Robert Rees (singer) at Soar Congregational chapel. He took a course of instruction at the Swansea Training College and was successful enough to give up work to devoted his whole time to music. Rees served for three years as precentor of Walter Road Congregational Church in Swansea and he conducted in singing festivals and served as adjudicator. In 1874, at the National Eisteddfod, held in Bangor, Rees performed the song "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" and according to the "Baner ac Amserau Cymru" journal "had taken the Eisteddfod by storm". "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" was adopted as the Eisteddfod song in 1880 and sung
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ("Eos Morlais"), one of the leading Welsh soloists of his day. It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem. "Hen wlad fy nhadau" was also one of the first Welsh-language songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the Gramophone Company, as part of the first recording in the Welsh language. In 1905, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" became the first national anthem to be sung at the start of a sporting event. Although crowds singing anthems during matches was commonplace, there was no precedent for the anthem to be