Cerdd dant: Music of the medieval Welsh harpers

This session will introduce the first piece in the Robert ap Huw manuscript, gosteg Dafydd athro. We'll overview its structure, its binary harmonic pattern and the concept of mesurau. We’ll look at the role figurations play in cerdd dant, identify the figurations used in this piece, and work through how to play them.

This session introduces the first kaingk ('branch')—the opening section of the piece—and the diwedd, the closing passage that concludes each kaingk. We’ll cover how each is played, the roles of the upper and lower hands, and how the figurations are performed in the context of the piece.

In this session, we move on to the second and third sections of the piece. Both feature the figuration called y plethiad bir, ‘the short plait’. We'll see that kaingk iii is a close variation of kaingk ii, with just two notes altered in the melodic pattern.

We'll learn to play the fourth and fifth sections of the piece. The fourth section, kaingk iiii features plethiad y pedwar bis, the 'plait of the four fingers', played on non-adjacent strings. In kaingk v we take a break from figurations altogether.

In kaingk vi and kaingk vii, we use the figuration called kefn ewin, 'back of nail'. As we learn to play these two sections, we'll use the notes played by the lower hand to guide the placement of stresses on the upper hand notes.

We conclude with the final three sections of the piece. Kaingk viii features the figuration plethiad y bis bach, the 'plait of the little finger', and builds tension by ascending to the highest note of the piece. We'll learn to play this 'pinky finger' figuration with ease and a relaxed hand. The upper hand then descends for kaingk ix, which employs three figurations we've already encountered. The final section reprises the opening kaingk, with the upper hand figuration played at double speed and the lower hand raised an octave for the first half—an impressive grand finale to the piece.