[{"text_idx": "#000001", "text": "Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig."}, {"text_idx": "#000003", "text": "hyrwyddo a dathlu cerddoriaeth Cymru"}, {"text_idx": "#000004", "text": "promoting and celebrating the music of Wales"}, {"text_idx": "#000008", "text": "Ein gwaith / Our work"}, {"text_idx": "#000014", "text": "In his time, Thomas Osborne Roberts was one of Wales\u2019s most cherished and admired musicians. He is perhaps best-remembered today (if he is known at all) as a composer of songs such as \u2018Y Nefoedd\u2019 and \u2018Y Mab Anfradlon\u2019, but he was also very active as an accompanist, conductor, teacher and adjudicator. His fluency of communication in both English and Welsh made him a popular speaker in many Eisteddfodau, which during the early years of the 20th Century were held both sides of the national border; but his versatility as a musician \u2013 composer, pianist, and teacher \u2013 gave him an authority beyond this sphere. His second wife, Maggie Jones (better known by her stage name of Leila Mega\u0300ne), was an operatic contralto whom he accompanied on singing tours to La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera House, Covent Garden, and many other prestigious venues. He was well-liked and respected by such eminent peers as Vaughan Williams, Granville Bantock, David Vaughan Thomas and W S Gwynn Williams, and despite not having a career quite as artistically defined as theirs were, his legacy still includes several popular/classical songs and part-songs that were very successful in their own rights."}, {"text_idx": "#000015", "text": "Born in Weston-rhyn, near Chirk, Denbighshire, his family moved to Ysbyty Ifan, Betws-y-Coed, when he was 11 years old. From an early age he had come to find joy in music, accompanying his father, a proficient musician himself, who sang while a young Roberts played the harmonium."}, {"text_idx": "#000016", "text": "While working as a land surveyor, at the age of 23 he moved to Llandudno, and while here, he decided to leave this profession to devote more of his time to music. It was in Llandudno that he wrote one of his greatest hits \u2013 a song called \u2018Y Mab Anfradlon\u2019 (The Prodigal Son). He also began to write for the local Pavilion Orchestra who performed several of his early orchestral works including his variations on the hymn tune \u2018Bangor\u2019, which would have been a valuable experience of orchestration for him as he was later required to orchestrate several of his more popular songs for large-scale performances."}, {"text_idx": "#000017", "text": "Thomas Osborne Roberts was one of the judges who awarded Leila Mega\u0300ne her first ever musical accolade, for singing at the Anglesey Eisteddfod in 1910 \u2013 their first encounter. After this, they initially went their separate ways \u2013 he moved from Llandudno back to his former home of Ysbyty Ifan after the death of his first wife, and began teaching privately and accompanying singers in concerts; she began an illustrious career in opera, studying in London and Paris, eventually gaining a five-year contract in Covent Garden in 1919."}, {"text_idx": "#000018", "text": "Then in 1923, Mega\u0300ne invited Roberts to accompany her on a tour of America, where they were married the following year, in New York. After their return, they settled in Caernarfon and Roberts began teaching privately and at the local grammar school."