Ar Hyd y Nos facts for kids

Ar Hyd y Nos (which means "All Through the Night" in English) is a beautiful Welsh song. It's sung to a tune that was first written down a long time ago, in 1784, by a harp player named Edward Jones. The most popular Welsh words for the song were written by John Ceiriog Hughes (1832-1887). These words have been translated into many languages, including English. The most famous English version was written by Harold Boulton (1859–1935).

This song is very popular with traditional Welsh male voice choirs. They often sing it at festivals in Wales and around the world. Sometimes, people also think of "Ar Hyd y Nos" as a Christmas carol. Because of this, many singers have performed it on their Christmas albums. For example, Olivia Newton-John and Michael McDonald sang it together on Olivia Newton-John's 2007 album, Christmas Wish.

Lyrics of "Ar Hyd y Nos"

The original Welsh lyrics and their English translation tell a story about stars and light.

Sir Harold Boulton wrote English lyrics in 1884 that can be sung to the same tune. These words are often heard as a lullaby.

The Song in Pop Culture

"Ar Hyd y Nos" has appeared in many different places, from movies to TV shows and even video games.

In Music

• The famous composer Joseph Haydn used the tune in one of his collections of Welsh folk songs.
• The doo-wop group The Mystics, which included Paul Simon (who later became very famous), had a hit song that used a faster version of this tune.
• The folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary sang a version of the song on their children's album, Peter, Paul and Mommy.
• The Welsh singer Alan Stivell sings the song in Breton, Welsh, and English on his album Emerald.

In Movies

• In the movie Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage, his character's wife sings the English version of the song to their child.
• The 1945 film The Corn Is Green shows children in a school being taught the English version of the song.
• The song is also used in the 1940 film The Proud Valley, which stars Paul Robeson.

In Television

• The TV movie A Child's Christmas in Wales features the family singing the English version of the song near the end.
• In the TV series Angel, the character Daniel Holtz is often heard singing the English version of this song.
• In an episode of Road to Avonlea, a character sings the English version as a lullaby to his son.
• In an episode of The Sopranos, Meadow Soprano and her choir sing the English version of the song.
• The Welsh version of the song is heard at the beginning of a sketch about Welsh coal miners in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

In Video Games

• In the 2015 video game The Order: 1886, you can find a recording of the Sir Harold Boulton lyrics of the song on a wax cylinder.

Sheet music gallery

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  Page 1 Ar Hyd y Nos in Welsh Melodies for the Harp by John Thomas

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  Pages 2–3 Ar Hyd y Nos in Welsh Melodies for the Harp by John Thomas

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  Pages 4–5 Ar Hyd y Nos in Welsh Melodies for the Harp by John Thomas

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  Pages 6–7 Ar Hyd y Nos in Welsh Melodies for the Harp by John Thomas

See also

In Spanish: Ar Hyd y Nos para niños