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'{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox anthem | title = Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau | english_title = Old Land of My Fathers | image =Welsh National Anthem (4655569).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = The earliest composition of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" in the hand of the lyricist, [[James James]], 1856 | prefix = National | country = {{Flag|Wales}} | author = [[Evan James (poet)|Evan James]] | lyrics_date = 1856 | composer = [[James James]] | music_date = 1856 | adopted = | until = | sound = Hen Wlad fy Nhadau piano.ogg }} "'''Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'''" ({{IPA-cy|heːn wlɑːd və n̥adaɪ̯}}) is the [[national anthem]] of [[Wales]].<ref name= "Anthem genedlaethol">{{cite web|url=http://www.wales.com/about-wales/facts-about-wales/welsh-national-anthem |title=Welsh National Anthem |publisher=[[Welsh Government]] |year=2014 |accessdate=24 May 2014 |work=wales.com }}</ref> The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers" in [[Welsh Language|Welsh]], usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by [[Evan James (poet)|Evan James]] and the tune composed by his son, [[James James]], both residents of [[Pontypridd]], [[Glamorgan]], in January 1856.<ref name="Anthem genedlaethol"/><ref name="BBC Anthem">{{cite web|title= Welsh anthem – The background to Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/anthem/pages/anthem-background.shtml | accessdate =3 December 2010 |publisher=[[BBC Cymru Wales]] |date= 1 December 2008 |work= Wales history}}</ref> The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of the [[National Library of Wales]].<ref name = "BBC Anthem" /> [[File:Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.ogg|thumb|"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", recorded in 1899]] ==Origins== ''Glan Rhondda'' (Banks of the [[River Rhondda|Rhondda]]), as it was known when it was composed, was first performed in the [[vestry]] of the original Capel Tabor, [[Maesteg]] (which later became a [[working men's club]]), in either January or February 1856, by Elizabeth John from [[Pontypridd]], and it soon became popular in the locality.<ref name="BBC Anthem"/> [[James James]], the composer, was a harpist who played his instrument in the public house which he ran, for the purpose of dancing.<ref name="BBC Anthem"/> The song was originally intended to be performed in 6/8 time, but had to be slowed down to its present tempo when it began to be sung by large crowds. ==Popularity== The popularity of the song increased after the [[Llangollen]] [[Eisteddfod|festival]] of 1858. Thomas Llewelyn of [[Aberdare]] won a competition for an unpublished collection of Welsh airs with a collection that included ''Glan Rhondda''. The adjudicator of the competition, "Owain Alaw" ([[John Owen (Owain Alaw)|John Owen]], 1821–83) asked for permission to include ''Glan Rhondda'' in his publication, ''Gems of Welsh melody'' (1860–64). This volume gave ''Glan Rhondda'' its more famous title, "Hen wlad fy nhadau", and was sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the anthem across the whole of Wales.<ref name="BBC Anthem" /> At the [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]] Eisteddfod of 1874 "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" gained further popularity when it was sung by [[Robert Rees (singer)|Robert Rees]] ("Eos Morlais"), one of the leading Welsh soloists of his day.<ref name="National Anthem">{{cite web | url = http://webapps.rhondda-cynon-taf.gov.uk/heritagetrail/big_anthem_fawr/anthem_baf.htm | title = The History of the National Anthem | work = Rhondda Cynon Taf Library Services | place = UK | accessdate = 27 December 2011 | deadurl = yes | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928063648/http://webapps.rhondda-cynon-taf.gov.uk/heritagetrail/big_anthem_fawr/anthem_baf.htm | archivedate = 28 September 2011 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem.<ref name="BBC Anthem" /> "Hen wlad fy nhadau" was also one of the first [[Welsh language|Welsh-language]] songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the [[Gramophone Company]], as part of the first recording in the Welsh language.<ref name= "BBC Anthem" /><ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.gtj.org.uk/index.php?id=5182&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=103 | title = The first known recording of Hen Wlad fy Nhadau | publisher = Gathering the Jewels | place = UK | access-date = 5 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171209044059/http://www.gtj.org.uk/index.php?id=5182&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=103 | archive-date = 9 December 2017 | dead-url = yes | df = dmy-all }}.</ref> In 1905, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" became the first national anthem to be sung at the start of a sporting event.