}, {"text_idx": "#000019", "text": "In the 1930s, he moved to London as a teacher and accompanist, but returned to an isolated farmhouse in Wales \u2013 near Pentrefoelas \u2013 when war broke out in 1939. During the war years, he worked mainly at the Colwyn Bay food office but continued all his usual musical activities in his spare time."}, {"text_idx": "#000020", "text": "He was taken ill after judging in Liverpool Eisteddfod in 1948 and died a few days later. He was buried in Ysbyty Ifan."}, {"text_idx": "#000021", "text": "It was widely believed that he had received no traditional or formal musical education at any college or university and had always been described by the English press as self-taught. However, his brother (from whom he was separated by some years) recalled later that Osborne had studied at Bangor University at some point, though he wasn\u2019t sure which subject. He was nevertheless able to stand comfortably alongside his (certainly well-educated) contemporaries as an authoritative voice of music in Wales \u2013 both in composition and as an exponent through his work leading choirs, accompanying and adjudicating."}, {"text_idx": "#000022", "text": "His name is given, since 1951, to a prize at the National Eisteddfod awarded to singers under the age of 25 \u2013 winners of which have included Trystan Lly\u0302r Griffiths, Gwawr Edwards, and Menna Cazel Davies. In 1933 he was elected an Associate of the Royal College of Music, for services to music education."}, {"text_idx": "#000023", "text": "Yn ystod ei oes, Thomas Osborne Roberts oedd un o gerddorion uchaf ei barch a mwyaf hoff gan bawb yng Nghymru. Mae siw\u0302r o fod yn fwyaf adnabyddus heddiw (os yw\u2019n adnabyddus o gwbl) fel cyfansoddwr caneuon megis \u2018Y Nefoedd\u2019 ac \u2018Y Mab Afradlon\u2019, ond bu hefyd yn weithgar iawn fel cyfeilydd, arweinydd, athro a beirniad. Roedd rhwyddineb ei Gymraeg a\u2019i Saesneg yn golygu ei fod yn siaradwr poblogaidd yn yr eisteddfodau lu a gynhelid yn ystod blynyddoedd cynnar yr 20fed ganrif ar boptu i Glawdd Offa, ond rhoddodd ei aml ddoniau fel cerddor \u2013 yn gyfansoddwr, pianydd ac athro \u2013 awdurdod iddo y tu hwnt i\u2019r cylch yma. Contralto operatig oedd ei ail wraig, Maggie Jones (sy\u2019n fwy adnabyddus o dan ei henw llwyfan Leila Mega\u0300ne) y byddai Thomas yn ei hebrwng ar deithiau canu i La Scala, Ty\u0302 Opera\u2019r Metropolitan, Covent Garden ac aml i ganolfan enwog arall. Roedd yn boblogaidd iawn ac yn cael ei barchu gan gymheiriaid cerddorol amlwg fel Vaughan Williams, Grenville Bantock, David Vaughan Thomas a W S Gwynn Williams, ac er na chafodd yrfa artistig mor ddiffiniedig a\u0302\u2019u rhai hwythau, mae ei gynhysgaeth o hyd yn cynnwys sawl ca\u0302n boblogaidd/clasurol a rhan-ga\u0302n oedd yn llwyddiannus iawn yn ei rhinwedd ei hun."}, {"text_idx": "#000024", "text": "Wedi\u2019i eni yn Weston-rhyn ger y Waun, Sir Ddinbych, symudodd ei deulu i Ysbyty Ifan, Betws-y-Coed, pan oedd yn 11 oed. O oedran cynnar roedd wedi dod i ymhyfrydu mewn cerddoriaeth gan gyfeilio i\u2019w dad, oedd ei hun yn gerddor medrus, a ganai tra byddai\u2019r Roberts ifanc yn chwarae\u2019r harmoniwm."