Play the Pipes of Peace

A reed organ at Llanbrynmair church

Deep in the heart of the imposing National Library in Aberystwyth there is a small dimly lit room that contains the most priceless collection of Welsh ancient manuscripts in existence. Most of them had originally been brought together about four hundred years ago by Robert Vaughan, helped by his friend and fellow scholar Dr John Davies. This latter gentleman, whose name will most likely make no register on English ears, looms large in the history of the Welsh language. And he lived just down the road from me.

Dr John Davies was the vicar of my local church in Mallwyd back in the early 1600s. Even in his day the church was old. He lived next door in the vicarage where the present incumbent lives today. He was also a linguist, theologian, justice of the peace, Canon of St Asaph's cathedral, and saviour of the Welsh language - at least according to some. He put together the first Welsh-Latin dictionary. His bishop, and brother-in-law, Richard Parry brought out a revised Welsh bible in 1620 which many now believe was actually the work of Dr Davies, and was apparently easier reading than the 1588 "Bishop Morgan" one (which he also helped with). It become the de facto Welsh bible.

Mallwyd church

Most Sundays I join the small congregation at Mallwyd church where once Dr Davies held court. Outside above the entranceway hangs a fossilised mammoth tusk. We sit in pews beneath huge and ancient oak rafters. It is a remarkable building which has seen many centuries pass by and has been little modernised. There is a large pipe organ at the back which is kept in good condition, reached by climbing up a steep stairwell. I sometimes get to play it in services, finding myself perched way up high, facing away from and physically far away from the rest of the proceedings but a cannily-angled mirror allows me to glimpse the priest right at the front of the church, so if they're waving their hands around I'll stop.

A pair of lambs practice their dance routine

News of my keyboard-playing ability appears to have spread and I've been booked in to play for an infant baptism service at Llanbrynmair church this Sunday which will be a reed organ not a pipe organ. As this is not my regular church I even get paid a small sum! What with that and my first vegetable sale on Monday (21 sticks of rhubarb) I'm feeling pretty flush. Maybe I'll blow it all on some organic seaweed fertiliser.