SAMUEL, WILLIAM THOMAS (1852 - 1917), musician

Born 17 October 1852 at Carmarthen. He attended a local day school and then received some instruction at the hands of the Rev. Lewis Lewis and Alcwyn Evans. He started to learn the Tonic Sol-fa notation when he was quite young and succeeded in gaining many certificates, eventually becoming L.T.S.C., and a member of the council. He attended music classes at Aberystwyth College under Dr. Joseph Parry.

He composed hymn-tunes, anthems, and other pieces. His ' Storm the Fort of Sin,' the quartette ' Y Deigryn,' and his two anthems ' Mor hawddgar yw Dy bebyll ' and ' O'r dyfnder y llefais,' became popular. With J. H. Roberts (Pencerdd Gwynedd), he edited Llawlyfr Moliant, the Baptist hymn and tune-book, and produced the Sol-fa version of the collection of hymn-tunes edited by Ellis Roberts (Elis Wyn o Wyrfai). He was a successful conductor of hymnody festivals with a special gift for conducting juveniles.

He died suddenly at Cardiff on 23 February 1917, after he had conducted a choir of five hundred children in the Park Hall. He was buried in the Aberystwyth cemetery on 28 February.

Author

• Robert David Griffith, (1877 - 1958)

Sources

• Mr W. T. Samuel, Caerdydd, Y Cerddor, November 1899, p.122
• Y Cerddor, April 1917

Further reading

• J. Ifano Jones, Bywyd a llafur W.T. Samuel (Llanuwchllyn 1920)

Additional Links

• NLW Archives: NLW MS 19377C: Diary with MS notes, of William Thomas Samuel (1852-1917), musician; papers of Eddie Williams, pioneer of school milk and meals
• VIAF: 61257845
• Wikidata: Q20734709

Published date: 1959

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