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William Aubrey Williams (Gwilym Gwent) 1834-91

Roedd Gwilym Gwent, a aned yn William Aubrey Williams yn Nhredegar ar 28 Tachwedd 1834, yn un o gyfansoddwyr Cymreig mwyaf poblogaidd a thoreithiog y 19eg ganrif.

Yn of wrth ei alwedigaeth, symudodd i Flaina lle daeth yn arweinydd y band lleol. Yn 1865 enillodd wobrau cyfansoddi yn Eisteddfod Aberystwyth am ddeuawd leisiol a'i gantata Y Mab Afradlon.

Ym 1872, ar anterth ei enwogrwydd, ymfudodd Williams a’i wraig i UDA, gan ymsefydlu yng nghymoedd glofaol Pennsylvania. Yno y cafodd y llysenw ‘Mozart of the Mines’ a sefydlodd y band pres cyntaf yn Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Parhaodd i gyflwyno ugeiniau i'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, gan ennill sawl gwobr. Mae ei weithiau mwyaf adnabyddus yn cynnwys y rhan-ganeuon Yr Haf, Cymru Gynt, Y Gwanwyn, Y Clychau, Yr Afonig a Gwenau y Gwanwyn.

​Gwilym Gwent a'i gyd-gyfansoddwr
Golygodd David Lewis Llwybrau Moliant , casgliad o emyn-donau a oedd yn cynnwys nifer o emynau Gwent ei hun.

William Aubrey Williams
ENG

Gwilym Gwent, who was born William Aubrey Williams in Tredegar on 28 November 1834, was one of the most popular and prolific Welsh composers of the 19th century.


A blacksmith by trade, he moved to Blaina where he became the conductor of the local band. In 1865 he won composition prizes at the Aberystwyth Eisteddfod for a vocal duet and his cantata Y Mab Afradlon(The Prodigal Son).

 

In 1872, at the peak of his fame, he and his wife emigrated to the USA, settling in Pennsylvania’s coal mining district. It was there that he gained the nickname ‘The Mozart of the Mines’ and founded a brass band in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He continued to submit scores to the National Eisteddfod, winning several awards. His best-known works include the part-songs Yr Haf, Cymru Gynt, Y Gwanwyn, Y Clychau, Yr Afonig and Gwenau y Gwanwyn.

Gwilym Gwent and his fellow composer
David Lewis edited Llwybrau Moliant, a collection of hymn tunes that included several of Gwent's own hymns.

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