OWEN, WILLIAM (1830 - 1865), musician

Born 11 May 1830 at Tremadoc, Caernarfonshire, the son of William and Beti Owen. He was educated at the British school, Pont-ynys-galch, Portmadoc; later, he received some instruction from Owen Griffith, Garn Dolbenmaen. He and his brother carried on the work followed by the father, who had been connected with the timber trade. He was given lessons in organ-playing by a Mrs. Coventry (the earl of Coventry's niece) who kept a private school at Tremadoc. Among his eisteddfod successes were - an anthem, ' Can Moses a Chân yr Oen,' at the Bethesda eisteddfod of 1851, and, in the same year, at Eisteddfod Madog, an anthem ' Gweddi Habacuc.' An anthem by him to the words beginning ' Wrth afonydd Babilon ' was published; several carols and hymn-tunes composed by him were also published - e.g. the hymn-tune ' Porthmadog ' appeared in Caniadau y Cysegr a'r Teulu, 1865. He died 2 August 1865, and was buried in Penmorfa churchyard.

Author

• Robert David Griffith, (1877 - 1958)

Sources

• Y Cerddor, July 1893
• Y Cerddor Cymreig (1861-1873), Nos. 64 and 65
• M. O. Jones, Bywgraffiaeth Cerddorion Cymreig (1890)

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20734690

Published date: 1959

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