Welsh Journals

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A Musician's Art and Scientific Prowess: J. Lloyd Williams and his Journal ELEN WYN KEEN The Welsh Folk Song Society was established at the National Eisteddfod of 1906 in Caernarfon. One of its main aims was to collect and safeguard Welsh folk melodies from complete perdition, a task that called for considerable perseverance in the wake of oppos- ition to the folk song tradition. Such opposition resulted not only from the religious revivals of the nineteenth century, but also from the attitude of professional musicians. One way to preserve melodies and restore their status was to publish them, and at a meeting of the Society's subscribers held in Bangor on 8 January 1909, John Lloyd Williams (1854-1945) was appointed honorary musical editor of the official journal, Cylchgrawn Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin or Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society. Lloyd Williams was born at Plas Isaf, Llanrwst, the eldest of seven children. He was a pupil at the British School, Llanrwst and later a student teacher, before winning a scholarship to Bangor Normal College. He was subsequently appointed headmaster of the Elem- entary School at Garndolbenmaen in 1875, and eighteen years later went to the Royal College of Science to study botany, specializing in various types of seaweed. In 1897 he was appointed supporting lecturer and then agricultural advisor within the botany department at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, before being promoted to the chair of botany at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in January 1915. He was very active throughout his life as editor, lecturer and as collector, aiming to raise the status and promote the use of Welsh folk song. He edited the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society for thirty-two years, although pressure of work led him to seek retirement on a number of occasions. He nevertheless persevered until the appearance of the final issue of the third edition in 1941, when he was eighty-seven years old. One of the aims of the Journal was to publish folk songs, ballads,