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The song, or Glan Rhondda (=The banks of Rhondda river) as it was known when first composed, was performed for the first time in the vestry of Capel Tabor chapel, Maesteg, in either January or February 1856, by a singer called Elizabeth John from Pontypridd, and it soon became popular in the locality.
The popularity of the song increased after the Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858. Thomas Llewelyn of Aberdare won a competition for an unpublished collection of Welsh airs with a collection that included Glan Rhondda. The adjudicator of the competition, Owain Alaw (John Owen, 1821-1883) asked for permission to include Glan Rhondda in his publication, Gems of Welsh melody (1860-64). This volume gave Glan Rhondda its more famous title, Hen wlad fy nhadau, and was sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the national anthem across the whole of Wales.
At the Bangor Eisteddfod of 1874 Hen Wlad fy Nhadau gained further popularity when it was sung by Robert Rees (Eos Morlais), one of the leading Welsh soloistis of his day. It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem.
Hen wlad fy nhadau was also one of the first Welsh songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the Gramophone Company. This was the first recording in the Welsh language.
Though it has no official or legal status, Hen wlad fy nhadau is recognised and used as an anthem at both national and local events in Wales. Usually this will be the only anthem sung, such as at national sporting events, and it will be sung only in Welsh using the first stanza and refrain. But on some official occasions, especially those with royal connections, it is used in conjuntion with the national anthem of England and the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, God Save the QueenThis article is on the British patriotic anthem. For the Sex Pistols song, see God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols). God Save the Queen is a patriotic song whose author is unknown. It is traditionally used as the national anthem of the United Kingdom and of E.
Versions of Hen Wlad fy Nhadau are used as anthems in both CornwallCornwall ( Cornish: Kernow is the part of Great Britain's south-west peninsula that is west of the River Tamar. It is generally regarded as a county of, and a part of England, although advocates of Cornish independence regard it as a separate nation, and, as Bro Goth Agan TasowBro Goth Agan Tasow Land of My Fathers in Cornish) is used as the anthem of Cornwall, located on the southwesternmost tip of Great Britain. It is sung to the same tune as Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau the Welsh anthem. The Breton anthem Bro Goz ma Zadou is also sung, and BrittanyRegion Bretagne Details Information Capital: Rennes Population Total Density 2 972 700 2003 107 /km² Area27 208 km² Arrondissements15 Cantons201 Communes1 268 President of the regional council Jean-Yves Le Drian Departements Cotes-d'Armor (22) Ille-et-Vil, as Bro Goz ma ZadoùBro Goz ma Zado (in Breton Land of My Fathers is used as the national anthem of Brittany in France. It is sung to the same tune as composed for the Welsh anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau with similar words. The anthem of Cornwall, Bro Goth Agan Tasow, is also su.