OWEN
,
WILLIAM
(‘
William
Owen
of
Prysgol
,’
1813
-
1893
),
musician
;
b.
12? Dec. 1813
[in
Lônpopty
],
Bangor
, the son of
William
and
Ellen
Owen
. The father was a
quarryman
at
Cae Braich-y-cafn quarry
,
Bethesda
, and the son began to
work in the same quarry
when he was ten years old. He learnt music at classes held by
Robert
Williams
(
Cae Aseth
), at
Carneddi
, and from
William
Roberts
,
Tyn-y-maes
, the
composer
of the hymn-tune ‘
Andalusia
.’ He wrote his first hymn-tune when he was 18 — it was published in
Y Drysorfa
for
June 1841
. After the family had [removed] to [
Cae-sguborwen
],
Bangor
, [sometimes called
Cilmelyn
] — they had spent some years [at
Tŷ-hen
] near the quarry —
William
Owen
formed a temperance choir
which sang ‘
Cwymp Babilon
,’ the work of the
conductor
, at the
Caernarvon temperance festival
,
1849
. In
1852
, with the help of some friends at
Bethesda
, he published
Y Perl Cerddorol yn cynnwys tonau ac anthemau, cysegredig a moesol
; of this 3,000 copies were sold, A sol-fa edition appeared in
1886
of which 4,000 copies were sold. He composed several temperance pieces, some of which were sung in the
Eryri temperance festivals
held at
Caernarvon castle
. His anthem, ‘
Ffynnon Ddisglair
,’ and the hymn-tunes ‘
Alma
’ and ‘
Deemster
’ became popular, but it was the hymn-tune called ‘
Bryn Calfaria
’ which made the
composer
famous; this continues to have a considerable vogue in
Wales
and in
England
. He m. the daughter of the house called
Prysgol
and went there to live; he also became
precentor
at
Caeathro C.M. chapel
. He d.
20 July 1893
, and was buried in
Caeathro
chapel burial ground.
Bibliography:
-
M. O. Jones
,
Bywgraffiaeth Cerddorion Cymreig
,
National Eisteddfod Association publication, 1890
;
-
Y Cerddor
,
Sept. 1893
;
-
R. D. Griffith
,
Hanes canu cynulleidfaol Cymru
,
Cardiff, 1948
;
-
[
Y Clorianydd
,
24 March 1954
].
Author:
Robert David Griffith, M.A., (1877-1958), Old Colwyn
