In this episode you’ll get an introduction to the ballads of the eighteenth century, one of the most popular Welsh-language literary forms of the period. Indeed, considering the high number of them which have survived, it’s possible to argue that the ballad was the most popular form of the eighteenth century.
After wrestling a little with the definition, we suggest that the connection between this kind of poem and the printing press is the best way to define the ballad. These ballads were poems to be sung, a fact which raises interesting questions about the relationship between the oral medium and print. While considering a composition by Als Williams, we note that that there are ballads by women who claimed a place in this new publishing industry.
We also look at two ballads by Huw Jones of Llangwm, one about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the other about his own problems. You’ll also hear a little about Richard Wyn Jones studying the Book of Job in Sunday school when he was a young lad.