BEYNON
,
ROSSER
(
Asaph Glan Tâf
;
1811
-
1876
),
musician
;
b. at
Glyn Eithinog
in the
Vale of Neath, Glam.
, son of
John
and
Elizabeth
Beynon
. The family moved in
1815
to
Merthyr Tydfil
where the son went to a school kept by
George
Williams
, but only for a short period, as he started work when he was 8 years of age in an iron-works where, later, he was to become an important
official
. He showed an
interest in music
at an early age and in
1835
became
precentor
in
Soar Congregational chapel
. He
started a music class
where the rudiments of music were studied and pieces of music were learnt. In
1836
he contributed an article on music to
Y Diwygiwr
, this being the first of many articles which he wrote; he also became
hymn-tune editor
of that journal. In
1845
appeared part one of
Telyn Seion
, a collection of hymn-tunes and anthems; the parts were published in volume form in
1848
. Twenty hymn-tunes by
Beynon
himself appeared in this collection, together with ‘
Eifionydd
’ and ‘
Groeswen
,’ by
J. Ambrose
Lloyd
(q.v.)
, this being the first published appearance of these two hymn-tunes. It was in this book, incidentally, that the ‘metronome’ symbols first appeared in a
Welsh
music publication.
Beynon
was a competent and acceptable
adjudicator
and served as such in eisteddfodau in various parts of
Wales
. He d.
3 Jan. 1876
and was buried in
Cefn cemetery
,
Merthyr Tydfil
.
Bibliography:
-
Y Diwygiwr
,
1850
;
-
Y Cerddor
,
Oct. 1891
;
-
Y Geninen
,
1887
, 63;
-
Rhestr gyda nodiadau byrion, o Enwogion
Cymreig o 1700 i 1900
. National Eisteddfod
Association, 1908
.
Author:
Robert David Griffith, M.A., (1877-1958), Old Colwyn
