Bron-Yr-Aur

Bron-Yr-Aur (Welsh for "breast of the gold", or by extension, "hill of the gold" or "golden hill";Welsh pronunciation: [brɔn.ər.aɪr]), sometimes misspelled as Bron-Y-Aur, is a privately owned 18th-century cottage, on the outskirts of Machynlleth, Wales, and best known for its association with the English rock band Led Zeppelin.

Overview

The cottage was used during the 1950s by the family of future-Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant as a holiday home. In 1970, Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page spent time there after a long and gruelling concert tour of North America. Though the cottage had no running water or electricity, they used it as a retreat to write and record some of their third album, Led Zeppelin III. People at the cottage during this time were Plant's wife Maureen and 18-month-old daughter Carmen, Page's girlfriend Charlotte Martin, and Led Zeppelin roadies Clive Coulson and Sandy MacGregor.

Page has explained that:

According to the guitarist, the time spent at Bron-Yr-Aur in 1970

Bron-Yr-Aur (instrumental)

"Bron-Yr-Aur" (Welsh pronunciation: [brɔn.ər.aɪr]) is an acoustic guitar instrumental tune by English rock band Led Zeppelin, and, at two minutes and six seconds in duration, is the shortest studio recording under the band's name.

Production

The song was initially recorded by Jimmy Page during the sessions for the album Led Zeppelin III in 1970, but was eventually released in 1975 on Physical Graffiti. It was named after Bron-Yr-Aur, a cottage owned by Plant's parents near the village of Furnace in North Ceredigion, Wales, where Jimmy Page and Robert Plant spent time during the writing of Led Zeppelin III. ("Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a different song from Led Zeppelin III.)

Musical structure

"Bron-Yr-Aur" is a reflective and relaxed piece, and one of the last acoustic tunes released under the band's name. It features a characteristic open C6 tuning (C-A-C-G-C-E) and is played on a 1971 Martin D-28. This same tuning was also used by Page on the tracks "Poor Tom" and "Friends".