THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Tueday [Nov 6 1945]

Belov Boo
Its good to hear of Hemmings. Send all your guests there especially Pumpel!
R had a good day in London – a sandwich lunch on the train & then Nat Gal¹ concert to hear a Bartok 4^tet w^h he admired – at least what he could hear of it – he found himself next to Lorraine & they persuaded him to with them to lunch with the 4^tet – somewhere near by – He seems to have launched some stories in French at lunch – the only others besides the 4^tet were Michael Tippett & the man who runs the concert
The Gertlers² a good 4^tet  – Belgian with no English – Then he was at the R.C.M³ & managed to catch the good 5.30 having a run for it with Arnold Bax.
We listened to the French concert – a lovely little Ravel – a dismal Chausson[?] – & a noisy Bliss.
R is coughing a little more after his outing but that is the rimy morning – He must be quiet “pour mieux sauter” for he is off to London tomorrow to go with Ursula⁴ to Henry IV⁵ – but Ursula is ordering a car & so it s^d be all right & its a matinee
[…]
I like to hear of quintets in the studio
Y^r A

1. National Gallery, London, where lunchtime concerts took place during the war, organised by Myra Hess.
2. The Gertler Quartet, founded in 1928 by Endre Gertler (1907-1998) and based in Brussels; the quartet specialised in performances of Bartok’s music.
3. Royal College of Music
4. Ursula Wood
5. Shakespeare’s play Henry IV.