Initiative encourages community hymn singing

Hundreds of people headed to a church in the Rhondda Valley, Wales, on Sunday to take part in a festival aimed at getting more people involved in collective hymn singing.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, was at St Anne's Church in Ynyshir for the event, during which a minute's silence was also held for the four miners killed in the Gleision Colliery last week.

The Music in the Community/Archbishop of Wales' Hymn Singing Opportunity initiative was organised by local vicar, Father Paul Bigmore.

He is planning to hold services in north and south Wales each year as part of his effort to give the traditional “Cymanfa Ganu” - or collective singalong - a modern makeover.

The inaugural service at St Anne's Church yesterday attracted a crowd large enough to fill it to capacity, with people from as far afield as London, Manchester, Liverpool and Taunton turning up to take part.

They were expertly guided through a range of Welsh and English traditional and modern hymns by two of Wales’ most experienced musicians – organist Huw Tregelles Williams and conductor Alwyn Humphries. Also taking part were children of the local choir, Cor Y Cwm.

Music in the Community was set up by Father Paul 13 years ago to bring music back into people’s lives by encouraging them to perform and by bringing concerts to their doorsteps.

It has been hugely successful, reaching out to an estimated 30,000 people over the years and establishing links between the Rhondda and professional musicians at Canterbury Cathedral.

Fr Paul, a keen hymn writer, is planning to hold two Cymanfa Ganus each year, one in Bangor in north Wales, and the other in a South Wales venue.

There will also be a training day for young conductors and organists to pass on the skill of conducting this particular form of community singing.

The Archbishop said, “This was a wonderful occasion and it goes to show just how much people still enjoy coming together and singing hymns. There is a wonderful warmth and joy when people come together to sing hymns that have resonated down the generations and are now so much more than just words and music.

“The Cymanfa Ganu was a real festival of singing which brought the community together. There is still very much a place in Wales for that and I hope this make-over by Fr Paul will give it a new lease of life.”

Father Paul said, “For myself, the singing and atmosphere on the day can only be described as the wonders of creation. The seeds have been sown for the revival of hymn singing and I am sure it will grow across Wales.

"Music brings people together. When we hear great hymns our spines tingle – whether they are sung in Sunday services or performed with a modern twist by artists such as Only Men Aloud. They are part of our identity and culture and we need to rekindle that spirit before it dies out.

“This I hope is the beginning of a revival of Cymanfa Ganu’s in Wales – a celebration of our treasure trove of hymns in both Welsh and English and a chance to discover and provide a platform for new talent and modern hymns.”