Tanodd Y Castell
| Brolga Music Symphonic Repertoire BMC077 |
Level: 4 | Duration: 5'18" |
Program Notes
Aberystwyth Castle stands as ruins near the town which bears its name. The construction of the castle commenced in the 13th century and its history is long and deep. Walking through such building sites often causes me to think of what lies beneath the "sands-of-time"and what really happened within the walls that now lie in a jumbled pile of rock and soil.
Tanodd Y Castell (Tanoth Ur Cas-Tell) is based on the Joseph Parry hymn Aberystwyth. Parry was the first Professor of Music at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth. The music can best be described as variations on the hymn tune; the tune is never very far away but it is only full revealed toward the end of the piece.
Tanodd Y Castell is Welsh for "Beneath the Castle" and the music attempts to capture some of the living memories that lay under the broken walls, buildings and ramparts. As we enter the castle grounds and get the first glimpse of the structure we begin to feel and sense the humanity that once dwelt within the boundary of the walls; medieval fairs, dancing and jousting, a care-free life sometimes tinged with sorrows, battles and hardship. Still there is a realization that all of this is the life of the Castle, the very reason it existed. The final, complete statement of the hymn tune Aberystwyth still encapsulates all that we experience within the walls of the castle.
