Cwm Rhondda - Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer (Orig Jehovah)

Cwm Rhondda is my favourite Welsh Tune This is sung by a Welsh congregation in a Welsh chapel.
I am not Welsh but I love the traditional music that has come out of Wales.
I have uploaded this to try and make US listeners aware that the version they appear to play and sing is not true to the original tune and I want to know at what point it was changed :-) To me this change alters the character of the tune.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Cwm
• Rhondda
• Welsh
• Methodist
• Chapel
• Congregation
• Pipe
• Organ
• hymn
• Guide
• me
• Thou
• Great
• Redeemer
• Jehovah

[Blindingham]

@goodchappy If they're right, then the trans-Atlantic differnce could be accounted for by the failure of the altered version (altered, that is, in this country) to cross to America. But I'd like to see the original manuscript myself to be certain sure!

[Blindingham]

@goodchappy Ah, that's interesting. My source was the New English Hymnal, although, unfortunately, they don't give a source themselves for their assertion that, while the version we both know is "common", "the original harmony [your American version] is preferable". Indeed, they only give this version as an optional extra and a sort of footnote; the main text of the music is what they consider to be original (and what I sould imagine no one using the book ever plays or sings, but heigh ho).

[goodchappy]

@Blindingham Where is this written down? I would like to see THE original manuscript, though I believe it was written in "Sol Far". The oldest hymn book I have was printed in 1916 and has this tune the same as in this recording. I've done some research on the Internet and every time the tune is played differently, it is from an American source.

[Blindingham]

@goodchappy Having just had a shufti at that hymn 501 myself, I'm afraid that it's the version there that is the original, and the one you've posted here is the one that's been changed. This version is indeed much the more common here in Blighty (it's the one I know and love), but what John Hughes wrote in 1907 was what you think of as the American version. Whenever the change occurred, then (and I can't help you there, I fear), it probably happened this side of the pond.

[fleenr]

I believe it is because in the past very often the melody of a tune was written in the tenor (rather than in soprano as now), particularly when written for male voice choirs. The version originally popularised in the USA came from one such edition whereas in the UK we had it in the soprano and hence the slight variation to be found in different hynmals.

[silverstartrucker]

@goodchappy No Pete. It is showing your address as

4zgkjyazpxqVoAIHoo_tSw instead of goodchappy. I can only contact you by this medium

[goodchappy]

@silverstartrucker Oh, that's ever so slightly tedious, I haven't changed anything so not what sure what to do about it. I have to have a poke around.

[silverstartrucker]

@goodchappy - Have received your message but can't send you one as it says I am not in your list of contacts...ARTH

[goodchappy]

@silverstartrucker I think I will remove these comments as I posted this video because I like the singing the organ, the Welsh, the Scottish, the Irish, the French, the German, the Americans.... and we don't want World War 3 to break out here.

Youtube can lead to people falling out, yet if they met face to face, they may be the best of friends. :-)

[goodchappy]

@silverstartrucker Yes, don't need that. Enough trouble in the world.