Maria Jane Williams

Maria Jane Williams (c.1794 – 10 November 1873) was an 18th century Welsh musician and folklorist born at Aberpergwm House, Glynneath in Glamorgan, south Wales.

Life

Maria Jane Williams was born in 1794, or 1795,^[1] at Aberpergwm House, Glynneath. She was born into the Williams family, originally of Blaen Baglan but lived, in her later years, at a house called Ynys-las, near Aberpergwm House. She died in 1873 and is buried at St Cadoc’s Church in the grounds of Aberpergwm House.^[1]

Education and scholarly studies

Maria Jane Williams was well educated, a supporter of the Welsh language and traditions and had an extensive knowledge of music.^[1] She was especially acclaimed for her singing^[2] and was an accomplished player of the guitar, and the harp, having been taught by the famous harpist Parish-Alvars.^[1] She acquired the name ‘Llinos’ (the Welsh word for linnet), and was associated with the Welsh cultural society known as Cymreigyddion Y Fenni and made her home a focus for ‘Celtic Renaissance’ enthusiasts.^[2]

Book of Welsh folk songs

In 1844, she published a collection of Welsh airs under the title of ‘The Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morgannwg’, and for this she won the Abergavenny eisteddfod of 1838 and was awarded a prize by Lady Llanover, who later became her friend.^[1] Despite later criticisms this book remains an important contribution to the knowledge of traditional Welsh music.^[2] The book contains 43 songs with Welsh words and accompaniments for the harp or piano.^[3] and also provides notes on the songs and a list of persons for whom copies of the work had been printed, which evidenced how well patronised Welsh folk song was during this period.^[3] The book has since been re-issued by the Welsh Folk Song Society with a contemporary introduction and notes by Daniel Huws.^[3]

Lucy Broadwood, an ex-president and mentor of the Folk Song Society, and one of the earliest collectors of Celtic folk songs, in a scathing attack on the folklorists of the day, claimed that during the period 1800 to 1850, in Wales, as in the rest of Britain, ‘a mass of “traditional” and so-called “Druidical” songs was published which does not bear critical investigation.’ She claimed, however, that Maria Jane Williams was one of only two people in Britain at this time who were the exception to this rule.^[3] Maria Jane Williams claimed that: ‘The songs were given as...obtained,...in their wild and original state; no embellishments of the melody have been attempted, and the accompanying words are those sung to the airs.’^[4]

Maria Jane Williams also assisted John Parry to produce the ‘Welsh Harper’ and John Thomas consulted her before publishing his two volumes of Welsh airs.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-WILL-ABE-1500.htm Retrieved 22 February 2010
2. ^ ^{a b c} Davies, J., Jenkins, N., Baines, M., Lynch, P. I., ‘The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales’, University of Wales Press Cardiff, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-7083-2154-6 (paperback)
3. ^ ^{a b c d} http://www.tradsong.org/MJWILL99.PDF Retrieved 22 February 2010
4. ^ Williams, M., J., Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morgannwg (A Facsimile of the 1844 Edition with Introduction and Notes on the songs by Daniel Huws), The Welsh Folk Song Society, 1988, reprinted 1994, ISBN 0-907158-30-7

Persondata
Name	Williams, Maria Jane
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1795
Place of birth
Date of death	1873
Place of death