Byron) a drefnodd iddo astudio yn yr Academi Frenhinol. O Gerddoriaeth yn Llundain. Yno perffeithiodd ei dechneg ar y delyn bedal o dan arweiniad JB Chatterton, gan ei olynu yn ddiweddarach fel telynor i'r Frenhines ac Athro yn yr Academi.
Yn y 1850au aeth Thomas ar nifer o deithiau cyngerdd Ewropeaidd, gan wneud argraff ar gynulleidfaoedd gyda'i berfformiadau rhinweddol ac yn ystod y cyfnod hwn y cyfansoddodd ei waith mawr cyntaf, y concerto telyn Autumn.
Gwnaeth Thomas yn genhadaeth i boblogeiddio cerddoriaeth Gymraeg, gan drefnu a chyhoeddi cyfrolau o alawon Cymreig ar gyfer llais a thelyn. Rhwng 1862 a 1888, cyflwynodd ‘Grand Concerts of Welsh Music’ yn Llundain yn cynnwys corau enfawr ac ensembles telyn.
Cyfansoddodd, trefnodd a chyhoeddodd John Thomas swm helaeth o gerddoriaeth, a llawer ohoni ar gyfer y delyn. Daeth â cherddoriaeth Parish Alvars yn ôl i sylw’r cyhoedd a golygodd Concerto Telyn Handel a Concerto i Ffliwt a Thelyn gan Mozart. Ymhlith ei gyfansoddiadau gwreiddiol nodedig roedd Cambria’s Homage to our Empress Queen (ar gyfer côr meibion a 13 telyn) a’r cantatas Llewelyn a The Bride of Neath Valley.
Harpist to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, John Thomas gained an international reputation as a performer and composer and was invested with the bardic name of Pencerdd Gwalia (Chief Musician of Wales) at the 1861 Aberdare Eisteddfod.
Born to a musical family in Bridgend on St David’s Day 1826, Thomas began playing the Welsh triple harp as a child. By the age of 12 his formidable talents had earned him a first prize at the 1838 Abergavenny Eisteddfod and it was this success brought him to the attention of Ada Lovelace (mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron) who arranged for him to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. There he perfected his technique on the pedal harp under the tutelage of JB Chatterton, later succeeding him as harpist to the Queen and professor at the Academy.
In the 1850s Thomas undertook several European concert tours, impressing audiences with his virtuosic performances and it was during this period, he composed his first major work, the harp concerto Autumn.
Thomas made it his mission to popularise Welsh music, arranging and publishing volumes of Welsh melodies for voice and harp. From 1862-1888, he presented annual 'Grand Concerts of Welsh Music' in London featuring huge choirs and harp ensembles.
John Thomas composed, arranged and published a vast of amount of music, much of which was for the harp. He brought the music of Parish Alvars back to public attention and edited Handel’s Harp Concerto and Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp. Notable among his original compositions were Cambria’s Homage to our Empress Queen (for male choir and 13 harps) and the cantatas Llewelyn and The Bride of Neath Valley.
