Cerdd Dant (Welsh for 'string music', or penillion) is the art of vocal improvisation over a given melody in Welsh musical tradition. It is an important competition in eisteddfodau. The singer or (small) choir sings a counter melody over a harp melody.[1]
- ^ "About Cerdd Dant". Cymdeithas Cerdd Dant Cymru. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
The harp always plays a set melody – a traditional melody or a melody composed in the traditional style. The singer waits for a few bars and then sings his or her words on a counter melody