Sir Fôn Bach

Llio Rhydderch was moved to arrange ‘Anhawdd Ymadael’, the penultimate tune of this very beautiful album, because the elegy ‘Marwnad Dafydd ap Huw, Berach’ was possibly sung to it. Dafydd ap Huw died in 1696 and Rhydderch is one of his descendants. The triple harp tradition she has inherited, and is thankfully passing on, is indeed centuries old, and a rich one. Sir Fôn Bach is a collection of tunes refecting different periods of Rhydderch's life – the Welsh ballads and folk songs she heard in childhood, the cynghanedd (strict metre poetry) and old manuscripts she has researched recently, such as the fiddler Morris Edwards' tune-book (dated 1778) in which she found the sprightly ‘Consét y Pipar Coch’.

There is an entrancing elegance to several of the tunes, such as ‘Beth Yw'r Haf i Mi (Y Llawenydd a Fu)’, perhaps because they are songs, and an intricacy to the instrumental melodies, ‘Ffarwel Philip Ystwyth a Caru Doli’ for instance. Some of these have travelled far in time, and space: Scott sang ‘Yr Hufen Melyn a Mathafarn’ to a tune dating from the 18th century in ‘The Lorelei Signal’ episode of Star Trek.

Rhydderch learned by ear, teaches in the same way and is admired for her ability to improvise. She acknowledges the influence of the musicians from foreign lands with whom she has toured and recorded. Anyone who enjoys the kora music of the griots will appreciate Sir Fôn Bach. ‘What would I do without my triple harp?’ she writes. ‘It has opened invaluable creative doors for me and is the muse's messenger. ’