Joseph Haydn
Welsh Folksongs
Duration: 18'
Bearbeitet von: Edward-Rhys Harry
Choir: mixed choir
Welsh Folksongs
Sample pages
Work introduction
Haydn was influenced by folk music even in childhood and that influence has been well documented as fragments of folk tunes find themselves embedded in many of his works.
Having been sent a manuscript of over 400 folksongs from Wales and Scotland, by publisher George Thompson, Haydn completed work on providing his own accompaniments to the melodies he had been sent (without words!) aged 67.
In recent years several recordings have been made of these arrangements but they have not been readily available for choral programming. To that end, I have worked from the early published manuscripts (IMSLP) and created choral parts for Haydn’s piano accompaniments.
Often the pieces were written for performance of just one verse on repeat and so I have used the material supplied by Haydn to ensure that his intros and outros and accompaniments are not only intact but are also used as bridge passages between verses to ensure a more structured approach to what he provided. As a result of this I have been able to edit errors found in the early publications and have included some performance directions which provides choirs with an edited collection from which to work.
The first performance of this edition was by the London Welsh Chorale in July 2023, accompanied by pianist Jenny Trew. The London Welsh Chorale inspired me to create this cycle as part of a wider concert programme of folk and traditional music for choirs.
I hope it will be of benefit and enjoyment to the wider choral community as a result.
What is necessary to perform this work?
Mixed choir (SATB), piano