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welsh national anthem |url=http://www.wales.com/en/content/cms/English/About_Wales/Wales_Fact_File/WelshNationalAnthem/WelshNationalAnthem.aspx |publisher=[[Welsh Government]] |year=2015 |accessdate=24 March 2015 |work=Wales.com website |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216034510/http://www.wales.com/en/content/cms/English/About_Wales/Wales_Fact_File/WelshNationalAnthem/WelshNationalAnthem.aspx |archivedate=16 February 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name = "BBC Anthem 2">{{cite web|title=The anthem in more recent years|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/anthem/pages/anthem-today.shtml |accessdate=3 December 2010 |publisher= BBC |date=1 December 2008 |work=[[BBC Cymru Wales|Wales]] History}}</ref> Although crowds singing anthems during matches was commonplace, there was no precedent for the anthem to be sung before a game commenced in any sport.{{refn|group=n|In the United States, singing of patriotic songs before games was first observed in the years following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], with "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" occasionally being sung before baseball games. However, the song's pregame use did not become customary until the 1920s, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" did not become the official national anthem until 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6957582/the-history-national-anthem-sports-espn-magazine |title=The song remains the same |first1=Luke |last1=Cyphers |first2=Ethan |last2=Trex |publisher=''[[ESPN The Magazine]]'' |date=8 September 2011 |accessdate=10 April 2016}}</ref>}} The [[Wales national rugby union team|Welsh national rugby team]] were playing host to the first touring [[The Original All Blacks|New Zealand team]], who to that point were unbeaten. After Wales won the [[Triple Crown (rugby union)|Triple Crown]] in the [[1905 Home Nations Championship]] the match was dubbed the 'Game of the Century' by the press. The New Zealand team started every match with the [[Haka (sports)| Haka]], and [[Welsh Rugby Union]] administrator [[Tom Williams (rugby player, born 1860)|Tom Williams]], suggested that Wales player [[Teddy Morgan]] lead the crowd in the singing of the anthem as a response. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in,<ref name = "School">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4406662.stm |title=School remembers Teddy's 1905 try | publisher =BBC |date=4 February 2005 |accessdate=13 June 2010}}</ref> and Wales became the first nation to sing a national anthem at the start of a sporting event.<ref name="1905AllBlacks">{{cite web|place=NZ |url=http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/asp/container_pages/normal_menu/rmArticle.asp?IDID=150 |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120910224223/http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/asp/container_pages/normal_menu/rmArticle.asp?IDID=150 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=10 September 2012 |title=The 1905/06 'Originals' |publisher=Rugby museum |accessdate=13 June 2010 }}</ref> In 1978 as part of their album, also called "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", [[Geraint Jarman|Geraint Jarman a'r Cynganeddwyr]] recorded a version of the Welsh national anthem using electric guitars, inspired by Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the ''Star-Spangled Banner''. Jarman's version, played by Welsh guitarist [[Tich Gwilym]] is one of the most famous modern versions of the song.<ref name ="BBC Anthem 2" /> ==Usage== Tradition has established "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" as an unofficial Welsh anthem<ref name="Anthem genedlaethol"/> since 1905, when it was first sung by fans at rugby games, although the official anthem at the time was "[[God Bless the Prince of Wales]]". "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" slowly established itself as the more popular anthem over the next four decades, and was sung along with "God Bless the Prince of Wales" and "God Save the Queen" before sporting events until 1975, when sports officials decided that "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" should be sung alone. Like other British anthems, it has not been established as a national anthem by law, but it has been used as a national anthem at official governmental ceremonies, including the opening of the Welsh Assembly, and at receptions of the British monarchy since the 1970s.<ref name="BBC Anthem" /><ref name= "BBC Anthem 2" /> It is recognised and used as an anthem at both national and local events in Wales. Usually this will be the only anthem sung: only the first stanza and chorus are usually sung (and in the Welsh language). ''[[God Save the Queen]]'', the national anthem of the United Kingdom, is sometimes played alongside "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" during official events with a royal connection.