FROST, WILLIAM FREDERICK (1846 - 1891), harpist

Name: William Frederick Frost
Date of birth: 1846
Date of death: 1891
Spouse: Sarah Ada Frost (née Gedrych)
Parent: William Frost
Gender: Male
Occupation: harpist
Area of activity: Music; Performing Arts
Author: Robert David Griffith

Born 28 December 1846 in Albert Street, Merthyr Tydfil, the son of William Frost, a blind harpist. (The father had lost his sight as the result of an accident received by him in a coal mine when he was only thirteen and had been sent to a school for the blind at Swansea, where he learnt to play the harp.) The son was taught by his father and became a fairly good harpist. When he was fifteen he won a prize for playing the harp at an eisteddfod held in Merthyr (1859). He won a scholarship given at the Swansea national eisteddfod, 1863, for singing 'Sweet Richard' and the eisteddfod committee arranged for him to receive lessons from Llewellyn Williams (Pencerdd y De). At the Chester eisteddfod, 1866, John Thomas (1826 - 1913) awarded him a pedal harp, valued at £50; he also won a triple harp at an eisteddfod held at Llandovery. He was much in demand as a harpist, as a teacher of the harp, and as adjudicator in harp competitions. He received a doctorate from Germany. After his marriage to a talented singer named Sarah Ada Gedrych, he moved to Cardiff. There he founded the ' Frost Concerts ' which did much for the cause of music at Cardiff. He wrote several songs, his ' Hen Gymru fynyddig ' and ' Hoff fryniau fy ngwlad ' being at one time very popular. He died 25 February 1891 at 5 The Parade, Cardiff.

Author

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/

The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. It is free to use and does not receive grant support. A donation would help us maintain and improve the site so that we can continue to acknowledge Welsh men and women who have made notable contributions to life in Wales and beyond.

Find out more on our sponsorship page.