Preece Family Tree

DYFODIAD DAFYDD JOHN

Fel y nodwyd, Phillip oedd yr arweinydd, a pharhaodd i arwain yn gyhoeddus wedi i Dafydd John ddyfod yma yn 1849, ond Dafydd John fyddai'n arwain y cor. Dyma'r adeg y newidiwyd y drefn yn nglyn a'r canu yma. Arferai y tenor yr adeg hono ganu y top a'r merched i ganu part y tenor, ond newidiodd Dafydd John nyny, a gosododd y lleisiau i ganu yn y drefn bresenol. A mawr yr helynt fu gyda'r cyfnewidiad; teimlai rhai o'r hen bobl dipyn o wrthwynebiad, a bu yno lawer ymdrech galed a helynt blin rhwyng yr hen bobl a'r bobl ieuaine. Dywedir i rywun mewn cyfarfod cyhoeddus pan oedd cor Dafydd John wedi codi i ganu waeddu allan, - " 'Nawr Jane, paid di a chanu tenor ta pwy ganu denor;" ac nis gwn pwy Jane oedd hono os nad gweddw John Howells, Llwydcoed, oblegyd yr oedd hi pan yn ferch ieuanec yn nghor cyntaf Dafydd John. Mae'n debyg mai deuddeg eodd rhif y cor. Cafwyd llawer 'storm ar yr heol pan gyfarfyddai'r hen a'r ieuanc a'u gilydd. Ond yn mhen ychydig tawelodd pethau, a symudodd Phillip a'r deule yn fuan i Aberaman, tua diwedd 1849, ond dallai y bechgyn Evan a Thomas i gyrchu fyny yma am flynyddau wedi hyny, yn enwedig Evan, a bu ef yn glerc gyda'i ewythr, Twmi Thomas Daffyd am hir amser. Y mae rhai o blant Phillip yn bresenol yn Saron, Aberaman; Phillip yn ddiacon ac yn arweinydd y gân, a William yn aelod dichlynaidd yno.

Ac yn fuan ar eu hol hwy, symudodd Thomas Phillips i'r un lle, yr hwu wedi hyny a droes at y seintiau. Yna, daeth gofal y cyfan ar ol hyny ar ysgwydd Dafydd John.

Y GYNGHERDD GYNTAF, 1849.

Mae yn debyg mai'r gyngherdd gyntaf a gynaliwyd gan y cor a'r arweinydd newydd oedd ar Nadolig 1849, y Nadolig cyntaf wedi ei ddyfodiad i'r lle. Cynalid Gwyl De yn y prydnawn, a hon oedd yr wyl de gyntaf yma; a chafwyd cryn dipyn o helynt i'w chael. Teimlai Mr. Edwards a'r bobl ieuainc yn selog iawn dros ei chael, ond gwrthwynebai'r hen bobl y dull ysgafn hwn o amcanu casglu arian at achos crefydd; a dadleuent yr elent i ddyled drwy hyny. Ond dadleuai Mr. Edwards y gwnelent drwyddi ugain punt. A Mr. Edwards a'r bobl ieuainc gariodd y dydd, a chynaliwyd yr wyl de gyntaf yn Ebenezer gydag elw o dros ugain punt. Nis gwn am neb o'r boneddigesau ieuainc a weinyddent wrth y byrddau yr adeg hono, ond Miss Mary Howelis, priod Richard Wigley yn bresenol. Mae'r pumed cenedlaeth o'r teulu bwn yn aelodau yma'n bresenol, sef Maggie M. Jenkins, merch Annie, priod John Phillips, Llwydcoed, o'r gwr cyntaf, a Mary Jane, merch R. L. Wigley, ac y man yma amryw deuleoedd a'r bedwaredd genedlaeth yn aeledau.

LWYDDIANT DAFYDD JOHN FEL ARWEINYDD CANU.

