Written by Gareth Williams, one of Wales’s leading cultural historians, Do You Hear the People Sing? The Male Voice Choirs of Wales , traces the origins and growth of male voice choral singing in Wales from the 19th century to the present day, using the Eisteddfod as a lens through which to view its development.

Their reputation for excellence was often forged by their fierce rivalries on the stage of the National Eisteddfod where they would compete in front of crowds of up to 20,000.

Uniquely, the book records the winners of every male choral competition as the choirs fought for supremacy at the ‘National’, in an unbroken sequence since 1881, along with the stern and sometimes caustic remarks of adjudicators.

This is the biography of a famous tradition – a story about Wales, its people and its culture.In his foreword, founder and musical director of Only Men Aloud and Only Boys Aloud, Tim Rhys-Evans describes the book as a “compelling account of Wales’s most famous musical export”.

Laced with humour, the book will settle countless arguments of the kind that still rage among choir aficionados. There are chapters dedicated to the choral giants of Morriston, Treorchy, Pendyrus, Pontarddulais and Rhos but also the successes of smaller choirs and more recently the emergence of slick professional outfits like Only Men Aloud.

The fluctuating fortunes of choirs during times of prosperity and poverty and the sacrifices they made during two world wars and in the teeth of industrial depression, reveals what singing together meant to these often embattled communities.

The day of the Welsh male voice choir is far from over; it has always adapted to changing times and taste, and the book ends where it begins, on the field of the Millennium Stadium in front of 70,000 followers, for like rugby the male voice choir is a tradition with a special Welsh resonance that continues to arouse the passions and touch the emotions of millions.

Do You Hear the People Sing? The Male Voice Choirs of Wales will be launched at the Heritage Park Hotel, Trehafod on Monday, 7 ^th of December, 7pm.

Do You Hear the People Sing? The Male Voice Choirs of Wales is published by Gomer Press and is available from all good bookshops and online retailers

For more information, please visit www.gomer.co.uk

About Gareth Williams

Recently retired from the University of South Wales, Gareth Williams is one of Wales’s foremost social and cultural historians. A well-known writer and broadcaster, he has published widely on the history of Welsh rugby, boxing and choral singing. He writes in a scholarly but stylish manner that is always accessible to the general reader. He is a member of one of Wales's most famous male choirs, Pendyrus.