Tag: Robert Rees

Merthyr Historian Volume 31

The Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society is pleased to announce that, despite all of the difficulties due to Covid-19, volume 31 of the Merthyr Historian is now for sale.

Merthyr Historian Volume 31 – Contents
Chapter 1 Penydarren born Frank T Davies, 1904-1981, pioneer, geophysicist and polar explorer Roger Evans
Chapter 2 Science at the cusp: Caedraw 1887 and education in Merthyr John Fletcher
Chapter 3 ‘Whom the gods love, die young’: the frail genius of Harry Evans, conductor T Fred Holley & John Holley
Chapter 4 ‘Kathleen Ferrier slept in my bed’: musical celebrities and wartime Merthyr Vale Mair Attwood
Chapter 5 Robert Rees: the Morlais Nightingale Stephen Brewer
Chapter 6 The female drunkard in the mid nineteenth century Barrie Jones
Chapter 7 Cefn Glas: a forgotten colliery Clive Thomas
Chapter 8 Emlyn Davies, Dowlais Draper: a family flannel and local business history Alan Owen
Chapter 9 Merthyr relief and social work in the worst of times: Margaret Gardner (1889-1966) Christine Trevett
Chapter 10 Appeal and response, Merthyr’s need 1930-31, from The Skip Collection Clive Thomas & Christine Trevett
Chapter 11 Pulpit and platform, revival reservations and reforms: the work of the Rev John Thomas (1854-1911) at Soar, Merthyr Tydfil Noel Gibbard
Chapter 12 The Rev G M Maber, Merthyr and the poet Robert Southey’s Welsh Walks Barrie Jones
Chapter 13 The drums go bang, the cymbals clang. Three bands, Troedyrhiw 1921 T Fred Holley & John Holley
Chapter 14 The railways of Pant and Dowlais towards the end of steam Alistair V Phillips
Chapter 15 Book Review: Merthyr Tydfil Corporation Omnibus Dept. Keith L Lewis-Jones
Chapter 16 From Dudley to Dover and Dowlais: Black Country tram sales and their brief second careers Andrew Simpson
Chapter 18 ‘Here’s health to the Kaiser!’ Patriotic incident at Treharris, 1914 Christine Trevett
Chapter 19 Lady Charlotte and Sir John: the Guest family at large. A review essay on recent books Huw Williams
Chapter 20 Dr Brian Loosmore (1932-2019).  An Appreciation T Fred Holly
Chapter 21 ‘Rather less than four pence’: A case of benefits in Merthyr Tydfil in 1933 (transcribed)

John Dennithorne

It is a mammoth volume at350+ pages long and priced at £12.50 (plus postage & packing).

If anyone would like a copy of the book, please contact me at merthyr.history@gmail.com and I will forward your request to the appropriate person.

Robert Rees – ‘Eos Morlais’

Robert Rees was born on Easter Sunday, 5 April 1841, in Dowlais, the son of Hugh and Margaret Rees. Both his parents hailed from Machynlleth, but they moved to Dowlais soon after they married where Hugh began working as a collier. His father died when young Robert was eight years old and his mother died soon afterwards.

Put in the charge of his uncle, William Ellis, at the age of nine he began working in the coal-mine.His uncle soon noticed that the boy had prodigious talent for singing and recitation, so William began to give him lessons in music. Robert supplemented these lessons by studying text books.

As an adult Robert joined the Libanus Chapel Temperance Choir under the leadership of David Rosser, and later, on Rosser’s retirement he became the choir’s conductor. He took the pseudonym Eos Morlais (Morlais Nightingale), in reference to the River Morlais, which ran near his home during his childhood. He won several prizes at local eisteddfodau as a vocalist and in 1867, at the age of 26, he won the tenor competition at the National Eisteddfod at Carmarthen.

In 1870, Rees moved to Swansea and became precentor at Soar Congregational Chapel. He took a course of instruction at the Swansea Training College and was successful enough to give up work to devoted his whole time to music. Rees served for three years as precentor of Walter Road Congregational Church in Swansea and he conducted in singing festivals and served as adjudicator.

Having heard him sing, the famous soprano Adelina Patti, as well as many other highly regarded musicians tried to persuade him to move to London to take formal musical training, and to pursue an operatic career. Robert refused, preferring to stay in Wales.

In 1874, at the National Eisteddfod, held in Bangor, Rees performed the song Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau and according to the Baner ac Amserau Cymru journal “had taken the Eisteddfod by storm”. Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was subsequently adopted as the Eisteddfod song in 1880 and sung at every Gorsedd ceremony since. In 1887 Rees was invited to sing at the National Eisteddfod in London in front of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward. Rees led the singing of God Bless the Prince of Wales and at the end of the meeting he also sang Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, to which the prince and his family rose, the first time royalty had stood to the Anthem of Wales.

Rees sang throughout Wales and England and in 1879 he performed a tour of North America, and he was considered to be Wales’ finest tenor at the time, despite his lack of formal training.

Robert had married in 1865, and the early death of his wife, Margaret, on 11 April 1889 at the age of 45, affected Robert deeply. By the early 1890’s he also began to suffer from ill-health, and he was diagnosed with diabetes. At the time, diabetes had only been ‘discovered’ as an ailment a few years before, so treatment was rudimentary to say the least, and Robert’s condition gradually worsened. Despite his failing health, he continued to perform, and on 18 April 1892, he sang at the Independent Cymanfa Ganu at Bethania Chapel in Dowlais.

This would prove to be his last public appearance. His condition worsened, and he went to Langland Bay in an effort to help improve his health. Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis, and he died at his home in Swansea on 5 June 1892.

His death was mourned throughout Wales, and the route of his funeral procession from Swansea to Aberdulais was lined by hundreds of mourners. He was buried at Aberdulais Methodist Chapel. During the funeral, one of the speakers commented that it was apt that his last performance was in Dowlais – the town of his birth.