Lyr Req: Dream of Olwen (Charles Williams)

Subject: Lyrics to Dreams of Alwyn?
From: Barry Taylor
Date: 17 Oct 98 - 02:05 AM

I have learned that the Irish song Isle of Innisfree is a 1950-ish update of a traditional tune titled Dreams of Alwyn. Has anyone heard of that tune? Does anyone have the lyrics?

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Dreams of Alwyn?
From: alison
Date: 18 Oct 98 - 06:40 AM

Hi,

I used to have piano music for a piece called "the dream of Olwen", I think it was the title of a movie... or at least played in a movie.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyrics to Dreams of Alwyn?
From: Martin Ryan.
Date: 18 Oct 98 - 11:13 AM

There's a vague ringing inmy head - its either a connection to the song - or the phone!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 05 - 06:42 PM

According to imdb.com, THE DREAM OF OLWEN, by Charles Williams, was used in the soundtrack of the 1947 British film "While I Live." It's available in several recordings.

I've listened to several sound samples, and they all seem to be instrumentals, with orchestral and/or piano arrangements—with one exception: there is one recording by the Luton Girls Choir. I wasn't able to get any useful lyrics from it, though.

I'm not familiar with the tune ISLE OF INNISFREE, so I can't say whether they're related or not, but there's a midi file of THE DREAM OF OLWEN at this page.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 May 05 - 07:12 PM

This has come up in other threads more recent than 1998; the search engine will find them. There seems to be no connection at all with The Dream of Olwen, and nobody was ever able to identify a Dream of Alwyn so far as I remember; I think that Barry may have got the wrong end of the stick somewhere.

We may be looking at a red herring on the lines of the mythical "broadside original" of Fields of Athenry, which also seems never actually to have existed. At all events, it's been gone into in more detail elsewhere well after this old thread was forgotten.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: Barry T
Date: 24 May 05 - 12:51 AM

I agree, Malcolm. This blunder has been well covered and well explained in other threads here at the Mudcat.

The 'reference' originated in a harp listserv thread from 1996. It was wrong then and it's wrong now! Lesley Nelson-Burns (aka Contemplator) and I both got sucked in by the inference in that thread that the tune melody for The Isle of Innisfree was based on a traditional tune. Not!

Let's not go around the horn again on this. I've done my best to chase down sites with my 'Alwyn' midi on them, and most have been quite cooperative in making the correction in favour of respecting and honouring Dick Farrelly's original (and brilliant) composition.

The moral of the story: Don't trust the Internet as the authoritative source on the origins of music! If I had the power I would do a webwide search and replace on the mistitled phrase!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: My guru always said
Date: 24 May 05 - 08:55 AM

To continue with the Dream of Olwen for a minute, I confess that I was in the Luton Girls Choir & can probably transcribe the lyrics from one of my recordings if anyone was interested.

Subject: Lyr Add: DREAM OF OLWEN (Charles Williams)
From: GUEST,Wayne Warmack, Rogers Arkansas, 10Dec2008
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 10:47 PM

Olwyn, I hear you call to me
At moonrise across a golden sea
Softly the waves make melody
To wake all my song of memory
Olwyn come to me I implore
Tell me where shall I find you
Olwyn till the stars shine no more
True unto you I shall be

Deep is the blue that veils the night
The light in the west has faded
But I must pursue till dawn breaks through
The dream I am dreaming of you, Beloved
(Orchestral Interlude)

Olwyn in the wings of the wind
Fondly your voice is calling
Calling from a world far apart
And strangely you seem
To answer the dream in my heart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 02:12 AM

I've often wondered where the title While I live comes from.

In the film the older sister (played by Sonia Dresdel) quotes a scrap of poetry but I couldn't identify it. It something that bothered me about twenty years ago and I never did get to the bottom of it.

