It is a great privilege to perform and publish these works. I am delighted that some of Grace Williams' beautiful arrangements, which contributed greatly to the growth and development of music in Wales in the twentieth century, will be coming to the attention of the nation for the first time.
Elain added:
"It is my hope that my research will bring deserved recognition to a composer who did not receive meritorious recognition in Wales or the British Isles in her lifetime.
"The lack of publications and coverage of these works creates the illusion that Grace Williams had little time for her country's traditional music. I really wanted to delve into this further with hope to make new groundbreaking discoveries. Important sources such as correspondence between Grace Williams and her friend, the musician Enid Parry (1911-1998), strongly suggest the opposite - that traditional music was very close to her heart. Reading through the correspondence and scrutinising the music more closely reveals a new ‘Welshness’ related to Grace Williams, that has been largely ignored by past researchers.
"I would like to thank Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol for funding the publishing project, and I would also like to sincerely thank the James Pantyfedwen Fund for funding the masters course at Bangor University and Professor Pwyll ap Siôn for his support and guidance on the project."
Dr Dylan Phillips, Senior Academic Manager and Secretary of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, said:
"The Coleg's small grant project funds and supports a number of interesting and creative projects, and the Coleg was delighted to fund this innovative scheme to publish the lost works of Grace Williams. Elain has worked hard to gather together these unique arrangements, and we look forward to celebrating her research and hearing the special music in concert."
Pwyll ap Siôn, Professor of Music in the School of Arts, Culture and Language, Bangor University, added, "This is a revealing project that sheds new light on Grace Williams' relationship with the Welsh language and Welsh heritage. Finally, one of Wales' most important composers is beginning to receive the attention she deserves."
For an admission ticket to the 'Celebrating Grace Williams' concert on 3 November at Neuadd Powis, Bangor University, contact Elain Rhys on muua63@bangor.ac.uk, or visit the Coleg Cymraeg website for further information. The arrangements can be purchased on the publishing company website, Curiad.
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