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PANTYFEDWEN
Our third and largest
week-end school is something we shall all remember ; but it may,
perhaps, be helpful, both to those who were present and those who
were unable to come, if we review in detail the actual work accomplished.
For the benefit of those who
depend on Gramophone records, we made sure that all were thoroughly
familiar with The Bishop of Bangor's Jig and Lord of Carnarvon's Jig;
Evans' Jig and Oswestry Wake ; now available on H.M.V. B 10445 and B
10446. To most, this was revision ; but Ap Slienkin, H.M.V. B 10113,
was new to many. This splendid tune, composed by John Parry, Bardd
Alaw, was recorded for a dance called the Tempest, discovered
in Vermont, U.S.A. ; and shows the immense popularity of our Welsh tunes.
St. David's Day, Of Noble race
was Shenkin (Y Gadlys), The Three Sheepskins (Croen y ddafad felan)
and Meillionen, all simple dances to learn, though not so easy to
dance well, were taken very carefully. All need careful timing and
spacing and Meillionen, in particular, requires poise and perfection
of the siding movement.
We then tackled the problems of
the triple minor set. As I have pointed out elsewhere, it is
considered legitimate to alter the formation of these dances, into
one more in keeping with folk tradition and more satisfying to the
needs of the dancers to-day. In order to clarify the whole subject,
we took some of these in their three possible forms ; the long triple
minor set of the early 18th century, according to the notation in the
collections " The Welch Whim " and the "'Welsh Morris
Dance "; as a single set dance for three couples and, in the
case of Rhif Wyth and Welch Whim, as a duple minor set. Miss Griffin
has provided complete instructions for the Rhif Wyth in this
form (published by Stainer & Bell).
Our conclusions were that the
Welch Whim should be taken as a duple minor set, by eliminating the
3rd couples.
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PAN'I'Y FEDWEN-continued.
Evans' Delight was found quite
delightful as a single set for six.
A1 lst couple cast off below
the 2nd and dance the figure 8: the man through the 3rd and the woman
through the second, both starting with the left-hand loop.
B 2 lst couple is now at the
bottom of the set, so all take hands and circle once round.
The Welsh Morris Dance needs no
alteration to become a single set, and this was undoubtedly its
original form. This is a beautiful dance, but it requires a
sympathetic accompanist. It was due to the untiring patience and
skill of our most excellent musicians, that we were able to smooth
over the difficulties of this and other dances.
Nine comparatively simple
dances , four triple minor sets: three Llangadfan Round Os and
Community dancing for relaxation, would seem sufficient for a short
week-end. But we did not neglect the Welsh Reel, danced by all, with
enjoyment, if not perfection, and one group made a good start on the
Roaring Hornpipe. Another group worked hard on the exquisite
Abergenny: a startling revelation, with its curious resemblance to
the newly discovered Ddawns Blodau. Can this be mere coincidence or
is it possible that this 17th century Court dance had its roots in
South Wales, where its prototype lived on to be danced, within living
memory, in the district of Groeswen and Nantgarw no great distance
from Abergenny, or Abergavenny ?
LOIS BLAKE
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