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The study of Welsh traditional music here at the National Library should begin with the following volumes:
The following sources are available digitally.
Three important manuscripts, written by John Jenkins (Ifor Ceri, 1770–1829), have already been digitised, namely:
Daniel Huws has discussed these manuscripts in Canu Gwerin (Folk Song), 8 (1985), 32-50, and 9 (1986), 47-57.
Our non-printed collections of Welsh folk tunes and songs are primarily the papers of individuals who collected those songs, and interpreted the tradition, during the twentieth century, among them:
All the above individuals were associated with the Welsh Folk Song Society, the archive of which may also be found in the Library:
Archives relating to the tradition of penillion singing are relatively rare, and we hope to enhance our collections in this field in the future. We already hold:
The creative output of most Welsh folk music performers should be available in the Welsh Screen and Sound Archive here at the Library. However, the following archives are also relevant:
In 2016, following a generous financial contribution from the Welsh Folk Song Society the following early printed collections were digitised by the Library:
Two electronic databases on the Library web-page provide access to the libretti of Welsh-language songs – in both strict and free metres – in our collections:
Researchers are directed to the following selected digital resources:
Sponsored by our Board of Governors, the National Library will prioritise the cataloguing of a number of important recently-received musical collections during 2017-2020, including the Papers of Meredydd Evans and Phyllis Kinney. Part of this project will be a design for a new electronic database of Welsh melodies and songs which are held at the Library, and in other institutions. Further information about this project will be published in due course.