Carreg Lafar
Encyclopedia
Carreg Lafar is a traditional Welsh
band.
It was formed in Cardiff
in 1994 with Antwn Owen Hicks, James Rourke, Rhian Evan Jones, Linda Owen Jones and Simon O'Shea. Carreg Lafar literally means a "speaking stone", or "echo stone".
Carreg Lafar is at the forefront of the Welsh traditional music
scene. The group has performed throughout Wales
, Brittany
, the United States
and Canada
. Through a mix of traditional and original music, Carreg Lafar conveys a fresh and vibrant spirit whilst remaining firmly rooted in the language and living tradition of Welsh song and dance music. The music is arranged for traditional and contemporary instruments including the fiddle
, flute
, pibgorn
(hornpipe), bagpipes
, and guitar
, together with dynamic vocals. The group has made three albums with Sain
records, Ysbryd y Werin , Hyn and Profiad .
Carreg Lafar released their debut album Ysbryd y Werin in November 1995. The album received great reviews from the folk music press in the UK and North America. In 1997, Carreg Lafar launched Ysbryd y Werin in North America with a two week tour of the States.
The band's second album, Hyn, was released in August 1998 and also received rave reviews in folk and roots music magazines in the UK and North America. Living Tradition called it "Welsh folk music at its best."
The band launched its third album, Profiad, in August 2002, at the Lorient Interceltic Festival in Brittany
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
band.
It was formed in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in 1994 with Antwn Owen Hicks, James Rourke, Rhian Evan Jones, Linda Owen Jones and Simon O'Shea. Carreg Lafar literally means a "speaking stone", or "echo stone".
Carreg Lafar is at the forefront of the Welsh traditional music
Music of Wales
Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music. The country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song". This is a modern stereotype based on 19th century conceptions of Nonconformist choral music and 20th century male voice choirs, Eisteddfodau and arena singing, such as sporting...
scene. The group has performed throughout Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Through a mix of traditional and original music, Carreg Lafar conveys a fresh and vibrant spirit whilst remaining firmly rooted in the language and living tradition of Welsh song and dance music. The music is arranged for traditional and contemporary instruments including the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, pibgorn
Pibgorn
Pibgorn may refer to:* Pibgorn , a Welsh musical instrument of the hornpipe family* Pibgorn...
(hornpipe), bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, together with dynamic vocals. The group has made three albums with Sain
Sain
Sain , in full – Recordiau Sain Cyf is a Welsh record label, which was in the Welsh folk revival....
records, Ysbryd y Werin , Hyn and Profiad .
Carreg Lafar released their debut album Ysbryd y Werin in November 1995. The album received great reviews from the folk music press in the UK and North America. In 1997, Carreg Lafar launched Ysbryd y Werin in North America with a two week tour of the States.
The band's second album, Hyn, was released in August 1998 and also received rave reviews in folk and roots music magazines in the UK and North America. Living Tradition called it "Welsh folk music at its best."
The band launched its third album, Profiad, in August 2002, at the Lorient Interceltic Festival in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.