Cardigan Bay

On the west coast of Wales lies Cardigan Bay, a large inlet of the Irish Sea. On this bay we find the seaside town of Aberystwyth. The famous hymn that forms the basis of this composition is named after this town. The hymn was written in 1876 by Joseph Parry, at the time a professor and head of the music department at the University College Wales. Aberystwyth was always Jacob de Haan’s favourite hymn from the 120 Hymns for Brass Band. He was introduced to this hymn, and many more as a teenager, when he started playing in the brass band of his hometown Heerenveen, the Netherlands, led by his brother Jan.

Cardigan Bay is a varied composition consisting of three continuous movements in which the theme of Aberystwyth comes forward in a variety of ways. In the festive introduction we hear the church bells of Aberystwyth. Then follows the hymn, introduced in various sound colours. Subsequently, a fast passage with characteristic, powerful rhythms is presented, in which the ascending opening motif of the hymn is the connecting thread. 

In the slow middle part, a trumpet solo in a major key takes the stage, varying the melody of the hymn both rhythmically and melodically. This expressive part changes into a marching tempo, in which the opening motif of the hymn manifests itself once more – again in major. The composition is concluded in a ceremonial and festive manner, with a marcia cantabile that features an attractive variation on the hymn as its theme.