Myfanwy is a popular Welsh song, composed by Joseph Parry and first published in 1875. Sources differ as to whether Dr. Parry composed the music for an existing poem by Richard Davies or whether Davies wrote the words to Parry's melody following its use with an English lyric by Thomas Walter Price, journalist and poet, called "Arabella". Richard Davies' lyric may have been influenced by the 14th Centurylove story of Myfanwy Fychan of Castell Dinas Brân, Llangollen, and the poet Hywel ab Einion. That story was also the subject of the popular poem, "Myfanwy Fychan", by John Ceiriog Hughes. Some sources say it was written with Parry's childhood sweetheart, Myfanwy Llywellyn, in mind. In 1947, Merthyr-Tydfil-born author, Jack Jones, wrote a book entitled “Off to Philadelphia in the morning” where he relates the story within some aspects of the life of Dr Joseph Parry, weaving facts into his fictional narrative. The song is still a favourite with Welsh men's choruses. One of the most widely recognized renditions is by the Treorchy Male Voice Choir. Another compelling version was recorded by the Neath Male Voice Choir. A version has been performed by John Cale, Cerys Matthews on her album of Welsh greats, Tir, and by Bryn Terfel on his album "We'll Keep a Welcome". It is also on O Fortuna, the second album from Rhydian, where he duets with fellow Welsh baritone Terfel. It is also a bonus track, sung unaccompanied, on the self-titled album by John Owen Jones. The song also is sung in the Welsh languagebiographical filmHedd Wyn.
The song features in John Ford's academy award winning film How Green Was My Valley and also in the last scene of the Swansea-based movie Twin Town, where it is sung by members of many local choirs, including the Pontarddulais Male Choir. At a key moment of the plot, the protagonist in the 1992 Welsh-language film Hedd Wyn, which was nominated for an Academy Award, sings it to his former fiancee. It is both played and discussed in the episode "Death and Dust" of the showMidsomer Murders, during a visit to Wales by detectives from an English village.