Wedi hyn, rhywbryd yn 1851, ymgymerasant a chynal eisteddfod am y tro cyntaf ar raddfa fechan, a throdd yn llwyddiant. Yna, ar Nadolig, 1852, y cynaliasant un ar raddfa eangach, a mynasant - "Lift up your heads," yn brif ddarn corawl, a Tanymarian i feirniadu, a daeth tri chor i'r gystadleuaeth, ac enillodd cor Dafydd John gyda chymeradwyaeth uchel. Yn Sulgwyn, 1854, aethant i Temperance Hall, Merthyr, dan feirniadaeth John Williams (Corfanawg),ar "O Ho!" o'r Storm, yr ail ddarn corawl. Yr oedd rhyw bedwar cor yno, ond daethant yn ol a'r llawryf. Yn Nadolig, 1856, yn Ebenezer, cynygiasant ar "O Cadw Ni," a "Beth sydd ddamwain;" y beirniad oedd Dewi Alaw, a buont yn fwy na choncwerwyr yma drachefn. Yna, yn Medi, 1857, aethant i Cwmnedd ar "Teilwyn yw'r Oen," a'r "Amen," dan feirniadaeth Dafydd Hywel Tomos, Rhymni, ac enillasant y gamp. Yna, ar y 1af o Fawrth, 1858, aethant i'r Temperance Hall, Aberdar, i gynyg ar "Y Lleidr ar y Groes;" y beirniaid oeddynt Cyndeyrn a Charles D. Lewis; tri chor yn cystadlu, ond hwy a drechodd eto. Yna, aethant Nadolig 1862, i Siloa, Aberdar, i gystadlu ar "Cân Mair," yn brif ddarn, "Y Blodeuyn Olaf," yn ail ddarn, a pharti meibion ar "Ymdaith y Mwnc." Y beirniad oedd Griffiths, Pontardawe, neu fel yr adnabyddir ef yn bresenol, Ifanders; ac er fod amryw yn cystadlu ar y tri darn, enillasant ar y tri. Wedi hyny, yn Gorphenaf, 1863, aethant i Ebenezer, Abertawe, ar "Y Blodeuyn Olaf," ac haner y wobr a gawsant. Aethant wedi hyny ar Nadolig, 1864, ar yr "Haleluwia Chorus" i'r Temperance Hall, Aberdaar. Y beirniad oedd Eos Rhondda, ond aeth yn fethiant yno; Bethania, Aberdar, a drechodd, a chredodd y cor a'r arweinydd iddynt gael cam gwarthus yno, a dyno ddiwedd ar oes gystadleuol Dafydd John. Ond yr eodd yr hen ysbryd cystadleuol yn aros mewn amryw o gor Caradog a Rhys Evans wedi hyny, a bu Dafydd John ei hun gydag amryw ereill o'i gor yn y Palas Grisial yn cystadlu am y cwpan arian yn Nghor Mawr Caradog. Heblaw hyny bu amryw eisteddfodau yn y capel o fewn ein cof; ac amryw barties o'r cor o bryd i'w gilydd yn cystadlu o dan arweinyddiaeth J. W. Jones, Ysgolfeistr Tonypandy yn bresenol, Evan Thomas, Aberaman yn awr, Daniel Jones Lewis ac ereill, ond ni fu Dafydd John, oblegyd o hyn allan ymgysegrodd yn fwy at ganiadaeth y cysegr a gwasanaethu cyngherddau yn nhref, bu yn Ebrill, 1862, yn cynal cyngherdd yn Ynysgau, Merthyr, ar ol Gwyl De. Digwyddodd Tanchwa y Gethin ar y 19eg o Chwefror cyn hynyn, lle y collodd Edward Beynon yn nghyd a chwech-a-deugain ereill eu bywydau, llawer o'r rhai oeddynt yn aelodau o gor Ynysgau, ac Edward Beynon yr arweinydd. Yn wyneb hyny nid oedd cor Ynysgau mewn ffordd nac ychwaith mewn ysbryd cynal y gyngherdd fwriadedig; ac ar fyr rybudd ymgymerodd Dafydd John a'i gor a chynal y gyngherdd. Ac yn Awst yr un flwyddyn aethant i Treherbert i gynal cyngherdd. Ac ar Gorphenaf o 15fed, 1867, aethant i Blaenllechau i wneud yr un gwasanaeth, - helpu achosion gweiniaid. Dengys hyn aberth mawr ar ran y cor i groesi'r mynyddau adref yr amser hwnw o'r nos, os digwyddai fod yn arw, yn enwedig fel y bu wrth groesi yn ol o Blaenllechau. Cadwodd y cor mewn llawn gwaith trwy y blynyddau. Nid oes genym wybodaeth i unrhyw gor yn y cylchoedd anturio ar un o'r Oratorios mawrion yma cyn i gor Dafydd John ymgymeryd a datgan y Messiah trwyddo yn Nadolig, 1853, yn Nghapel Ebenezer. Cerddorfa yr Hen-Dy Cwrdd fu yn eu cynorthwyo yn yr hon yr oedd Caradog yn aelod. Nid oes wybodaeth iddynt anfon i Llundain nag un man arall am gynorthwy, nac Artists, nac arall, ond dosparthasant y gwaith yn eu mysg eu hunain. I ganu'r unawdau, &c., rhoed gyda'r merched Sara John Rees, Ann Rowlands, Jane Bryant, a Catherine Watkin Williams. Yr Alto William Thomas, y Gof; Thomas Phillips ac Evan Bryant. Y Tenor - Henry Leonard, William o'r Kendon, ac Edward Davies. Y Bass - Dafydd John, Isaac John Rees a William Watkin Williams. Beth ddywedai cor o'r un gynulleidfa yn yr oes hon am gymeryd ar fath anturiaeth heb gael atynt yr R.A.M.'s yr A.C.'s yr Eosiaid, y Llinosiaid, a'r hlewod, &c., &c., ond aeth y cor hwn trwy y gorchwyl yn anrhydeddus heb yr un o honynt yr adeg hono. Ond tyna, gwell tewi rhag tynu bonclust.

