Folk Songs

Roy Saer and folk song collecting at St Fagans

David Roy Saer took up his role as Research Assistant at the Welsh Folk Museum, as it was then known, on New Years Day, 1963. Thus began years of diligently collecting Welsh folk songs through recording individuals from across Wales, both singing the old verses and recalling how they originally came to hear them. Down the decades, he became a scholar on the history of the folk song, and in recognition of his contribution to the subject, he was elected President of the Welsh Folk Song Society in 2000. Today, Roy Saer is a highly respected specialist on folk music in Wales and is the author of numerous books and articles discussing the background and development of the instrumental and vocal traditions.

The Songs