}, {"text_idx": "#000025", "text": "Wrth weithio fel mesurydd tir, yn 23 oed, symudodd i Landudno a thra oedd yno, penderfynodd adael y proffesiwn yma i roi mwy o\u2019i amser i gerddoriaeth. Yn Llandudno y cyfansoddodd un o\u2019i ganeuon mwyaf poblogaidd o\u2019r enw \u2018Y Mab Afradlon\u2019. Hefyd dechreuodd gyfansoddi i gerddorfa leol y Pafiliwn a fyddai\u2019n perfformio sawl un o\u2019i weithiau cerddorfaol cynnar gan gynnwys ei amrywiadau ar yr emyn-do\u0302n \u2018Bangor\u2019; buasai hyn yn brofiad gwerthfawr o offeryniaeth iddo gan fod gofyn iddo, yn nes ymlaen, drefnu sawl un o\u2019i ganeuon mwyaf poblogaidd ar gyfer perfformiadau mawr."}, {"text_idx": "#000026", "text": "Thomas Osborne Roberts oedd un o\u2019r beirniaid a ddyfarnodd ei gwobr gerddorol gyntaf erioed i Leila Mega\u0300ne am ganu yn Eisteddfod Ynys Mo\u0302n ym 1910 \u2013 eu cyfarfyddiad cyntaf. Ar o\u0302l hynny, ar y dechrau, aethant eu ffyrdd eu hunain \u2013 yntau\u2019n symud o Landudno yn o\u0302l i bentref ei febyd yn Ysbyty Ifan ar o\u0302l marwolaeth ei wraig gyntaf, gan ddechrau addysgu\u2019n breifat a chyfeilio i gantorion mewn cyngherddau; hithau\u2019n cychwyn ar yrfa ddisglair ym myd yr opera, gan astudio yn Llundain a Pharis ac yn sicrhau, yn y pen draw, gontract pum mlynedd yn Covent Garden ym 1919."}, {"text_idx": "#000027", "text": "Yna, ym 1923, estynnodd Mega\u0300ne wahoddiad i Roberts i\u2019w hebrwng ar daith drwy America lle gwnaethon nhw briodi y flwyddyn ganlynol yn Efrog Newydd. Ar o\u0302l dychwelyd, fe wnaethon nhw ymgartrefu yng Nghaernarfon a dechreuodd Roberts addysgu\u2019n breifat ac yn yr ysgol ramadeg leol."}, {"text_idx": "#000028", "text": "Yn y 1930au, symudodd i Lundain fel athro a chyfeilydd ond dychwelodd i ffermdy anghysbell yng Nghymru \u2013 ger Pentrefoelas \u2013 pan dorrodd y rhyfel ym 1939. Yn ystod blynyddoedd y rhyfel, bu\u2019n gweithio\u2019n bennaf yn swyddfa fwyd Bae Colwyn ond parhaodd a\u0302\u2019i holl weithgareddau cerddorol arferol yn ei amser hamdden."}, {"text_idx": "#000029", "text": "Fe\u2019i trawyd yn wael ar o\u0302l beirniadu yn Eisteddfod Lerpwl ym 1948 a bu farw ychydig ddyddiau\u2019n ddiweddarach. Fe\u2019i claddwyd yn Ysbyty Ifan."}, {"text_idx": "#000030", "text": "Credid yn eang nad oedd wedi derbyn unrhyw addysg gerddorol draddodiadol neu ffurfiol mewn unrhyw goleg na phrifysgol ac fe\u2019i disgrifiwyd bob amser gan y wasg Seisnig fel rhywun \u2018hunanaddysgedig\u2019. Fodd bynnag, mae ei frawd (ac roedd tipyn o flynyddoedd rhyngddynt) yn cofio\u2019n nes ymlaen fod Osborne wedi astudio ym Mhrifysgol Bangor ar ryw adeg, er nad oedd yn siw\u0302r pa bwnc. Serch hynny, gallai sefyll yn gyfforddus ochr yn ochr a\u0302\u2019i gyfoedion (oedd yn sicr wedi derbyn addysg dda) fel llais awdurdodol am gerddoriaeth yng Nghymru \u2013 ym maes cyfansoddi yn ogystal ag fel arweinydd corau, cyfeilydd a beirniad."}, {"text_idx": "#000031", "text": "Er 1951, rhoddir ei enw i wobr yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol a ddyfernir i gantorion o dan 25 oed \u2013 ymhlith y rhai sydd wedi\u2019i hennill mae Trystan Lly\u0302r Griffiths, Gwawr Edwards a Menna Cazel Davies. Ym 1933, fe\u2019i hetholwyd yn Aelod Cyswllt o\u2019r Coleg Cerdd Brenhinol am wasanaethau i addysg gerdd."}, {"text_idx": "#000035", "text": "Telerau ac Amodau / T&Cs"}]