Hwynt-hwy hefyd oedd gyda y rhai cyntaf yn Aberdar i gydymffurfio i ymgymeryd a datganu rhai o'r Oratorios, a'r cyntaf a gymerasant oedd y Twelfth Mass, yna Judas Maccabæs, a'r gerddorfa dan arweinyddiaeth Caradog. Dafydd Rosser, yn arweinydd y cor, yn Aberdar y cynelid hwn, math o gor undebol ydoedd. Fel prawf o chwaeth gerddorol Ebenezer yr adeg hono gellir dweyd i ddeg o gopiau Storm Tiberias gan Tanymarian gael eu derbyn yma pan ddaeth allan gyntaf, gan y Parch. W. Edwards, Dafydd John, Henry Davies, Henry Leonard, Morgan Rowlands, Roger Jenkins, Isaac John Rees, William Thomas, Thomas Williams, a Joseph Thomas.

THE FUTURE OF DAFYDD JOHN

As noted, Phillip[1] was the conductor, and he continued to lead publicly after Dafydd John came here in 1849, but Dafydd John was to lead the choir. This was the time when the routine changed as regards the singing. The tenors at that time used to sing the top and the girls to sing the tenor part, but Dafydd John changed it, and he set the voices to sing as is usual nowadays. And great was the trouble about these changes; some of the old people felt a great deal of resistance[2], and there was a lot of hard work and angry upheaval between the old and the young. It is said that someone in a public meeting - when Dafydd John had bidden his choir to rise and sing - shouted out- "Now Jane, don't you sing tenor, now don't you be singing tenor;" and I do not know who Jane was, unless it was the widow of John Howells, Llwydcoed, for she was a young girl in the first choir of Dafydd John. The choir numbered about twelve. There were many storms on the road when the old and young met together. But in a little while, Phillip and the family soon moved to Aberaman, towards the end of 1849, but the boys Evan and Thomas were able to come up here for years afterwards, especially Evan, and he was clerk for a long time with his uncle, Twmi Thomas Daffyd. Some of Phillip's children are present in Saron, Aberaman; Phillip, a deacon and choirmaster, and William, a potential member there.

And shortly after them, Thomas Phillips moved to the same place, they then turned to the saints. Then the care of it all fell upon Dafydd John's shoulder.

FIRST CONFERENCE, 1849.

The first concert by the new choir and conductor was probably for Christmas 1849, the first Christmas after his arrival. A chapel tea was held in the afternoon, and this was the first chapel tea[3] here; and there was a great deal of trouble to be had. Mr. Edwards and the young were very zealous for it, but the old people opposed this light-hearted approach to collecting money for the cause of religion; and they argued that they would go into debt through that. But Mr. Edwards argued that they would make twenty pounds through it. And Mr. Edwards and the young people carried the day, and the first tea festival was held in Ebenezer with a profit of over twenty pounds. I don't know of any of the young ladies who served at the tables at that time, except Miss Mary Howelis, Richard Wigley's current spouse. The fifth generation of the chapel family was present, namely Maggie M. Jenkins, daughter of Annie, spouse of John Phillips, Llwydcoed, by her first husband, and Mary Jane, daughter of R L Wigley, and also the fourth generation of several chapel families.

