FOREWORD

Adlais published a facsimile copy of John Parry's Four Lessons for Harp or Harpsichord in 1981, and this was followed in 2008 by a new engraved edition.

The present Casgliad John Parry Collection was produced to coincide with the tercentenary of his birth, and with the celebratory Festival in his honour held in Caernarfon in April 2010. It is, in fact, a panorama of John Parry's life through his music.

John Parry published three volumes of printed music in 1742, 1761 and 1781. Taken together they represent and reflect several different aspects of his career and life as a musician. Most remarkably (in the 1742 volume), his contribution is as a collector and conservationist of the older, traditional Welsh repertoire. The 1761 volume reflects his life as a professional musician and a classical baroque composer and arranger (especially with his arrangements of Corelli and Handel and his original compositions). Then, finally, towards the end of his life, and working from Wynnstay, he comes back to the traditional folkloric repertoire and records the music of the old Welsh harpers, which otherwise would have been completely lost. The final piece in volume 1, illustrating a domestic squabble in music, is a demonstration of John Parry's unexpected, but totally delightful sense of humour.

In addition to music from the printed editions, Volume 1 of the collection also includes a manuscript copy of his arrangement of Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock) with Variations, by permission of the National Library of Wales.

During the course of his career, John Parry played at least three different harps by different makers, but the one he plays in the portrait on the cover of his volume is almost certainly the one made for him in 1755 by John Richards (1711-1789) of Llanrwst. This magnificent portrait, painted by his son, William Parry, is reproduced by kind permission of Miles Wynn Cato.

©Ann Griffiths, March 2010