Carols for Beginners

Contents

I Saw Three Ships / Daeth Tair o Longau

Away in a Manger / I Orwedd Mewn Preseb

Silent Night / Dawel Nos

O Tannenbaum

Good Christian Men, Rejoice / Cydseiniwn Lawen Gân

Good King Wenceslas / Wenseslas, y Brenin Mwyn

While Shepherds Watched / Pan Oedd Bugeiliaid

We Three Kings / Tri Ŷm Ni

Unto Us a Child is Born

O Come, All ye Faithful / O Deuwch Ffyddloniaid

Deck the Halls / Nos Galan

God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen

The First Noel

Il est né, le divin enfant

Happy New Year / Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Notes from the arranger

Introduction for Teachers and Parents

Starting to play the harp can be an exciting time for many young players, while the prospect of performing in their first Christmas concert is an experience they may not forget.

These graded arrangements of fifteen carols are aimed at students in the early stages of learning. For some this can be quite a daunting time, bearing in mind that the students are often not only focusing on reading music, but also being introduced to the basic technique of harp playing. I have inserted suggestions of fingering and bracketing, as I feel this is a discipline which should be introduced in the initial stages of playing. With this in mind, I have deliberately omitted dynamics, phrasing and tempo indications so that the student’s attention can be focused on reading and acquiring a firm technique from the beginning.

In order to accommodate students with subtle differences in ability, you will find more than one arrangement for each carol so that every harp student should be able to perform at a Christmas concert, as a soloist or in a larger ensemble with all their harpist friends.

When the student has mastered these arrangements, why not move on to two further books arranged by myself – Christmas Carols (Carolau Nadolig) and Famous Music for the Harp, Volume 4, “Music for Christmas.”

Meinir Heulyn

Cyflwyniad i Athrawon a Rhieni

Mae dechrau canu’r delyn yn gallu bod yn amser cyffrous i lawer o ddisgyblion ifanc ac mae perfformio yn eu cyngerdd Nadolig cyntaf yn medru bod yn brofiad sy’n aros yn y cof am byth.

Rwyf wedi anelu’r casgliad o bymtheg carol sy’n y llyfr hwn at ddisgyblion sydd newydd ddechrau canu’r delyn. Yn naturiol gall y cyfnod hwn fod yn dipyn o sialens i rai, gan fod angen nid yn unig dysgu darllen cerddoriaeth ond hefyd rhoi sylw dyladwy i’r dechneg o ganu’r delyn. Rwyf wedi ychwanegu manylion byseddu, a nodi pa nodau i’w paratoi, gan fy mod o’r farn y dylid disgwyl disgyblaeth o’r fath o’r cychwyn cyntaf. Yn fwriadol does dim cyfarwyddiadau ar gyfer lliwio, brawddegu a tempo er mwyn i’r disgybl ganolbwyntio’n llwyr ar ddarllen y nodau’n gywir a datblygu techneg gadarn.

Fe welwch fod mwy nag un trefniant i bob carol, fel bo posibilrwydd i bob disgybl gymryd rhan mewn cyngerdd Nadolig, boed yn unigol neu yn aelod o ensemble gyda’u ffrindiau.

Ar ôl meistrolu’r trefniannau hyn, beth am ystyried dau gasgliad arall gen i o gerddoriaeth y Nadolig – Carolau Nadolig a Famous Music for the Harp, Volume 4, “Music for Christmas”.

Meinir Heulyn