<ref name="BBC Anthem 2" /> The existence of a separate national anthem for Wales has not always been apparent to those from outside the country. In 1993 the newly appointed [[Secretary of State for Wales]] [[John Redwood]] was embarrassingly videotaped opening and closing his mouth during a communal singing of the national anthem, clearly ignorant of the words but unable to mime convincingly;<ref name="WAEoW">{{cite book |last1 =Davies |first1 =John | last2 =Jenkins | first2 = Nigel | title= The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year= 2008 |publisher= University of Wales Press | location= Cardiff| page= 364 | isbn = 978-0-7083-1953-6}}</ref> the pictures were frequently cited as evidence of his unsuitability for the post. According to [[John Major]]'s autobiography, the first thing Redwood's successor [[William Hague]] said, on being appointed, was that he had better find someone to teach him the words. He found [[Ffion Hague|Ffion Jenkins]], and later married her.<ref name="BBC Anthem 2" /> The tune of "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" has been used for the anthems of [[Cornwall]] (''[[Bro Goth Agan Tasow]]''), [[Brittany]] (''[[Bro Gozh ma Zadoù]]''),<ref name="WAEoW" /> and [[Y Wladfa]] (''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'', [[Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau#Gwlad Newydd y Cymry|see below]]).💪 ==Lyrics== <poem>Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad, Dros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed. :Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad. :Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau, :O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau. Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd, Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd; Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si Ei nentydd, afonydd, i fi. Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed, Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed, Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad, Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.</poem> ===Translations=== {{Col-start}} {{col-break}} ''Verse translation by A.P. Graves''<ref>{{cite book|title=The Sea Kingdoms: The History of Celtic Britain and Ireland|first=Alistair|last=Moffat|date=12 August 2011|publisher=Birlinn Limited|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=psy8BQAAQBAJ}}</ref> <poem>O Land of my fathers, O land of my love, Dear mother of minstrels who kindle and move, And hero on hero, who at honour's proud call, For freedom their lifeblood let fall. :Wales! Wales! O but my heart is with you! :As long as the sea your bulwark shall be, :To Cymru my heart shall be true. O land of the mountains, the bard's paradise, Whose precipice, valleys are fair to my eyes, Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood Fire the fancy and quicken the blood For tho' the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm, The old speech of Wales he cannot o'erwhelm, Our passionate poets to silence command, Or banish the harp from your strand.</poem> {{col-break}} ''Verse translation by W.S. Gwynn Williams''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cherrycreekchorale.org/wp-content/uploads/walespgm.pdf|title=The Celtic Festival Goes to Wales|work=The Cherry Creek Chorale|date=11 March 2016}}</ref> <poem>The land of my fathers is dear to me, Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free; Its warring defenders so gallant and brave, For freedom their life's blood they gave. :Home, home, true I am to home, :While seas secure the land so pure, :O may the old language endure. Old land of the mountains, the Eden of bards, Each gorge and each valley a loveliness guards; Through love of my country, charmed voices will be Its streams, and its rivers, to me. Though foemen have trampled my land 'neath their feet, The language of Cambria still knows no retreat; The muse is not vanquished by traitor's fell hand, Nor silenced the harp of my land.</poem> {{col-break}} ''A more literal translation:'' <poem>The old land of my fathers is dear to me, Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown; Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots, For freedom shed their blood. :Nation [or country], Nation, I am faithful to my Nation. :While the sea [is] a wall to the pure, most loved land, :O may the old language [''[[videlicet|sc.]]'' Welsh] endure. Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard, Every valley, every cliff, to my look is beautiful. Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur Of her brooks, rivers, to me. If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot, The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever. The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason, Nor [is] the melodious harp of my country.