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The Treorchy Male Voice Choir outside the Sydney Opera House in 2009...

IMAGINE a year in your life when you stand next to Dame Shirley Bassey and Katherine Jenkins to shake hands with the Queen at the Royal Variety Show; you record an album in the Beatles Studio at Abbey Road; you entertain 75,000 people at the Millennium Stadium; and, just to finish things off nicely, you spend an all-expenses paid month with your mates in Australia and New Zealand, taking the Sydney Opera House by storm.

Is this the privileged lifestyle of a global superstar? No. It’s just a group of ordinary, amateur singers from a little town in the top end of the Rhondda Valleys.

Individually, they come from all walks of life – from electricians to undertakers – but when they combine, they create a wave of sound that can raise the spirits and break hearts. They call themselves the Treorchy Male Choir and they are a major component in a choral tradition that created the universal image of Wales as the “Land of Song”.

For too many years society has frowned upon the institution of the male voice choir. Tourist boards have shied away from it when advertising our little country to the outside world (although it is worth wondering how many countries can claim such a vast array of talented singers per square mile). But still people travel from around the world to see and hear this uniquely Welsh cultural product.

It wasn’t always this way. For almost a century the male voice choir epitomised Wales at its very best. The Land of Song tradition can be traced to the fusion of two easily discernible features of Valleys life in the mid to late 19th century – the strength of Nonconformity as a religious force and the frantic acceleration of the coal mining industry – both now largely gone, or at least past their prime.

The Rhondda Valleys were penetrated indiscriminately by those early pioneers, exploiting its mineral resources and transforming the valley floors into a vast, black Klondike. While its workforce endured the dangerous hardship of working underground, the communities in which they lived were galvanised by a musical intensity the like of which had never been seen before. The Valleys were famous for more than just an outpouring of precious bituminous fuel; it was the heartland of a culture inspired by the sound of people united in music.

Those people became a melting pot of a whole range of musical organisations, and within those winding, monotonous terraces the universally popular image of the male voice choir first found its voice. It became a social feature for groups of men, showing passionate loyalty to the villages of their adoption, united in song in the chapel vestries. Such choirs were usually under the conductorship of one of their own social class, whose formal knowledge of music was rudimentary but with an intuitive grasp of musical inspiration that defied all description. It was the start of one of the most popular images of Wales – the male voice choir – and would result in heated competitions of sometimes vast opposing armies fighting battles that more closely resembled tribal warfare on the competition stage.

Despite the immense social deprivation, high infant-mortality rate and unimaginable day-to-day hardships, communities embraced choral singing like nowhere else in the world as armies of supporters filled National Eisteddfodau with inflamed local passions for success. These gladiator-style performances drew crowds that far exceeded any sporting event. At the National Eisteddfod in Swansea in 1891 a staggering 20,000 people were crammed into the Pavilion. At the international rugby game in Newport a few months before, just 8,000 spectators saw the game.

Few would realise that it was a mixed choir of 350 voices, under the baton of Aberdare brewery owner Griffiths Rhys Jones (Caradog) who won the top prize at Crystal Palace in 1871, that was the very first organisation to compete outside its Welsh borders – long before any sporting event. This was the psychological boost that the Welsh needed, particularly at a time when they were growing increasingly uncertain of their nation’s cultural contribution within the British Empire.

Today we fail to understand just how significant the male voice choir was in shaping a national identity. But all is not lost. There is a renaissance. During a few short years the Fron Male Choir was in the right place at the right time to sign up a major record deal and hit the top of the classical charts. Then we saw a group of talented young singers in Only Men Aloud winning Last Choir Standing. They may be closer to a giant boy band than a male voice choir, but what’s so wrong about that? Together they have helped make the public sit up and take notice and the spotlight is back on the rest of us.

... and at home in 1885

For Treorchy, they continually build on a history that saw them first raise their voice way back in 1883. Although a Royal Command for Queen Victoria was a highlight for those early singing miners, world-wide success eluded them until they reformed following the Second World War. National Eisteddfod wins provided the catapult to success during the early days and has since allowed them the privilege of making almost 60 albums, appearing with Ella Fitzgerald, Burt Bacharach, Julie Andrews, as well as just about every conceivable Welsh entertainer.

Overseas visits have been plentiful, with sell-out concert tours of Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand on numerous occasions. There’s something very special about those trips, with the opportunity of moving entire audiences of largely Welsh ex-pats to tears when the sound of a Myfanwy or We’ll Keep a Welcome brings back all the heartbreaking feelings ofhiraeth for the homeland.

Treorchy led the way with its radical approach to incorporating new and innovative music into the repertoire. With a “change or die” attitude they welcomed diverse music by Freddie Mercury, Abba and Bob Dylan into the repertoire while others choirs were still Crossing the Plains and causing the Destruction of Gaza.

Undoubtedly this shift was one of the reasons why a new generation of singers joined their local choirs. Family traditions and community pride were always factors in attracting new choristers and this remains true to this day. Today there remains a preponderance of middle-aged man among the membership – those who have hung up their rugby boots, but still want to “train” twice a week and enjoy “away” games on a Saturday – with fewer injuries, too. And lets not forget that the work they do benefits so many others, too. As a registered charity, almost 90% of their concerts raise funds for various causes.

This is the place where lifelong friendships across all generations are forged. Choirs are more than just a musical organisation, they are a way of life. You sing together, drink together, laugh together and, at times, cry together.

Male voice choirs are not dying. Don’t let the grey-hairs fool you one bit. They continually strive to re-adapt to changing audiences and musical tastes. They are the embodiment of Welsh culture and remain first-class ambassadors for our country. They have stood the test of time and draw the crowds to Wales as much as any of our tourist attractions, while no major event from rugby internationals to royal visits seem complete without the sound of male voices in harmony.

Male voice choirs were built out of camaraderie and the love of singing. Despite the passing of the generations, this has not changed, nor is ever likely to. Amen to that.

For further details visit www.treorchymalechoir.com