DAFYDD JOHN'S SUCCESS AS CHOIRMASTER

After this, sometime in 1851, they held an eisteddfod for the first time on a small scale, and it was a success. Then for Christmas, 1852, they held one on a wider scale, and they requested "Lift up your heads," as the principal choral piece, and Tanymarian to judge, and three choirs entered the competition, and Dafydd John's choir won with high praise. At Whitsun, 1854, they went to Temperance Hall, Merthyr, where John Williams (Corfanawg), was judging "O Ho!" from "Storm", the second choral piece. There were four choirs there, but they came back with the laurel. At Christmas, 1856, in Ebenezer, they set "O Keep Us," and "What a happening;" the judge was Dewi Alaw, and they were more than conquerors here again. Then, in September, 1857, they went to Cwmnedd "Worthy is the Lamb," and "Amen," judged by Dafydd Hywel Tomos, Rhymney, and won the field. Then, on the 1st of March, 1858, [4] they went to the Temperance Hall, Aberdare, to compete with "The Thief on the Cross;" the judges were Cyndeyrn [5] and Charles D. Lewis; three choirs competed, but they triumphed again. Then, at Christmas 1862, they went to Siloa, Aberdare, to compete with "Cân Mair," as principal piece, "Y Blodeuyn Olaf," as second piece, and a male-voice party with "Ymdaith y Mwnc." [6] The adjudicator was Griffiths, Pontardawe, or as he is currently known, Ifanders; and although many competed on the three pieces, they won all three. After that, in July 1863, they went to Ebenezer, Swansea, with "Y Blodeuyn Olaf," and received joint prize. They then went at Christmas 1864, with the "Hallelujah Chorus", to the Temperance Hall, Aberdare. The judge was Eos Rhondda, but they were not successful; Bethania, Aberdare, defeated them, and the choir and conductor believed that they had suffered a disgrace, and this ended the competitive life of Dafydd John. But the old competitive spirit remained in the various choirs of Caradog and Rhys Evans after that, and Dafydd John himself with several others from his choir competed at the Crystal Palace for the silver cup in Caradog's Cor Mawr. Other than that there have been various eisteddfodau in the chapel within our memory; and various parties from the choir from time to time competing under the leadership of J. W. Jones, Tonypandy Schoolmaster, Evan Thomas, now of Aberaman, Daniel Jones Lewis and others, but Dafydd John has not competed and has consecrated himself to the sanctuary and to staging concerts in various towns, in April 1862, he held a concert at Ynysgau, Merthyr, after a Chapel Tea. The Gethin Explosion [7] occurred on the 19th of February prior to this, where Edward Beynon and forty-six others lost their lives, many of whom were members of the Ynysgau choir, and Edward Beynon the conductor. In view of this the Ynysgau choir was neither able nor had the heart to hold this planned concert; and at short notice Dafydd John took his choir and conducted the concert. And in August of the same year they went to Treherbert to hold a concert. And on July 15th 1867, they went to Blaenllechau to do the same service - helping pastors' causes. This shows a great sacrifice on the part of the choir to cross the mountains home at that time of night, if it happened to be rough, especially as it was when crossing back from Blaenllechau. [8] He kept the choir in full working order through the years. We have no knowledge of any choir embarking on one of these great Oratorios before Dafydd John's choir undertook and proclaimed the Messiah at Christmas, 1853, at Ebenezer Chapel. They were accompanied by the Orchestra of Hen Dy Cwrdd in which Caradog was a member. There is no information to suggest that they sent to London or any other place for assistance, or Artists, or otherwise, but they distributed the work among themselves. To sing the solos, &c., we had the young women Sara John Rees, Ann Rowlands, Jane Bryant, and Catherine Watkin Williams. Alto William Thomas, Blacksmith; Thomas Phillips and Evan Bryant. Tenor - Henry Leonard, William of Kendon, and Edward Davies. Bass - Dafydd John, Isaac John Rees and William Watkin Williams. What would a similar congregational choir in this age say about taking on such a venture without having access to the R.A.M.'s [Royal Academy of Music] and the A.C.'s of the Nightingales, the Lions, and the Owls, &c., &c., but they acquitted themselves honorably without any of them at that time. But there you go, better to keep quiet than to crow.

They were also the first in Aberdare to undertake to perform some of the Oratorios, and the first they took was the Twelfth Mass, then Judas Maccabæs, with the orchestra under the leadership of Caradog. Dafydd Rosser, conductor of the choir, in Aberdare, arranged this exchange and a type of united choir. As a demonstration of Ebenezer's musical tastes at that time, ten copies of Tanymarian's Storm Tiberias can be said to have been received here when it first came out, by the Rev. W. Edwards, Dafydd John, Henry Davies, Henry Leonard, Morgan Rowlands, Roger Jenkins, Isaac John Rees, William Thomas, Thomas Williams, and Joseph Thomas.

[1] Phillip Phillips, who was precentor before Dafydd John arrived.

[2] lit. "turned their faces to the side" - indicating that they were very cross indeed!

[3] lit. "tea party" - a communal afternoon tea in the chapel, that people paid to take part in prior to the evening concert. They were a very new-fangled idea at the time and controversial for several reasons: they were seen as a 'frivolous' entertainment taking place in a sacred building; they also represented a monetary transaction in the chapel itself, which many would have felt was akin to the Temple courts in Jerusalem condemned by Jesus in the Gospels.

[4] St David's Day, therefore the most prestigious eisteddfod of the year.

[5] Robert Davies, a well-known hymn writer from North Wales.

[6] "The Monk's March" - probably Beethoven's arrangement of The Monks of Bangor's March, a popular male voice piece that was frequently used in eisteddfodau - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyK9iQvPwKg

[7] A notorious colliery explosion that is still referenced frequently.

[8] About 7.5 miles over the mountains - a 3 hour hike.