Morfydd Llwyn Owen – “Branwen” Suite

These selections from an unfinished project were written in May 1916. They are both related to the ending of the tale of Branwen, documented in the Mabinogion, the earliest collection of Welsh prose stories. While it has been titled “Threnody” by others, Owen called the first of these two selections “Death Music – The Passing of Branwen.” The second selection, the Funeral March, was intended to immediately follow it. The two don’t appear to share motifs or material, which is slightly surprising given that Wagner’s usage of leitmotifs was (and still is) such a heavy influence on composers of all kinds of incidental music. That said, if Owen had had time to complete whatever she’d planned with this music, she might well have revised one to match the other.

Please note that the video in the photo gallery only contains the “Death Music” movement and not the Funeral March.