[{"text_idx": "#000014", "text": "David Harries, although born in England in 1933, described himself essentially as a Welsh composer. He insisted, however, that he is a composer who happened to be Welsh, rather than a Welshman who happened to be a composer!"}, {"text_idx": "#000015", "text": "Educated at Pembroke Grammar School and University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, he graduated in 1954 and obtained the higher doctorate (D.Mus.) in 1964. After some years of school teaching in Staffordshire and Pembrokeshire, Harries returned to Aberystwyth in 1963, first as a lecturer and then senior lecturer in Music. In 1975 he moved to Penarth and had been at the Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, for the first ten years as Head of Performers\u2019 Course and then as Composer-in-Residence and Head of Composition until he retired in 1993."}, {"text_idx": "#000026", "text": "Prolegomena, as the opus number suggests, is a very early piece, dating from 1959, when the composer was a mere 26 years of age and had just completed the then compulsory national service! At that stage of his life he was very convinced of the relevance of serialism in music (but had since, he insisted, mellowed considerably). The title itself derived from the composer\u2019s deep interest at that time in philosophy (one of his subjects while at university), and was used in its sense of \u2018introductory studies\u2019. Thus, the work was intended as a set of introductory studies for the players in both string technique and in contemporary idioms. It was first performed by the strings of the Halle\u0301 Orchestra under Maurice Handford in 1961."}, {"text_idx": "#000027", "text": "Described in Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians as one of the most talented composers of his generation in Wales, he took early retirement to concentrate on composition."}, {"text_idx": "#000032", "text": "Er mai yn Lloegr ym 1933 y ganed David Harries, disgrifiai ei hun fel cyfansoddwr Cymraeg. Mynnai mai cyfansoddwr ydoedd, a ddigwyddai fod yn Gymro, yn hytrach na Chymro a ddigwyddai fod yn gyfansoddwr!"}, {"text_idx": "#000033", "text": "Derbyniodd ei addysg yn Ysgol Ramadeg Penfro a Phrifysgol Cymru Aberystwyth gan raddio yno ym 1954. Derbyniodd ei radd uwch (D.Mus.) ym 1964. Treuliodd rai blynyddoedd fel athro ysgol yn Swydd Stafford a Sir Benfro cyn dychwelyd i Aberystwyth ym 1963, yn gyntaf fel darlithydd ac yna uwch-ddarlithydd yn yr Adran Gerdd. Symudodd i Benarth ym 1975 gan dreulio gweddill ei yrfa dysgu yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Caerdydd, yn gyntaf fel Pennaeth y cwrs Perfformio am ddeg mlynedd ac yna fel Cyfansoddwr Preswyl a Phennaeth Cyfansoddi nes ei ymddeoliad ym 1993."}, {"text_idx": "#000044", "text": "Un o weithiau cynnar Harries ydy \u2018Prolegomena\u2019 opus 11, 1959 pan oedd y cyfansoddwr yn 26ain mlwydd oed. Roedd newydd orffen cyfnod o Wasanaeth Cenedlaethol Gorfodol ac ar y pryd, yn sicr o berthnasedd Cyfresoli mewn cerddoriaeth ond ymhellach yn ei yrfa, dywed ei fod \u201cwedi aeddfedu cryn dipyn\u201d. Deillia\u2019r teitl o ddiddordeb dwfn Harries ar y pryd, mewn Athroniaeth (pwnc a astudiodd yn y brifysgol) ac a ddefnyddir yn ei ystyr o \u2018astudiaethau rhagarweiniol\u2019. Felly, cyfansoddwyd y gwaith fel cyfres o astudiaethau i\u2019r perfformwyr o ran techneg llinynnol ac idiomau cyfoes. Derbyniodd y gwaith ei berfformiad cyntaf gan Gerddorfa\u2019r Halle\u0301 dan arweinyddiaeth Maurice Handford ym 1961."}, {"text_idx": "#000045", "text": "Disgrifir Harries yng ngeiriadur cerddoriaeth Grove fel \u2018un o gyfansoddwyr mwyaf talentog ei genhedlaeth yng Nghymru\u2019. Ymddeolodd yn gynnar i ganolbwyntio ar gyfansoddi."}]