03 June 2011

This year, S4C’s religious and spiritual series Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol celebrates half a century of song and praise with an exclusive competition to mark the occasion.

At the Urdd Eisteddfod on Friday 3 June, S4C announced a competition to compose a hymn tune to accompany words by poet Siôn Aled, which was commissioned especially for the celebration.

It is fitting that the competition was announced at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Swansea since the city’s Trinity Chapel was the host of the first ever programme in 1961.

There is a prize of £300 for the composer of the winning tune, and the judging panel includes series presenter and well-known musician Alwyn Humphreys; singers Rhys Meirion and Margaret Williams; and Catrin Hughes, conductor of Cantata choir with Rob Nicholls, S4C’s Content Editor for Culture in the chair.

The hymn will have its debut performance at a special Cymanfa to celebrate Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol’s milestone on 2 October. The Cymanfa at Seion Chapel, Baker Street, Aberystwyth, will be led by international conductor Owain Arwel Hughes.

Rob Nicholls, S4C’s Content Editor for Culture says, “This competition is an opportunity to celebrate a very special milestone in the history of one of S4C’s longest running series’. Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol is one of the staples of the Channel’s schedule and remains as popular with viewers today as when it first came to the screens half a century ago. We thank Aled Siôn for the hymn words and we look forward to receiving the tune entries, and to hear the finished work for the first time in October.”

The closing date is Friday 16 September. Please send your entries to:

Emyn Dathlu,

Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol,

Lancaster House,

Maesycoed Road,

Cardiff,

CF14 4TT

or to dechraucanudechraucanmol@avantimedia.tv.

Further details, together with competition rules, can be found on the Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol website - s4c.co.uk/dechraucanu.

Ends

Hymn words:

Dduw’r galaethau oll a’r gwagle

â’i bellteroedd uwchlaw rhif,

awdur deddfau dirgel amser

na all neb wyrdroi ei lif,

mymryn bach yw’n daear ninnau’n

cylchu un o’r heuliau lu,

seren sydd ond pigyn golau

yn trywanu’r gofod du.

Ond fe geraist rai fel ninnau

er ein bai o oes i oes

a choroni’r cariad hwnnw

dan y drain yn ing y groes,

ac fe geraist tithau’n daear

er ein difaterwch ni

a’n glythineb wrth in sathru

cyfoeth hardd dy gread di.

Dduw’r bydysawd, Arglwyd daear,

cofia Gymru brin ei ffydd:

na foed methiant ddoe yn esgus

i osgoi sialensiau’n dydd.

Er dy fawredd cyfaill ydwyt

a chyd-deithiwr yn ein gwaith

o ailgynnau gobaith beiddgar

ar ein darn o’th gread maith.   

    Siôn Aled, 2011