Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth

Subject: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 10:39 PM

Hi everybody,anyone has the words for this welsh song??

Thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: John P
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 09:32 AM

They are in the CD booklet of an album by Fernhill called "ca' nos". I'm not going to try to type in a bunch of Welsh. Go buy the album. If you are into Welsh music at all, you need this album anyway.

John Peekstok

Subject: Lyr Add: FFARWEL I ABERYSTWYTH
From: sian, west wales
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 03:20 PM

Ffarwel i Aberystwyth
Ffarwel i Ben Maesglas.
Ffarwel i dw^r y Castell,
Ffarwel i'r Morfa glas.

Ffarwel fo i Ben y Parciau,
Ffarwel i Figure Four.
Ffarwel fo i'r ferch fach lana'
Erioed fu'n agor do^r.

Ffarwel fo i Lanrhystud,
Lle bu^m i lawer gwaith
Yn caru'n o^l fy ffansi -
Ond ofer fu y gwaith.

Mi fuais i'n ei charu
Am bedwar mis ar ddeg;
Cawn weithiau dywydd garw,
Pryd arall dywydd teg.

Ac weithiau cawn hi'n fodlon
I wrando'm cwyn a'm cri -
Ond rhodd ei llaw i arall
A'm calon dorrodd hi

From Canu'r Cymru, Phyllis Kinney a Meredydd Evans (Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin Cymru, Arfon Press 1984: This is one of the many farewell songs so popular in Wales, but unlike the latter this is sung by a sailor, naming the landmarks of the area and bidding farewell to his sweetheart.

The melody has been formed from the second half of "Hen Ddarbi", a variant of which was known in England in the 17th century as a ballad tune to the broadside "Grim King of the Ghosts" and in the 18th century as the ballad opera tune "Can Love Be Controlled by Advice"... The tune must have been popular in the Aberystwyth area for a slightly varied form was collected there in 1909 to the words of 'Y Gwydr glas'

Hope that's of use.

Sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: English Jon
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 05:33 AM

Excellent! I love this - is it the version off Julie Murphy/Nigel Eaton? Certainly seems to work to that tune.

EJ

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: sian, west wales
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 05:46 AM

I wouldn't know. I haven't heard her singing it. I'm only aware of one tune to this particular Farewell (oh, and I should have written "Ffarwel" with an accute accent on the "e") so I suppose it's the same one. I think it's in the Dorian mode...

We had a presentation on the Welsh songs of Farewell at the last Welsh Folk Song Society weekend - there seems to be bucket-loads of 'em.

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: pavane
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 05:48 AM

Siân, I presume ^o means ô. You can get at the accented letters if you are using Windows. See Character Map in the Accessories menu. No ^w available though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: sian, west wales
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 07:15 AM

I tend to put the accent after the letter, for no particular reason.

Didn't think those other things things worked here. Hmmm.

â

Well I'll be jiggered.

Pity about the w, and y, though.

And so, Ffarwél,

siân

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: pavane
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:52 AM

I have had the misfortune to be playing for Clog dancing at a local round of the Urdd Eisteddfod and, being English, not understanding a word all day. It's difficult enough to pronounce the names of the tunes!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: sian, west wales
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 09:57 AM

Yeh, but ye' gotta admit they're pretty ...

Even prettier when you actually understand what the names say ...

Let me know if I can help.

siân

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: 8_Pints
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 01:33 PM

Is the tune available in MIDI format?

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: pavane
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 02:45 AM

Only trouble with the Eisteddfod is that everyone is playing the same tunes. If the judges don't recognise a tune, you get marked down because they think it isn't Welsh.
Having said that, many of the tunes in Welsh collections are very similar to English tunes (Which came first, I can't tell). Mwmpwy (is that right?) Porteynon (Porteynon Whim) is remarkably like the Grand Hornpipe, and Galch Gwyn Morgannwg is similar to the White Joke.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: sian, west wales
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 05:05 AM

Yeh, well ... Eisteddfod. Folk music gets very little help (ie Arts Council) at present because they claim that folk is part of the Eisteddfodau. Yeh, sure. I take your point about the adjudicators - if it ain't in Blodau'r Grug, it ain't Welsh. But that's more a reflection on them NOT keeping up with current research...

I think Mudcat has often discussed the movement of tunes and reckoned that, with many, you just can't do it conclusively. There *are* a lot of English tunes surviving in Wales where they've died out in England and such is the case of Ffarwel i Aberystwyth ... as well as many (most?) plygain tunes. So what? They've been absorbed into the tradition, and only a living culture (i.e. not dead) can do that.

That's interesting - White Joke and Calch Gwyn Morgannwg. Gwyngalch is whitewash ... so a Glamorgan Whitewash? 8-}

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: pavane
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 05:39 AM

Mick Tems translated it as White Lime(stone?) of Glamorgan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: sian, west wales
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 06:42 AM

Yeh, he's right. I'm just reflecting upon a play on words.

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ffarwel i aberystwyth
From: pavane
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 06:55 AM

Oh I see - sorry I didn't get the joke!