FROST, WILLIAM FREDERICK (1846 - 1891), harpist

Born 28 December 1846 in Albert Street, Merthyr Tydfil, the son of William Frost, a blind harpist. (The father had lost his sight as the result of an accident received by him in a coal mine when he was only thirteen and had been sent to a school for the blind at Swansea, where he learnt to play the harp.) The son was taught by his father and became a fairly good harpist. When he was fifteen he won a prize for playing the harp at an eisteddfod held in Merthyr (1859). He won a scholarship given at the Swansea national eisteddfod, 1863, for singing 'Sweet Richard' and the eisteddfod committee arranged for him to receive lessons from Llewellyn Williams (Pencerdd y De). At the Chester eisteddfod, 1866, John Thomas (1826 - 1913) awarded him a pedal harp, valued at £50; he also won a triple harp at an eisteddfod held at Llandovery. He was much in demand as a harpist, as a teacher of the harp, and as adjudicator in harp competitions. He received a doctorate from Germany. After his marriage to a talented singer named Sarah Ada Gedrych, he moved to Cardiff. There he founded the ' Frost Concerts ' which did much for the cause of music at Cardiff. He wrote several songs, his ' Hen Gymru fynyddig ' and ' Hoff fryniau fy ngwlad ' being at one time very popular. He died 25 February 1891 at 5 The Parade, Cardiff.

Author

• Robert David Griffith, (1877 - 1958)

Sources

• Y Cerddor, April and July 1891
• R. Griffith, Llyfr Cerdd Dannau (Caernarfon 1913)
• Edward Jones, Rhestr gyda nodiadau byrion, o Enwogion Cymreig o 1700 i 1900 (1908)
• David Morgans, Music and musicians of Merthyr and district: Together with a list of eisteddfodau to the year 1901 (Merthyr Tydfil 1922)

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20734616

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/