THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London.

October 15th 1957.

Dear Mr Wilson¹
Thank you and all your fellow Charterhouse musicians for your good wishes. You know I learned quite a lot of music at Charterhouse, though it was supposed to be the Philistine period of Public School life, and I, and a boy friend  once actually gave a concert of our own compositions in the school hall, with the leave of the Headmaster. So I feel most friendly to Charterhouse music and Charterhouse musicians.
Last year, in Majorca I met Robert Graves² in a restaurant – we suddenly discovered that we were both O.Cs whereupon we both sang Carmen³ so loud that it brought on a thunderstorm!
Thank you all once again,
Yours sincerely,
R Vaughan Williams

1. Head of music at Charterhouse school, where VW had been a pupil. Presumably this letter is in response to birthday wishes for VW’s 85th birthday.
2. Robert Graves, the poet.
3. The school song, “Carmen Carthusianum”