Caradog Roberts
Caradog Roberts (30 October 1878 — 3 March 1935) was a Welsh composer, organist and choirmaster.[1]
Roberts was born in Rhosllannerchrugog to John and Margaret Roberts. He showed musical talent since his childhood, winning several prizes at Welsh festivals (eisteddfodau) in which he participated.[2]
He studied piano and organ, becoming organist of Mynydd Seion Congregational church, Ponciau from 1894 until 1903. In the next year he took the same position at Bethlehem Congregational church, Rhosllanerchrugog, a post he retained until his death. He took the degrees of B.Mus. (1906) and D.Mus. (1911), both at Oxford.[3] From 1914 to 1920, he was Director of Music at Bangor University.[2]
Roberts was one of the editors of Y Caniedydd Cynulleidfaol Newydd[4] (1921), the hymnal of the Welsh Independent Church, as well as Caniedydd Newydd yr Ysgol Sul (1930), the Sunday School hymnal of that same church.
Roberts was a prolific composer and arranger of hymn tunes, several of which were incorporated into Welsh hymnaries. Among the most well-known are Rachie and In Memoriam, a tribute to Welsh composer Harry Evans.
He died in Wrexham, Denbighshire on 3 March 1935, and is buried in Rhosllannerchrugog cemetery.[3]
References
- ↑ "Dr Caradog Roberts". Wrexham History. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- 1 2 Welsh Biography Online
- 1 2 Evans, Robert; Humphreys, Maggie; Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing, 1997.
- ↑ Y Caniedydd Cynulleidfaol Newydd at Google Books
External links
- Free scores by Caradog Roberts in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)