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Welsh Essay on the Rev. T. J. Hughes. £10 10s. "Character of Gweirydd ap Rhys.

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Rev. J. A. Morris,
Aberystwith.

Bardic The late Taliesin o
Chair, and Eifion.
Gold Medal.

Choral Competition, Sir Julius Benedict, £20 and Gold Rhos Choir.

Llwyddawg".

"Hallelujah to the

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NOTES ON THE EISTEDDFOD.

A review of its proceedings may, perhaps, be useful for future guidance. A gathering of some seven or eight thousand people, from the lord to the lowest commoner,

on one and the same spot, is of itself a strong argument why the Eisteddfod should be utilised to the utmost. The leaders, to whom the conduct of the vast mass is entrusted, undertake great responsibilities; and it is their duty to turn every moment of time, as well as circumstance, to some edifying or instructive purpose. The Eisteddfod, it may be pleaded, is the national holiday, and should be regarded as a season of relaxation. Be it so. Still its lighter functions should be of an elevating character, and its more important proceedings weighted with lessons of good.

We have sat down to pen our notes at the earliest moment possible. The impressions which the Eisteddfod has left are as yet fresh and sharp, and we would record them ere their keenness has passed away.

The several addresses, independently of those to and by the Presidents were, upon the whole, worthy of the occasion.

The earlier portion of each day's proceedings was faultless. When the Eisteddfod choir had sung their opening chorus, a suitable address was read and presented to the different Presidents. The reply, too, on each occasion, was of a high character and worthy of the Eisteddfod. Matter, language, and delivery were all excellent. Even Sir W. W. Wynn, who almost prides himself on being "no orator", was moved to eloquence; and Dr. Eyton Jones, whose profession but rarely affords an opportunity for addressing public meetings, delivered a masterly oration; the Bishop of St. Asaph was historical and solid; Sir Robert Cunliffe, practical; Major Cornwallis West, patriotic; Mr. Osborne Morgan, brilliant; the Hon. George Kenyon, classic and poetical; and Dr. Edward Williams, replete with common sense and usefulness.

But when the addresses were delivered, the medley that followed was of a very unequal kind. The prizes offered

were too many, and oftentimes too small, for a national Eisteddfod. They would have better suited some local gathering. A few excepted, they offered no inducement to the giants of the Awen to enter on the arena of combat.

These small prizes have been the bane of Welsh literature, inundating Wales with a flood of poetry and prose, which is not only valueless but mischievous. To wade through a slough of common place is a sad waste of the reader's or student's time. Prizes of an inferior kind are useful in local gatherings; they foster genius in its dawnings. But with that their usefulness is over. These things were a mistake at Wrexham.

And not only is the mass of Eisteddfodic literature thus rendered valueless, but a large and expectant audience has to listen to a wearisome adjudication. The comparative merits of X. Y. and Z., the lowest on the list of competitors, are first discussed. This ended, the relative position on the scale of A. B. and C. is dilated upon; and then, to crown the absurdity, the prize is declared to be carried away by D. Of what edification or use-we ask it in the interests of common sense-can this be, but to fritter away the valuable time of the thousands assembled. There is, however, something to be said in its favour in the case of musical competitions. There the vast audience participates in what is going on. It forms, in a measure, its own judgment, which is affirmed or corrected by the appointed adjudicators. But in literary matters the whole thing, we repeat, is a mistake. If, however, the delivery of adjudications is insisted upon, let it be short and decisive-a condensed summary--and dealing only with the best poems and essays. In the large universities, the adjudicators are never seen or heard. The successful candidate comes forward to recite either the whole or a portion of his production. Something akin to this took place in one instance at Wrexham. The Reverend Rowland Wil

liams (Hwfa Mon) recited the successful Englyn to "The Swallow" amid the plaudits of a delighted audience.

An important change is gradually making its way with respect to musical competitions. The competitors are tested and weeded in an adjoining school-room; and two, sometimes three, of the best are chosen to compete before the Eisteddfod. This winnowing process not only saves time, but shuts inferior performers out of court, reserving the better for the edification of the large audience. Unfortunately this was not done on every occasion at Wrexham, and a valuable portion of good time was lost.

The shortening, too, of musical pieces played in competition might be made with advantage. The junior players on the Welsh harp were of a very mediocre kind; and yet they were allowed, to the manifest weariness of the listeners, to scramble through Edward Jones's numerous variations of Pen-y-rhaw, when the air itself, and a couple of variations at most, would have sufficed to determine which was the best player. We fancy Pencerdd Gwalia must have felt as wearied as the audience.

We cannot speak too highly of the musical department of the Eisteddfod. It was as perfect as any we have ever heard. The choruses, especially of the Messiah, were grand in the extreme. Mr. Brinley Richards's achievements on the pianoforte entranced his auditors; and Mr. John Thomas's faultless execution on the instrument so dear to Welshmen met with loudest applause. We should have given in this account the words spoken by the former gentleman in his adjudication on the "Best made Welsh Harp", but that we intend at a future time to give his strictures in their completeness. We close our remarks with a letter addressed by Sir Julius Benedict to the newspapers, and for which we offer him our best thanks.

To the Editor of the Banner and Times of Wales.

SIR,-I have been desired to state my impressions on the Eisteddfod that has just taken place at Wrexham. I hardly feel equal to a task that requires a much more able pen than mine; but I will endeavour, to the best of my abilities, to give my candid opinion of this National Festival.

On leaving Bayreuth on the 19th inst., to be present at this great musical gathering, I had my doubts what the effect would be of the simple and homely music I expected to hear on the banks of the Dee, after the grand display of science and of art of the Musician of the Future.

If the combination of the highest talent in Germany, vocal and instrumental, made a failure almost impossible, what could we expect in a little provincial town, where, with the exception of a few distinguished artistes from London, the whole burden of an entertainment of four days' and nights' duration was entrusted almost entirely to simple colliers, quarrymen, and members of the working classes generally?

My surprise was the greater on hearing, instead of easy part songs, bold attempts at executing music of the highest character; viz., very important choruses by Handel, Beethoven, Haydn, the English writers, and the composers of our times; although in the place of 120 of the most celebrated instrumentalists, as at Bayreuth, there was merely a pianoforte by Broadwood and a harmonium wherewith to accompany the voices, both entrusted to local professors. Instead of the limited space for about 1,600 auditors and spectators in Wagner's Theatre, I beheld an immense area containing over 7,000 people, seated; and yet, far from being disturbed by interruptions almost unavoidable in such a vast assembly, the silence was quite marked and imposing, enabling us to follow the course not only of the most intricate compositions, but to understand nearly every word that was spoken. In fact, the appreciation of this untutored multitude was such as to put to shame many of our fashionable audiences; and the final result must be a general and even more marked improvement in the progress of music throughout the principality.

There was certainly a prevalence of the native element in the programmes; but, far from complaining of this, I may say that it keeps up the highest aspirations of good-will towards one another, and of companionship between the nobleman and the common labourer.

But this is not all. Apart from music, from poetry, from the old and solemn ceremonial, there are manifestations of a feeling of gratitude to the promoters of these institutions, and to the benefactors of the country, which you could not match elsewhere.

G

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