</poem> {{col-end}} ==Cultural influence== [[File:Royal Badge of Wales (2008).svg|thumb|170px|The [[Royal Badge of Wales]]]] The Welsh poet [[Dylan Thomas]] is often quoted as saying "The land of my fathers. My fathers can have it!" in reference to Wales. However, this is misleading, as it was a villainous character in one of Thomas' short stories that spoke this line. [[Gwynfor Evans]] named his history of Wales ''Land of my fathers: 2,000 years of Welsh history''. It was a translation of the Welsh original, ''Aros Mae''. The [[One pound (British coin)|£1 coins]] minted in 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 with a Welsh emblem on the reverse, also bear the edge inscription <small>PLEIDIOL WYF I'M GWLAD</small> ("I am devoted to my country"), from the refrain of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitwales.co.uk/about-wales-guide-to-wales-culture-people-and-language/welsh-history/welsh-national-anthem/ |title=Welsh National Anthem|publisher=[[Welsh Government]] |year=2012 |accessdate=1 July 2012 |work=[[Visit Wales]] website}}</ref> The new [[Royal Badge of Wales]] adopted in 2008 features this motto. == ''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'' == [[File:Gwladnewyddycymry.jpg|thumb|200px|A printed version of ''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'']] A version of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" was written by Lewis Evans, a migrant from Wales to [[Y Wladfa]], a Welsh-speaking settlement in [[Patagonia]], South America. The version penned by Evans is called ''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'' (The New Country of the Welsh). ''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'' is played to the same tune as "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau". === Lyrics === The lyrics to ''Gwlad Newydd y Cymry'' are as follows; <poem>Y mae Patagonia yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad newydd y Cymry mwyneiddlon yw hi; Anadlu gwir ryddid a gawn yn y wlad, O gyrhaedd gormesiaeth a brad: :Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad, :Tra haul y nen uwchben ein pau, :O! bydded i'r Wladfa barhau. Bu'r Cymry yn gorwedd dan ddirmyg yn drwch, Wel, diolch am Wladfa i'n codi o'r llwch; Ein heniaith a gadwn mewn urddas a bri, Tra'r Gamwy'n ddysgleiriol ei lli: : (chorus) 'Chaiff Cymro byth mwyach ymostwng i Sais,- Terfynodd ei orthrwm - dystawyd ei lais; Y Wladfa fawrygwn tra'r Andes wen fawr, A'i choryn yn 'stafell y wawr: : (chorus)</poem> ==Footnotes== {{reflist|group=n}} ==References== {{Reflist}} Learn to read, pronounce, sing perform Welsh National Anthem; New App published by the National Library of Wales published. https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/ra/ng/app/908469898 ==External links== {{Wikisourcelang|cy|Hen wlad fy nhadau}} {{Wikisource}} {{Commonscat}} * {{Citation | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=modl5evfyb4 | title = Learn the Welsh National Anthem the Easy Way | first = Cantorion Colin | last = Jones | type = video | format = Google You tube | publisher = The North Wales Male Chorus}}. * {{Citation | url = http://cantorion.org/musicsearch/title/Hen%20Wlad%20fy%20Nhadau | title = Hen wlad fy nhadau | type = sheet music arranged for piano and voice | publisher = Cantorion}}. * {{Citation | url = http://www.malechoir.com/national_anthem.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110714024210/http://www.malechoir.com/national_anthem.htm | dead-url = yes | archive-date = 2011-07-14 | publisher = Male choir | title = Hen wlad fy nhadau | author = Côr Meibion Pontypridd }}. * {{Citation | url = http://www.welshicons.org.uk/html/hen_wlad_fy_nhadau.php | publisher = Welsh Icons | title = Hen wlad fy nhadau | format = midi file and vocal video | place = UK | deadurl = yes | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090601215440/http://www.welshicons.org.uk/html/hen_wlad_fy_nhadau.php | archivedate = 1 June 2009 | df = dmy-all }}. * {{Citation | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUNnplTSAi4 | contribution = Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau | type = played on the Triple Harp and sung | first = Sian | last = James | title = You tube | format = video | publisher = Google}}. * {{Citation | url = http://www.welshpedia.co.uk/wiki/wales/index.php?title=Hen_Wlad_fy_Nhadau | type = lyrics | publisher = Welshpedia | title = Hen wlad fy nhadau | place = UK | access-date = 20 June 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110615131703/http://www.welshpedia.co.uk/wiki/wales/index.php?title=Hen_Wlad_fy_Nhadau | archive-date = 15 June 2011 | dead-url = yes | df = dmy-all }}. * {{Citation | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIwBvjoLyZc | publisher = You Tube | first = John | last = Redwood | title = Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau}}. * Siôn T. Jobbins, ''[http://www.ylolfa.com/cy/dangos.php?&ISBN=9781847716590 The Welsh National Anthem: its story, its meaning]'' (Y Lolfa, 2013) {{National anthems of Europe}} {{Wales national rugby union team}} [[Category:National anthems of non-sovereign states]] [[Category:Welsh patriotic songs]] [[Category:National symbols of Wales]] [[Category:British anthems]]'