Thank you, Tony. There is nothing quite like Welsh choirs--especially because of those male choirs. It's ironic that never will you hear men singing with such gusto--except at soccer games. At our Latin Mass parish, it's the only place I've heard men actually sing. And I'll bet it's one of the. few. Incidentally, you must know the recording by Bryn Terfel (sic) singing with a Welsh choir many of the great Welsh hymns, including those of William Williams. (And good grief! What a language! I think it was JRRT who said it was to him one of the most beautiful.)
Yes, he did -- he credited Welsh with helping to preserve the TH sounds in English, when in the other Germanic languages (except for Icelandic) that was lost. He said that to be most beautiful, a language must have both the TH sounds and the W. Icelandic lost the W... Hebrew had both, till the W hardened into V. Prehistoric Greek had both, but then lost the W entirely, turning it into a vowel for a diphthong, or having it disappear at the beginning of a word.
Never heard this hymn before. Reading the English translation while listening brought tears of joy and hope. Shared the link with my men’s group and my sister.
Thayer, your comment cheers us greatly. These hymns deeply touch the soul, as they should. I recommended this hymn to Tony this week, and searched for it sung by a Welsh men's choir. I can't always find what I am looking for, but this time the search paid off. Thank you greatly for sharing the essay!
Thank you, Tony. There is nothing quite like Welsh choirs--especially because of those male choirs. It's ironic that never will you hear men singing with such gusto--except at soccer games. At our Latin Mass parish, it's the only place I've heard men actually sing. And I'll bet it's one of the. few. Incidentally, you must know the recording by Bryn Terfel (sic) singing with a Welsh choir many of the great Welsh hymns, including those of William Williams. (And good grief! What a language! I think it was JRRT who said it was to him one of the most beautiful.)
Yes, he did -- he credited Welsh with helping to preserve the TH sounds in English, when in the other Germanic languages (except for Icelandic) that was lost. He said that to be most beautiful, a language must have both the TH sounds and the W. Icelandic lost the W... Hebrew had both, till the W hardened into V. Prehistoric Greek had both, but then lost the W entirely, turning it into a vowel for a diphthong, or having it disappear at the beginning of a word.
Never heard this hymn before. Reading the English translation while listening brought tears of joy and hope. Shared the link with my men’s group and my sister.
Thayer, your comment cheers us greatly. These hymns deeply touch the soul, as they should. I recommended this hymn to Tony this week, and searched for it sung by a Welsh men's choir. I can't always find what I am looking for, but this time the search paid off. Thank you greatly for sharing the essay!