ROBERTS, ELEAZAR (1825 - 1912), musician

Born 15 January 1825, at Pwllheli, Caernarfonshire, the son of John and Margaret Roberts, who moved to Liverpool two months after he was born. After attending the Owen Brown school, Rose Place, and the Liverpool Institute, he started to work when he was 13 in a solicitor's office. In 1853 he became a member of the staff in the office of the clerk to the Liverpool magistrates and, in course of time, he became chief assistant to the clerk to the stipendiary magistrate, a position he held until his retirement; he himself was elected a justice of the peace in 1895, the year following that of his retirement.

Eleazar Roberts contributed to such journals as Y Drysorfa, Y Traethodydd, and Y Geninen; he also wrote a weekly article to Yr Amserau over the pseudonym 'Meddyliwr.' He translated into Welsh the two volumes of the work by Dr. Dick on The Solar System and frequently lectured on astronomy in various parts of Wales; he wrote a life of Henry Richard ('Apostle of Peace'), and an English novel, Owen Rees, which describes life in the Welsh community in Liverpool.

He was a pioneer of the Tonic Sol-fa system in Wales, travelling throughout the country to expound it and to establish music classes. He published Llawlyfr y Tonic Solffa, Llawlyfr Caniadaeth, Llawlyfr i ddarllen yr Hen Nodiant, and Hymnau a Thonau. He was precentor at Netherfield Road C.M. chapel, Liverpool, and it was he who, with John Edwards, conducted the first Welsh singing festival held in Liverpool, in 1880.

He died 6 April 1912, and was buried in Anfield cemetery, Liverpool.

Author

• Robert David Griffith, (1877 - 1958)

Sources

• J. Hughes Morris, Hanes Methodistiaeth Liverpool (Liverpool 1929-1932)
• J. Thickens, Emynau a'u Hawduriaid (1945)
• Y Cerddor, August 1896 and May 1912

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Eleazar Roberts

Additional Links

• VIAF: 38983998
• Wikidata: Q5354460

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/