- country:United Kingdom
- region:Wales
- style(s):Celtic, Folk
- label:Sain
- artist posted by:Sain (Recordiau) Cyf
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In nearly every instance these songs were initially collected, during the twentieth century, from oral tradition, even if most of them came to Mered himself from printed sources. The actual content of the texts which are more often lyrical than narrative is broadly hinted at in the groupings adopted for this CD: Love and Courtship, Religion, Children, Seasonal, Nature and Miscellaneous. The tone is generally reflective and yearning, but humour surfaces in some of the children's songs and seasonal feat-songs, and in particular, in one song of a deceived husband, "Can y Cwcwallt". The songs are mostly sung unaccompanied (CD 1). The first four tracks on CD2 are taken from the first LP ever released by the 36-year-old Sain label (Canu'r Werin, 1972). Myron Lloyd, Elfed Lewis and Cantorion Cynwrig join Mered on some of the songs. One song is a macaronic song, with alternate lines in Welsh and English. 16 more tracks come from an album released by Delyse in 1962 entitled "A Concert of Welsh Songs". On it, he is joined by his wife, Phyllis Kinney, a professional singer from the United States, The Tryfan Octet, the Russian harpist Maria Korchinska, and an Orchestra conducted by Robert Docker. The compilation ends with two tracks taken from a 60s Wren recording, and two songs, which show Mered and Phyllips in creative musical partnership.Meredydd Evans was born in Llanegryn, Merionethshire and was brought up in Tanygrisiau, North Wales. At 85 years old, his voice has now been affected by recent illness restricting him from singing, but he is still active in his research into the background of Welsh folk songs. As a child he would hear his mother regularly singing folk songs. Then, as a student at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, his interest in the background and history of theses songs was aroused by Mrs Enid Parry. Later, his marriage to Phyllis Kinney, brought him into acquaintance with the folk songs of several countries outside of Wales. His three printed collections of Welsh folk songs, co-edited with his wife and published by the Welsh Folk Song Society are definitive reference-works for this genre of national song.By today, Mered has performed these songs publicly hundreds of times, in concerts and lectures, on radio and television, and on many records. His first LP was released in the United States around 1954, and was listed in The New York Times among the twelve best folk-songs records of the year. In The Gramophone, around 1961, another of his LP's was named among the six best records of light music.