Beyond Blodwen

It has long been believed that Joseph Parry’s (1878) was the first and only Welsh opera in existence until modern times. Research in the present volume, however, refutes that claim as it uncovers nearly forty forgotten and previously unstudied operas by Welsh composers between 1878 and 1928, the fifty years that came after . The book examines the role of opera in late nineteenth-century Welsh society, including the development of its musical infrastructure, societal constraints and increasing acceptance of Welsh opera among audiences and critics alike. Parry’s contributions to the genre beyond , which was his first opera, are also examined in greater detail, along with many other early Welsh opera composers whose works and biographies have yet to be published. Critical analyses and an examination of these works provide a glimpse of a long-overlooked popular culture, and insight into the formation of a Welsh national identity during late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.