Cerys Hafana

Edyf (an old Welsh word for ‘thread’, pronounced eh-div) is Welsh triple harpist Cerys Hafana’s second album. It is largely based on material found in the Welsh National Library’s online archive, including fragments of Psalm tunes, hymns about doomsday and philosophical musings on the length of eternity, along with some original compositions. The album is primarily performed on the Welsh triple harp, but also features bodhrán, double bass, althorn and the electronically processed sounds of a water bottle being hit.

Cerys Hafana is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music. She explores the creative possibilities and unique qualities of the triple harp, and is also interested in found sounds, archive materials and electronic processing. She comes from Machynlleth, Wales, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.

Having released her debut album, Cwmwl, in 2020, Cerys has also filmed an episode of the TV show Curadur exploring the stranger side of Welsh folk music, contributed an essay on Welsh music and queer identity to Welsh (Plural), and recently recorded a live session at the BBC Maida Vale studios with Horizons Cymru.

This is not the harp in a school lesson or on stage at an Eisteddfod. This is not a piece in a museum. This is contemporary music which gives the traditional an enormous kick out of any respectable deep-sleep the Enlightened are trying to protect.
Rhys Mwyn, Herald Gymraeg (translated from Welsh)