As long ago as the 15th century an ancestor whom I have been reading
about lately--Ivor Hael--appears to have been celebrated particularly
for his support of the Eisteddfodau of that period and of music in
general. Later on, my grandfather and father always did their best to
promote the idea of the Eisteddfod, and on several occasions presided
at those gatherings. I, personally, consider the Eisteddfod a great
institution.
One of the reasons why many of our English friends do not support
Eisteddfodau, and are inclined to speak slightingly of them, is
because of the religious side which commences with the Gorsedd; but I
think if our friends paid a little more attention to it, and attended
oftener, they would not be inclined to ridicule the institution.
An Eisteddfod, anywhere, is a very interesting event, but one at
Pontypridd seems to be of all others the most interesting. Pontypridd
itself is full of reminiscences of old and modern Wales. On that very
stone--the Rocking Stone--on the hill where some of us have been
to-day, some very earnest bards, no doubt, at different times had
their seats, and it does not require a very vivid imagination to
picture on that stone one of those unfortunate bards that were left
after the Massacre of the Bards of Edward.
Then we have not far away the remains of the old monastery of Pen
Rhys, where tradition says rested Ap Tudor, or at all events to whom
the monastery was erected. At that very place, that great terror of
England and of the Normans--Owen Glendower--who was at that time
residing at Llantrisant, was stated to have presided at an Eisteddfod
soon after his incursion into Wales. Great bardic addresses were
delivered there, and one, written to Sir John Morgan of Tredegar, is
now in the archives of Tredegar.
Coming to later times, we have Cadwgan of the Battleaxe, who was
supposed to have been sharpening his battleaxe at the time he was
going down the Rhondda, so that it must have been pretty sharp by the
time he arrived at his destination.
[Illustration: "_There is at the present moment a wave of music-hall
melodies passing over the country._"]
There is at the present moment a wave of music-hall melodies passing
over the country, and I think it is one of the duties of the
Eisteddfodau to try to counteract the music-hall fancy, now so
prevalent. Not many days ago, I was reminded of an incident in which a
lady asked a friend whether he was fond of music, and he replied "Yes,
if it is not too good." Unfortunately, that is the opinion of about
one-half of the civilized world.
The aim of the Eisteddfod is to patronise good music which, combined
with high art, has a tendency, as the Latin poet puts it, to soften
manners and assuage the natural ruggedness of human nature.
_Eisteddfod, Pontypridd,
July 31st, 1893._
Miniature Eisteddfodau, one of which we are celebrating, are most
interesting, as being a sort of prelude to the great National
Eisteddfod which takes place annually. There is something peculiarly
interesting in these essentially Welsh gatherings, because however
much we who live on this side of the Rumney may, from legislative
causes, be considered English, we never hear of an Eisteddfod taking
place on the other side of Offa's Dyke, which in my opinion is the
boundary of Wales.
Offa's Dyke was formerly a great mound and ditch erected by King Offa
somewhere in the year 900 or thereabouts, as a boundary between Wales
and England, and it ran from the mouth of the Wye to Chepstow. We
seldom hear of an Eisteddfod taking place on the other side of the
dyke. It is true there are the great Choral Festivals, but those are
festivals held in the grand Cathedrals, at which very grand company
assemble, and where some of the most celebrated singers sing; they are
not competitive in any sense. Here we have competitions, not so much
for the prizes as for the honour of the thing, for the honour of the
Welsh nation, and for the advancement of music and art in Wales.
_Risca,
October 5th, 1896._