Welsh Kid's Ensemble Choir Performs for King Charles III

 

King Charles III recently visited the Senedd in Cardiff to mark the 25th anniversary of devolution in Cymru (sometimes known as Wales). His plan - to make a speech reflecting on the quarter century and looking to the future.

However, the show was somewhat stolen...  Before his speech and the ceremony, there was a performance of the song Safwn yn y Bwlch by Ysgol Treganna Ensemble.  It's a beautiful rendition of a powerful and popular song and, quite rightly, has been doing the rounds on Instagram and TikTok.  As the viewing public only got a minute or so of the ensemble's performance on the news channels, however, I thought it best to show the complete song as they sang it in competition at the Youth Eisteddfod of 2024.  It's sung in four parts (or voices) and the harmonics, particularly when the age of the singers is taken into account, is a joy to behold, as well as the expressive (and typically Welsh) facial performances. Little wonder that they were chosen to perform it in front of the King and Queen on 11 July.

Screenshot (c) S4C

Some of the lyrics are reproduced below.  I do love how this hymn to independence (craftily?) made it into the Senedd celebrations. 

'The dawn of independence is breaking!' 

'We shall not move one inch until Wales is free. 

'Wales is in our blood, we stand for Wales, Her freedom lies within.' 

'We stand in the breach... we stand for our nation, our language, our children, our folk. Together we stand as one.'

The King did deliver some of his speech in Welsh.  You might call it lip-service (literally) to the language as his prononciation of the iaith yr nefoedd (language of heaven) has not improved since his investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle back in 1969.  That sounds a little like sour grapes (and possibly, it is) but he's had a long life in which to get to grips with the language.

Apparently, once the children had finished singing Safwn yn y Bwlch, the Llywydd of the Senedd, Elin Jones, said to the king - "follow that!" which produced a grin before he launched into his speech.  Sometimes, you jusr know when you've been upstaged.