Hello everyone, I hope this edition finds you all safe and well. Since the last magazine, a lot of work has been going on in many areas of HarmonicaUK in addition to our normal day-to-day running. Thank you to everyone who has been canvassing new members for us. Early indications are very positive.
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Davina Brazier’s team looking at compliance is making great progress, as is Richard Taylor’s team with rebranding. Richard and Steve Pardue are also making substantial progress. I feel confident that the new look HarmonicaUK will happen over the summer. Our study into a new IT system has made real progress too. Slawomir Nowordski, Barry Nichols, and Barry Elms have lent their IT expertise in creating an IT specification for us. Dave Hambley and Sam Wilkinson’s weekly Zoom meetings continue to attract a lot of really positive feedback. It is so heartening when our members take time to send feedback via email and telephone. Thank you for confirming that we are going in the right direction. I am pleased to announce that our annual Chromatic Weekend in June will be a virtual event once more. This gives us the assurance to go ahead and plan with certainty. In the Jan/Feb edition I wrote a page introducing the editorial team; since then, that team continues its progressive journey, and I’m pleased to announce that Rowena Millar has offered subeditorial support alongside Sophia Ramirez, with Sam Spranger and Jim Davies joining the wider team too. We are very fortunate to have a large pool of proofreaders now, and we will ensure that everyone has an input at some stage. Finally, over the next few editions I would like to invite you all to meet the current team of HarmonicaUK. In this edition I would like to introduce the officers of our charity who make up the Executive Team. Keep well and happy harping
icaUK
Carl DeAbr eu Photog
zine fo r Harmo n
Best wishes Pete
set of tunes monthly since for hundre 2011 and contai ds of ns scores and by world-renow Welsh tunes. Telyno MP3 files ned triple harpist r Cymru (Wales the 200th ’ harpist), led Robin Huw anniversary Bowen of the birth John’s family of gypsy harpist , celebrated was largely responsible aural harp-p John Robert for mainta laying traditio s. ining playing was n taught in workshin Wales. John Robert the unbroken s’ lively style website www.t ops across of elynor.cymru Wales, holds the scores and the associated Meurig William and tutoria s is the Chair l Traditional videos of Clera, the . Instruments. Society for He started music at the Welsh singing and Port Talbot playing traditio Folk Club with whistle when nal he guitar and banjo and over 50 years, was 17. His passion for music has moving on continued concertina, to the fiddle, for accordion, harp and pibgor mandolin, fiddle, ukulele the harmo nica , n, he has devote and autoharp. Since joiningand has also dabbled with d his attenti Clera in the part of the on to Welsh early 2000s Clera band traditional , which music and Y Glerorfa, was playing a major had around 50 memb when Wales ers, part in the was the feature Lorient Folk Session in Festival in 2008 d nation. He 2006 joined the Monday evenin and until Covid, led Cardiff Welsh its weekly meetin g at the Goat Major eagerly awaitin gs on a in the centre g the oppor of the city, tunity to get and is re-started.
raphy
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The triple harp, great houses an Italian development , in Wales in the 18th and was the instrument of was ousted the by the heavy, early 19th centur pedal harp trolley (and ies until it of formal music. Volvo-estate! be carried ) on the harpist The triple harp is light demanding ’s back taverns; it was enough to on one of these and so was popula r around the first played that the Welsh , as a jig. national anthem Fortunately was the Roman y musicians playing the who harp were made their able instrument living from cheaply and to get their hands on the obsole continued 20th centur scent the traditio y. The instrum n through continued to the into the presen ent and the associated style of playing tradition of t century. It harp survived in this unbrok gathered over playing, in songs which en a 70-year period were enthus many melod ies which becam in the 20th centur iastically y, but also to a Welsh e hymn tunes, in chapel in the chapel primary school and sung many of s. I went these tunes in the 1950s, and to traditional where one harpist, so of the parent a Welsh it’s no surpris these. s was a e that I am now hooke Little attenti d on on was paid to Welsh instrum the second half of the Welsh of the twentieth centur ental folk music until Folk y, dances. Enthus Dance Society which following the format ion needed music iastic musici also search for the ed the manus ans played the tunes still around cripts Library collect and ion and publish of the old harpists in purchased from the society ed collections of these the National which, can website (www. Our society be dawnsio.cym , Clera, was formed in ru). Welsh traditio 1996 with the aim nal music with the traditio of playing workshops nal instrum and session ents in their flute, whistle s, promoting contem , pipes) and porary (fiddle original (harp, and pibgor , n [‘pipe-horn’] crwth [like actively promo a violin] ) forms. Since then, the society instrument, ted the playing of Welsh has preferably traditional those acoust folk music music on any ic instruments today; so guitar, viola, cello, associated banjo, mando with accordion, lin, bouzouki, concer are all welcom ukelele, ed to join in tina and of course the instrument not ruled out. sessions, with the occasi harmonica onal amplifi The Wales ed Arts projects which Council has supported Clera have helped workshops us in our work, in three national and session starting and s across Wales, the develo pment of a with each one maintaining websit Gymru (Sessio resulting in e n across Wales) which we still mainta lists session in. Sesiwn Dros generated s, workshops www.sesiwn.c dormant due and activiti om which es across Wales to Covid). Alawon generated (currently Cymru (the www.alawonc tunes of Wales) ymru.com which has published a The ma session ga
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The magazine for HarmonicaUK
