![William Owen]() | William Owen (1813 - 1893)  United States (USA) musician ; b. 12? Dec. 1813 [in Lônpopty ], Bangor , the son of William and Ellen Owen . The father was a quarryman at Cae Braich-y-cafn quarry , Bethesda , and the son began to work in the same quarry when he was ten years old. He learnt music at classes held by Robert Williams ( Cae Aseth ), at Carneddi , and from William Roberts , Tyn-y-maes , the composer of the hymn-tune ? Andalusia .? He wrote his first hymn-tune when he was 18 ? it was published in Y Drysorfa for June 1841 . After the family had [removed] to [ Cae-sguborwen ], Bangor , [sometimes called Cilmelyn ] ? they had spent some years [at Tŷ-hen ] near the quarry ? William Owen formed a temperance choir which sang ? Cwymp Babilon ,? the work of the conductor , at the Caernarvon temperance festival , 1849 . In 1852 , with the help of some friends at Bethesda , he published Y Perl Cerddorol yn cynnwys tonau ac anthemau, cysegredig a moesol ; of this 3,000 copies were sold, A sol-fa edition appeared in 1886 of which 4,000 copies were sold. He composed several temperance pieces, some of which were sung in the Eryri temperance festivals held at Caernarvon castle . His anthem, ? Ffynnon Ddisglair ,? and the hymn-tunes ? Alma ? and ? Deemster ? became popular, but it was the hymn-tune called ? Bryn Calfaria ? which made the composer famous; this continues to have a considerable vogue in Wales and in England . He m. the daughter of the house called Prysgol and went there to live; he also became precentor at Caeathro C.M. chapel . He d. 20 July 1893 , and was buried in Caeathro chapel burial ground.
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