I have produced this website so that I can share with any who have a love of music, especially the harp. Although I never took it up professionally, I have continued to play the instrument since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I’m now nearly 78, and still have a passion for its sound, and listening to the playing of the instrument by the top professionals. I am not sorry that I chose different paths (yes, paths) to follow, for I could still play the instrument whenever I chose, and yet take up careers (yes, in the plural!) that I wanted to follow.
Any who are looking at this site may wish to take a look at my life with the harp here. There also a section devoted to my Grandfather, the Royal Welsh harpist. Embedded in this is perhaps the definitive account of his life, broadcast by the BBC as his obituary. here
The music that follows falls into two sections. The first is my playing of mostly Welsh harp music, and the second is the result of my decision to undertake some composition, mostly involving the harp, but also with a couple of piano pieces, a hymn tune and a first attempt at producing an orchestral piece. The sounds here are machine-driven, from mp3 files that were mostly generated using Sibelius software, first to notate the musical scores themselves and secondly to produce the sounds that they make. No professional musician or sound engineer is involved, so bear with me if these sections do not meet exacting standards! Nevertheless, I believe them to be a reasonable effort. You will of course realise that the machine products would pale into shadows of what real musicians could do… Last but by no means least, is a folder containing birdsong. Music to my ears! The files were made from my narrowboat. Apologies for background noises, including my own whispered comments. I did not possess a directional mike, so extraneous noises abound. See how many birds you can identify in the wonderful dawn chorus!