EVANS
,
DANIEL
(
Eos Dâr
;
1846
-
1915
),
musician
;
b. in a thatched cottage called
Tŷ Coch
, near
Carmarthen
, son of
Dafydd
and
Esther
Evans
. The family moved to
Aberdare
, where the boy began to
work in a coalmine
at the early age of 8. As the father was a
printer
in the office of
Y Gwron
and
Seren Gomer
, the son
came to know such persons as
Llew Llwyfo
(
Lewis W.
Lewis
, q.v.)
and others who worked in that printing office. When he was 11 years old he became a
member of a choir
conducted by
Llew Llwyfo
, which was performing ‘
Storm Tiberias
’ (by
Edward
Stephen
, q.v.
); later he joined the well-known ‘
Côr Caradog
.’ He became
conductor
of the
Aberdare Glee Society
, a choir which won many prizes. In
1876
he moved to
Maerdy
in the
Rhondda Fach
valley to work as a
colliery winder
. He became
precentor
at
Siloa Congregational chapel
, where he arranged for several cantatas to be performed by the chapel choir; he also conducted the
Rhondda Fach men's choir
. He was a good
vocalist
and, in addition, a good
singer to the accompaniment of the harp
; in the latter capacity he served often in ‘
Gorsedd y Beirdd
’ ceremonies and as
adjudicator in national eisteddfodau
. Two popular public lectures on the harp and singing to the accompaniment of the harp were given frequently by him in several places throughout
South Wales
. He d.
17 March 1915
and was buried in
Maerdy
cemetery.
Bibliography:
-
Y Cerddor
,
Oct. 1909
,
April 1915
.
Author:
Robert David Griffith, M.A., (1877-1958), Old Colwyn