I no longer have the vhs copy of the film or the notebook that I was working in at the time - not to hand anyway. I did find out that the film was originally a play. The something garden.....ahhhh!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 02:53 AM

Film, While I Live is based on the play "This Same Garden" by Robert Bell. Cannot find anymore on Robert Bell.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: Genie
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 04:04 AM

Barry T., thanks so much for correcting the record.   I've listed "Dreams Of Alwyn" as the tune Richard Farrelly used for his beautiful "Isle Of Innisfree" song when I've (often) done that song (or my parody of it), because that's what I had read (here). It's good to have the correct composer attribution.

Genie

Subject: Lyr Add: DREAM OF OLWEN (Charles Williams)
From: Louise Blyton
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 10:57 PM

Hi, I also wanted the words to this song, and transcribed them from the Luton Girls' Choir version on YouTube (which is quite lovely, BTW) as the ones elsewhere on the web are not precise. I think I nailed them all:

Olwen, I hear you call to me
At moonrise across a golden sea
Softly the waves make melody
To echo my song of memory
Olwen come to me I implore
Tell me where I shall find you
Olwen, till the stars shine no more
True unto you I shall be

Deep is the blue that veils the night
The light in the west has faded
But I must pursue till dawn breaks through
The dream that I am dreaming of you, beloved....

Olwen, it is your face I see
That wraith haunting every place for me
Music of vanished ecstasy
That echoes into eternity
Olwen, in the wings of the wind
Fondly your voice is calling
Calling from a far world apart
And strangely you seem
To answer the dream in my heart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 02:54 AM

Bonnie [e-mail]
THank you Louise. I finally have the missing piece: the verse that begins with Olwen, it is your face I see.....
    I cry when I think of the beautiful song.   THank you, thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Nov 09 - 10:22 AM

I clicked on the link to the MIDI file [supplied by Jim Dixon in 2005], and what I heard was Rachmaninoff's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.

Well, let me say that I'm 90% sure that's what it is. I tried to verify, but could only find an mp3 from the middle of the movement.

Anybody who knows this concerto well care to agree or disagree?

So, did they swipe Rach's theme for the song in the movie, or has Brian Olwen's website changed?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: GUEST,Roger Cairns
Date: 13 May 10 - 11:58 AM

Does anyone know when the Luton Girl's Choir recorded The Dream of Olwen? I see that "My guru always said" was once a member so if she can provide this and any other information I'd be extremely grateful. One thing has always puzzled me; why do the girls sing with a welsh accent when they're from Luton, Beds.?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dreams of Alwyn / Dream of Olwen
From: My guru always said
Date: 14 May 10 - 05:14 PM

Hi Roger, I've just checked the one LP I contributed to and it doesn't include Olwen, but it is on Count your Blessings, info here! Hope that helps!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dream of Olwen (Charles Williams)
From: GUEST,Alan Patterson
Date: 07 Nov 10 - 09:33 AM

I saw the film in 1948 in England where the title was "The Dream of
Olwen".The title character is a young composer in Cornwall who
eventually begins to sleepwalk because she is struggling to finish a piece of music.
One night she sleepwalks to the edge of a nearby cliff;her sister sees
her there and shouts her name.The sound of her voice awakens Olwen
and the shock of seeing the raging sea far below causes her to fall to
her death.
Twenty years later her sister is listening to a radio tribute to Olwen
and comes out with the line "While I live, you shall never die"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dream of Olwen (Charles Williams)
From: GUEST,dono
Date: 17 Mar 18 - 11:41 PM

The Isle of Innisfree was written by Dick Farrelly and published in 1950. It was included in the sound track for the movie "The Quiet One", however the lyrics used in the movie were not Farrelly's original lyrics.

The song was sung by Orla Fallon in the first TV presentation of Celtic Woman. It can be found on YouTube.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dream of Olwen (Charles Williams)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 03:24 PM

FWIW My late sister's best school friend was called Olwen. My parents bought her, my sister, a 78 rpm of The Dream of Olwen backed with The Nun's Chorus by the Luton Girl's Choir. Even the mention of the title has me tearful (in a nostalgic way). If I wasn't such a tough guy I might even get a bit sentimental just now.