Welsh Music
A Welsh song about summer, often sung in a round (starting one after the other)
What is Daw Hyfrid Fis?
The layers of sound. Can be thin or thick depending on if people are doing the same thing or different things.
What is texture?
Dating back to the Argentinian slums in the 1880s, this style of music came from a blend of African, European and South American music.
What is Tango?
This era was the first of the classical eras, defined by strict rules, rich people and decoration.
What is the Baroque era?
This percussion instrument dates back to the Mali empire of the 12th century. It is most popular to Sub-Saharan African countries.
What is the djembe?
A song sung to send a baby to sleep, often with quiet dynamics, slow tempo and thin texture. Ar Hyd y Nos is an example of one.
What is a lullaby?
This family of instruments are the only family found in Gamelan music.
What is percussion?
This rhythm is found in most Tango music and featured heavily in the opera Carmen
What is habanera?
This musical era was mostly defined by its passionate emotion, feelings of nationalism/patriotism, and the use of music to tell stories.
What is the Romantic era?
Multiple different rhythms played at the same time.
What is Polyrhythm?
This is the largest cultural festival in Europe, celebrating Welsh language poetry, music and culture. Drawing people from across Wales for competitions and varied performances, in 2024 it was held in Pontypridd.
What is the National Eisteddfod (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol)?
Kabuki theatre is a mixture of these three artistic disciplines.
To 'go with' or support. In music, it is the parts that support the melody.
What is an accompaniment?
This structure follows the pattern A B A C A D.
It can be remembered like a sandwich.
What is Rondo?
What is Syncopation?
A Crwth, Pibgorn, Fiddle or Lyre.
What are some traditional Welsh instruments?
A melody that only uses 5 notes, often heard in music from South East Asia, but also in western pop music.
What is pentatonic?
This articulation means 'short and spikey'.
What is staccato?
This silly-named instrument is a Baroque version of a trombone.
What is a sackbut?
There are two types of this compositional technique; Imitation or Question and Answer.
What is Call and Response?
The 1917 Eisteddfod, in which the winner of the poetry competition, Hedd Wyn (Ellis Evans), had died in WW1. The Eisteddfod chair was draped in a black cloth.
What is the Black Eisteddfod?
The myth is that the Sun goddess did a poo in her brother's field and then hid in a cave. The sound of the drums enticed her out of the cave again.
What is the origin of Taiko drumming?
This ensemble is made of at least two bandoneons, two violins, a double bass, a piano, and may include a solo instrument like a guitar, clarinet or singer.
What is an Orquestra tipica?
Invented by Schoenberg, this tonality is neither major nor minor.
What is Atonality?
Originating from the slaves in America, this style of music is characterised by a Walking Bass, 12-bar chord progression and improvisation.
What is the Blues?