EXCELSIOR - Treorchy Male Choir

EXCELSIOR 35
heated events because the winning choir
was to be invited to travel to America and
compete in the Chicago World Fair. The
male voice choir competition generated
tremendous interest with the test pieces
"The War House" and "The Tyrol". Five
male voice choirs competed including
Treorky and the Rhondda Glee, Porth &
Cymmer, Caernarvon and Maesteg. The
adjudicators were Caradog and the eminent
English composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor.
At one stage Treorky was a point ahead with
their performance of "The War Horse", but
the Glee’s performance of "The Tyrol"
Mr. Tom Stephens
clinched the first prize by two points.
Apparently Tom Stephens had received first
hand information about the yodelling techniques of the Tyrolean mountains
from a brewery traveller who visited his pub. This piece of realism was the
turning point in the event and earned them the transatlantic ticket. They
went on to win the Chicago World Fair eisteddfod against choirs from
Ireland, Italy and Holland, but on their return they never competed again, yet
their absence from the eisteddfod field did not signal the end of the rivalry.
On Whit-Monday 1895 Treorky Male Choir enjoyed a memorable victory at
the Caerphilly eisteddfod on the test piece “The Druids” by Dr Joseph Parry.
The chief adjudicator, Dr Roland Rogers of Bangor, announced, “We could
not find one single fault from beginning to end of the performance.” It was a
remark that gave them the confidence to enter the Royal National Eisteddfod
in Llanelli later that year.
Llanelli was a memorable National Eisteddfod. Treorky “showed such a unity
of discipline, vocal riches and inspiration”, that three of the four judges, Sir
Joseph Barnby, Dr Joseph Parry, David Jenkins and R.C. Jenkins independently
had each written the word “Wonderful”, after Treorky’s performance.
Although retired from the competitive arena, the Rhondda Glee Society, with
54 eisteddfod choral prizes to their name, heightened the rivalry with Treorky
still further. Treorky had long-since been favourites of the Dunraven family,
who, following the Llanelli victory, contacted the Royal Household, suggesting
Queen Victoria herself should hear the Welsh miners. The royal seal was
finally set when the news was received from the Queen’s Private Secretary,
Lord Edward Clinton, “Mr Thomas, 70 Dumfries Street, Treorchy. The Queen