A lost 100-year-old hymn commemorating the 1913 Senghenydd Mining disaster has been unearthed and set to new music.
Grammy award-winning soprano Rebecca Evans, Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Charlotte Jaconelli have joined forces to perform Prepare To Meet Thy God – which is available to download.
The lyrics to the hymn were discovered recently by a relative of Sarah Ann Thorne, the original composer, but despite a rigorous search through the National Archives the original music could not be found.
The hymn had been left unperformed until two Caerphilly-based composers, Daniel and Laura Curtis, wrote new music to the lyrics.
Prepare To Meet Thy God was sung during the original memorial service in 1913.
The lyrics were then printed and sold on penny sheets with the proceeds of the sales going towards erecting a Memorial Plate at the village’s St Peter’s Church.
In 2013 Daniel and Laura composed A Miner’s Song to raise money for the National Mining Memorial. The song featured over 300 performers including actors Michael Sheen, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys, Jonathan Pryce, John Owen Jones and boxer Joe Calzaghe.
Dan said: “It is a great honour for us to be able to write new music for Sarah’s beautiful and heartfelt words. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with someone who witnessed the tragic events unfold, long after their words were written.”
Prepare To Meet Thy God is available to download on iTunes and Amazon and is also available as part of A Miner’s Song Special Edition album – also available online.
All proceeds will be donated to the National Mining Memorial. The recording of the hymn was supported by Taylor Wimpey, the family of Sarah Ann Thorne, Lilian Evans, Inspirational Lighting, Egan Waste Services, Fulcrum Direct Limited and the Nuaire Group.