The earliest manuscript of 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau', the national anthem of Wales, 1856

The words and music that were later adopted as Wales's national anthem were composed in January 1856, the result of a collaboration between a father and a son from Pontypridd: Evan James, author of the words, and James James, who composed the melody.

The actual story behind the composition of the national anthem is uncertain. Some believe that Evan James composed the words before his son composed the melody, and others believe that the melody was composed before the words. The title, Glan Rhondda, which was originally given to the work, followed a common trend for hymn music.

The anthem was performed for the first time in the vestry of Capel Tabor in Maesteg in 1856, by a singer called Elizabeth John from Pontypridd. Glan Rhondda was included in the 1860 publication Gems of Welsh Melody, where it was given its more famous title, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. Gems of Welsh Melody sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the national anthem across the whole of Wales.

In London on 11 March 1899, the first known record in the Welsh language was made, when Madge Breese sang Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau for the Gramophone Company.