THE latest community news from Aberystwyth.Bibliographical Group

THE Bibliographical Group met in the Drwm at the National Library of Wales on Tuesday, 15 November for a lecture by Prof David Wulstan, former head of the Music Department at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, on Confronting the Messy MSS of Handel’s Messiah.

The speaker began by warning the audience that we might end the evening less enthusiastic about the oratorio than we had been.

He drew attention to the considerable difficulty of achieving an “authentic” performance of Messiah, given that Handel composed the work in just 18 days and subsequently kept on altering it, both by manuscript (including word-book) emendations, and by word of mouth.

These revisions have left the idea of an Urtext as being largely hypothetical. Many of the well-known tunes in the oratorio were recycled from earlier works. Furthermore, performance practice was changing at the time and has changed since, sometimes markedly, at periods up to the appearance of modern editions.

The speaker accompanied his talk with an exhibition of some early editions of Messiah from his own collection, and with demonstrations on the piano of some of the musical technicalities. The lecture was followed by a lengthy and stimulating discussion.

Members entertained the speaker afterwards with dinner at the Belle Vue Royal Hotel, where the triple-cooked chips were particularly appreciated by the chairman and his wife.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17 January at St Paul’s Methodist Centre, when Prof Judith Broady-Preston of the Department of Information Studies will speak about her recent visit to Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei and Shanghai Public Libraries.

Bridge Club

RESULTS:Friday, 28 October. North – South: 1st, Margaret Hathaway and Gwynant Edwards; 2nd, Roger Boyle and Jeff Thomas; 3rd, Elenid Thomas and Betty Brookes.

East – West: 1st, Dai Hayes and Keith Bellamy; 2nd, John Holmes and Gabor Gelleri; 3rd, Margaret James and Mike Jones.

Sunday, 30 October: 1st, Mike Tedd and Yuan Shen; 2nd, Kim Marsh and Mike Jones; 3rd, Ian Finlayand Alun Richards.

Friday 4 November - North - South: 1st, Keith Bellamy and Mike Jones; 2nd, Jeff Thomas and Andrew Loat; 3rd, John Valentine & Dai Hayes.

East – West: 1st, Magda Corser and Robert Griffiths; 2nd, Gill Joel and Jacqui Roberts; 3rd, Jo Davies and Pamela Woodhouse.

Sunday, 6 November:1st, Ian Finlay and Alun Richards; 2nd, Kim Marsh and Mike Jones; 3rd, Linda Crawford and Jean Harrison.

Friday, 11 November:1st, Alun Richards and Ian Finlay; 2nd, Margaret James and Mike Jones; 3rd, Roger Boyle and Jeff Thomas.

Cylch Cinio Aberystwyth

Jon Meirion Jones, Llangrannog oedd ein gwr gwadd yn cyfarfod Cylch Cinio ar nos Wener, 11 Tachwedd, yng Ngwesty’r Llety Parc.

Mae Jon yn ddisgynnydd uniongyrchol o deulu enwog y Cilie. Ar ddechrau’r noson dorchuddiodd i ni ffotograff o BwBw, ceffyl ola’r Cilie. Roedd y llun yn dangos y ceffyl yn sefyll ar glogwyn uchel yn edrych dros y mÔr ac Ynys Lochyn yn y cefndir, ond roedd Bw Bw yn ddall ond gwyddai, wrth reddf, pa mor agos i fynd at ymyl y dibyn rhag syrthio dros y clogwyn i eigion y môr.

Bu BwBw yn ganolog i’w sgwrs a thinc odl a chynghanedd yn rhoi stamp arbennig i noson gofiadwy.

Roedd yna englyn neu bennill bachog am bob pwnc ac am bob digwyddiad ym mywyd o ddydd i ddydd y Cilie a chawsom ein rhyfeddu at allu diflino Jon i gofio ar ei gof resi o englynion a phenillion, o awen teulu’r Cilie - llawer yn ddoniol ac yn ddynol a rhai yn ddwys.

Diolchwyd iddo ar ran yr aelodau gan Geoff Davies, Rhydyfelin a John Davies enillodd y raffl.

Cyfeiriodd y cadeirydd, Tudor Jones at y newyddion syfrdanol o drist am farwolaeth Eifion Gwynne, un a oedd yn adnabyddus i lawer o’r aelodau fel trydanwr, chwarawr rygbi, Cymro da a ffrind ac anfonwyd ein cydymdeilad at ei deulu yn eu trallod.

A ninnau ar drothwy Sul y Cofio neilltuwyd munud o dawelwch i gofio hefyd am y rai a gollodd eu bywydau mewn rhyfeloedd.

Bydd ein Cinio Nadolig y mis nesaf yng Ngwesty’r Richmond ar 9 Rhagfyr, pan fydd y cyn-newyddiadurwr a’r sylwebydd gwleidyddol Tweli Griffiths yn wr gwadd.

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