sounds of wales.
We are a collective called ‘Sound of Wales’, but what do we mean by ‘Sound of Wales’? Just like many countries and communities, Wales has a distinct voice, that sounds Welsh. As a place and body of people, Wales has mannerisms, quirks and an accent that is unique. It’s not to say we have exclusive access to these ‘sounds’, but packaged together they create a personality that is inherently ‘Welsh’.
So what are some of these said sounds? Or to put it another way, what does it mean to ‘sound’ like Wales?
To sound like wales is to sound like song
To sound like a choral of vocal in a multitude of harmonies
Where hymns are sung in both rugby clubs and stadiums, in rows of chapel pews and terraced houses.
Maybe it’s tenor, soprano, bass and baritone, maybe it’s classic like Bryn, Aled, and Katherine.
Maybe it’s contemporary like Bonnie, Kelly and Tom… we’re not all Bryn Terfel’s or Katherine Jenkins – but together sounds like these, is to sound like the birds who sing sweetly in the trees.
To sound like Wales is to sound like poetry – hymnal with the lyrical – from Hedd to Watcyn Wyn, William to Waldo Williams, R.S. to Dylan Thomas – it’s to sound rhymical, poetical – words are in the fabric of wales, it’s almost genetical.
To sound like Wales sounds like community on your doorstep
To sound like a neighbour no matter the distance.
To sound like Wales sounds down to earth, mined from a history of humility dug from seams, or so it seems - so many hundreds of yards below the earth.
To sound like Wales is to sometimes sound funny.
From Tommy Cooper to Harry Secombe, from Monty Python to Gavin and Stacey.
From Lee Evans’ stand-up sweat-athons, to Rhod Gilbert’s ‘torch with a power of a million candles’,
to sound like Wales is to have a heritage of ‘funny bones’.
To sound like Wales is to sound like stories with an air of self-deprecating wit,
with rhyme, passion, vulnerability and grit
- think Michael Sheen, Max Boyce, Mal Pope, Rob Parsons to name a few
To sound like Wales is to bellow with passion,
To pray for the best yet prepare for the worst.
To sound like Wales is to sound like prayer – think Rhys Howells dedicating a life to clasped hands and knelt knees.
To express our sounds through creativity.
To sound like picturesque beauty and deprived valley community,
To sound like Wales is to remember the sounds of revival that lit up, changed and transformed our communities.
To sound like Wales sounds like a passion for words, the Word
and for those who have not yet heard of the Word became flesh.
it’s to sound familiar yet fresh.
It‘s to sound approachable and friendly,
It’s to have a sound of honesty with a semi-tone of humility.
To sound like Wales is not to sound above our station but to punch above our weight…
To sound like Wales is to be inspired by what’s gone before while carving out what we sound like today.
To sound like Wales is to sound privileged – not with a silver spoon in our mouths,
but poetry in our soul and song in our heart
Yes but more than that…
It’s to sound blessed.
Why?
because more often than not, in God’s grace
he has used our sound to send shockwaves across our land and across the world
shockwaves that sing of an almighty saviour
….
Our sound is creative - steeped in tradition, yet for today
Our accent is story
Our delivery
sometimes rhymes,
sometimes it’s sung,
sometimes it’s funny
We hiraeth/long to display a sound like this…
But ultimately it’s not about our sound.
It’s about using our sound to sound more like Jesus.
Our heart is to storytell, rhyme, sing, scribble, jot, pluck, strum and create,
Our heart is to create sounds that join in with the chorus of creation
Joining the sounds of the forefathers in our nation
Joining the sounds of heaven…
to
give thanks for,
point people towards,
and give glory to -
Christ Jesus, our Living Redeemer God