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about
From the Book of Taliesyn, this poem was written hundreds of years after the events described. In it the bard praises his leader Uryen, ruler of the kingdom of Rheged. The kingdom had its stronghold in Galloway. Its period extended from the departure of the Romans to sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries. A form of early Welsh was spoken in Rheged.
Bragod re-create early Welsh music and perform it alongside early Welsh poetry. Neither the poetry nor the Welsh language of this period had stressed accents, instead, the ends of phrases, lines, and longer passages were marked with an upward melodic movement. Bragod have used these structures to guide the melody, striving to respect the details of sound-play and meaning in the verse.
To set this poem, Bragod have drawn on a compositional basis from the later middle ages. The long measure, Kalchan, with its ten ‘bits’ allows the lines of poetry to move out of phase with the music, causing tension, and causing resolution when they come back into phase. The lyre part remains stable (playing the same succession of 1s and 0s) while the melody never repeats. This is non-developmental music. Bragod.wordpress.com
lyrics
Uryen Yrech6ydd. Urien of Erechwydd,
haelaf dyn bedyd, most generous man in the world,
llia6s a rodyd, you give much,
y dynyon eluyd. to the people of the civilised world.
Mal y kynnullud, As you gather,
yt wesceryd. so do you scatter.
Llawen beird bedyd Joyful are the poets of the world
tra vo dy uuchyd, as long as you are alive,
ys m6y llewenyd, greater is the joy
gan clotuan clotryd, in the company of the famous hero,
ys m6y gogonyant, greater is the glory
vot Uryen ae plant. That Urien and his sons are alive.
Ac ef yn arbennic, And he is the leader,
yn oruchel wledic the exalted ruler,
yn dinas pellenic, a refuge for the traveller,
yn keimyat kynteic, a champion of the first rank,
Lloegr6ys ae g6ydant, as the English know
pan ymadrodant. when they chatter.
Agheu a ga6ssant, They got death,
a mynych godyant, and felt frequent wrath,
llosci eu trefret, burning their settlements,
a d6yn eu tudet, and taking their shelter,
ac eim6nc collet, losing much,
a ma6r aghyffret, and feeling much discomfort,
heb gaffel g6aret with no chance of salvation
rac Vryen Reget. before Urien of Rheged.
credits
from Oran Bagraidh,
track released February 2, 2019
(early Welsh) Circa 9th Century
Bragod: lyre, voice
Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde: accordion, voice
Conor Caldwell: fiddle, voice
Rody Gorman: voice
Barnaby Brown: voice
Josie Duncan: voice
Gwyneth Glyn: voice
Ben Seal: synthesizer
Words traditional
Melody by Bragod
Welsh edition and English translation courtesy of Dr Graham Isaac.
supported by 8 fans who also own “Uryen Erechwydd Part A”
One of my favorite albums ever and I listen to it all the time, every song is beautifully made and I admire the songwriting. Way Up on the Mountain wrenches my heart in the best possible way, the blending and passion of these singers is something genuinely special. feathered_fingernail
