Women in ballads and Welsh popular culture in the 19th century

Award

PhD Research Studentship

Supervisors/Schools:

Mr. Wyn Thomas (School of Music)
Professor Peredur Lynch (School of Welsh)

Description of Project:

In an age bereft of mass media, the ballad was one of the principal means of disseminating news about dramatic events and steering public opinion. One specific aspect of the nineteenth-century ballad in Wales, namely their portrayal of women, will be the basis of this research. As well as contributing to our understanding of the music of the period (the airs, their variants and the process of borrowing ‘stock’ songs from over the border), this Ph.D. thesis will contribute to the field of women’s studies in Welsh culture.

The research will look at the methods of ballad writers when portraying women, maids, mothers and wives. Equally importantly, this research project will focus on ballads which portray significant events which influenced women in the 19th century, as well as the following considerations: What led women to compose and sing ballads? What were the merits of the ballad compared to ‘standard’ poetry or folk singing? Attention will also be given to those women who collected ballads – what was their contribution? Was the custom of singing ballads – recounting a story in song – a feature of feminine personality and part of the culture of ‘gossiping’ which has been associated with the fair sex from time immemorial?

This Welsh-medium research project will be based on the collaboration between the School of Music, Bangor University and the principal research institutions of Wales, namely the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth), The Welsh Folk Museum (St Fagans, Cardiff), The Salisbury Library (Cardiff), the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University and the School of Welsh, Bangor University. It should be emphasized that this research project is designed as a musical study linked strongly with Bangor’s status as the only research centre for Welsh music.

Principal Supervisory Team

Mr. Wyn Thomas – Following a period as a Research Assistant in the University of Wales in the 70s, Thomas was appointed music lecturer at Bangor and, soon afterwards, received funding to establish a Welsh Traditional Music Archive in the College. He is a Teaching Fellow of the University, joint editor of the bilingual journal Hanes Cerddoriaeth Cymru/Welsh Music History and has published mainly in the field of Welsh folk music, e.g. Cynheiliaid y Gân (Essays in Honour of Phyllis Kinney and Meredydd Evans) (Cardiff, 2007), Traditional Music in Wales: A Bibliography (Llanrwst, 2006), Meistres Graianfryn a Cherddoriaeth Draddodiadol yng Nghymru (Aberyswyth, 1999). He has wide experience of supervising K.T.P. schemes by collaborating with musical institutions, such as the London Sinfonietta, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Cwmni Sain (Llandwrog) and Gwynn Music Publishers (Pen-y-groes).

Professor Peredur Lynch is a specialist on the work of the Poets of the Welsh Princes – poets such as Einion Wan, Llygad Gŵr and Meilyr Brydydd. He has published works on mediaeval Welsh literature and contributed to Cyfres Beirdd y Tywysogion. and is an authority on the growth and development of cynghanedd and strict metre poetry. He led an AHRC project (2002–5) at Bangor on Welsh Vaticinatory Poetry of the Mediaeval and Early Modern Periods. He worked with Dr Wyn James as directors of a joint research project between Bangor and Cardiff Universities to prepare a computerized index of printed ballad of the 18th century.

For full details of the terms and conditions of this award see.

Queries prior to a formal application concerning this research project should be addressed to:
Mr. Wyn Thomas (School of Music): w.thomas@bangor.ac.uk
Professor Peredur Lynch (School of Welsh): p.i.lynch@bangor.ac.uk

Application:

The application deadline is noon on Friday 30 April 2010. For more information on how to apply, please visit here

Applicants will be contacted during the month of June 2010 with information relating to their submissions.