Gareth Walters: A Gwent Suite (1964)

First things first. I mentioned to a friend that I was writing about a piece of music called ‘A Gwent Suite.’ Their first question was ‘Where is Gwent?’ Now, I am one of those people who has never really caught up with the local counties’ reorganisation of 1974. I still think of the Yorkshire Ridings (East, North and West), still insist that Barrow in Furness and Cartmel are in Lancashire and not in Cumbria and do not know where Greater Manchester is. Alas, Gwent is one of this places that is a wee bit more difficult to pin down. In 1974 it was created as a combination of the old county of Monmouthshire and the county borough of Newport – with a few minor boundary changes. In 1996 Gwent was abolished and was divided up into several unitary authorities. Nowadays, Gwent refers to a reduced historic county of Monmouthshire. However, it remains as a ‘preserved county’ for ceremonial purposes.

This leads to the question as to what Swansea-born composer Gareth Walters (1929-2012) had in mind when he wrote his suite. Although it does not mention a date on the composer’s webpage nor is it given in the sleeve notes of the work’s only recording, the score was published by Mozart Edition in 1964 -long before the ‘new’ county was created. So, I guess that it has to be named after the ancient kingdom of Gwent. This stretched between the River Wye and the River Usk. Although the Kingdom disappeared in the 11^th century, the name Gwent was used by 19^th and 20^th century writers in a romantic, literary sense for what (until 1974) was Monmouthshire. This certainly ties in with the work’s genesis: it was written as a commission from the South Wales Argus newpaper for performance by the Monmouthshire County Youth Orchestra.

So, to the music. Gareth Walters has created a suite of music that is relatively straightforward to perform, bearing in mind its dedication. On the other hand, there is nothing in these pages that is patronising.

The four-movement suite is based on Welsh folk tune and is designed to reflect the character or mood of four areas of ‘Gwent.’ The opening movement is based not so much on a melody but on a counterpoint devised to the ‘Llanover Reel’. The village of Llanover is located some four miles south of Abergavenny in Monmouthshire. This Reel was revived in 1918 by local schoolchildren based on the recollection of Lord Treowen, Mrs. Gruffydd Richards, and others ‘who used to perform the dance to the music of the Welsh Harp at the Llys, Llanover, in the days of Lady Llanover, 30 years previously.’ It was published in 1933 by W.S. Gwynn Williams in his Welsh National Music and Dance. Walters has created a lively movement with lots of brass chords, a vibrant string tune, some intricate woodwind writing and definite nods towards Malcolm Arnold.  The mood changes in the second movement which is really a little scherzo. The composer has devised this for wind, brass and percussion only. This results in music that is a little gnomic in places. Much use is made of fanfares and rhythmic brass chords punctuating the exposition of the melody. The trio section utilises an altered version of the folk-song ‘Come, all ye bards.’ The mood changes to something much more serious in the ‘Lento’ which has been suggested is a love song. Certainly, there is an intensity in this beautiful music that suggests an unrequited romance. It opens with an introverted clarinet tune that quotes from the folksong ‘Come ye Near.’  The liner notes explain that the thoughtful final movement is a tribute to Dorothy Adams-Jeremiah, who at that time was musical coordinator for Monmouthshire. In 1945 she assisted Gareth Walters’ father Irwyn Walters to establish the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. This vibrant music is based on the folk tune ‘When on a Day Returning.’ There is lots of brass and swinging rhythms with not a few little surprises thrown in for good measure This short movement and the suite is brought to an impressive and noisy conclusion.

In an undated contemporary review in the South Wales Argus the critic felt that ‘the string harmonies are graciously textured, and the woodwind writing is lyrical and shapely, especially in the exposed passages for the clarinet. The rhythms are lively and animated, and the music will be a valuable addition to the repertoire.’

Gareth Walters’ A Gwent Suite (1964) has only been recorded once. It is available on Welsh Classical Favourites, Marco Polo 8.225048 (1997). Included on this CD are Alun Hoddinott’s Folksong Suite, Grace Williams Fantasy on Welsh Nursery Rhymes, Henry Walford Davies’ Solemn Melody, Trevor Roberts Pastorale, Mervyn Burtch’s Overture: Aladdin, William Mathias’ Serenade and Ian Parrott’s Fanfare Overture. Also featured is Gareth Walters’ Primavera Overture. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia was conducted by Andrew Penny.