A Family Tradition of Harp Playing

The harp has a special place in Arwen’s family history. Her connection to the Gibbs family of harpists can be traced back to her 4x great grandfather, Aladdin Gibbs (1851–1931) from a family also known by the Lovell or Lovele name. He was a Romany harpist from Merthyr Tydfil whose life and music have been recorded by local historian Barrie Jones.

Known locally as Ladin y Telynwr - Aladdin the harpist - Aladdin was a passionate musician who played for many years on a harp he made himself. His parents moved to South Wales from the Welsh Marches in the mid-19th century. A knife and scissor grinder and umbrella repairer by trade, he travelled throughout Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, playing at fairs and in public houses (“telyn ymhob tafarn”). He was a strong supporter of the traditional Welsh style of harp playing and particularly admired the triple harp.

Aladdin and his wife, Elizabeth Hughes had a number of children, including their daughter Elizabeth Gibbs (Arwen's 3x great-grandmother), as well as their son Aladdin Gibbs (1874–1939).

Aladdin junior followed his father into music and became an accomplished harpist. He was trained by Taliesin James, son of James James, the composer of the Welsh national anthem “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau”. He competed successfully in harp competitions at the National Eisteddfodau, winning at the National Eisteddfod in Bangor in 1890, where he was invested by the Queen of Romania. He later travelled throughout Britain and Ireland as a professional performer, taking the Welsh harp tradition with him.

A photograph of Reggie Gibbs as a child standing playing his harp

The musical tradition continued into another generation through Reginald 'Reggie' Gibbs (1921–1999), the son of Aladdin junior. Reggie studied music in London and went on to become a professional harpist, performing with leading British orchestras.

For Arwen, this is more than an interesting family connection as Aladdin Gibbs (1851–1931) is her direct ancestor, while Aladdin junior and Reginald Gibbs represent another branch of the same family’s remarkable harp-playing tradition. Through this family history, the harp connects her own musical journey with the lives of Romany musicians who played and carried the Welsh harp tradition across Wales and beyond.

This is a photograph of Arwen standing with her harp next to Ponsticill Reservoir

Today, Arwen continues that connection in her own way, developing her own musical style and relationship with the harp while carrying forward a family story in which the instrument has been part of successive generations.