THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking, Surrey.

30th March, 1950.

Dear Sir,
Some months ago you wrote to me offering your services as a copyist.
I have some work which wants doing with regard to some orchestral parts of a Bach Cantata, re-arranging and transposing besides copying.¹
Would you care to undertake this? It would, I think, have to be done under my supervision, therefore if you could undertake it could you arrange to spend a day or even two days here in the near future, and then we could work together at it.
The parts are wanted at the latest by April 15th. Any time before that would be suitable to me.
I presume that the normal Musicians’ Union rates would satisfy you.
Yours faithfully,

R Vaughan Williams
(R. Vaughan Williams).

Guy Oldham,
60 Woodcrest Road,
Purley, Surrey.

1. This refers to writing extra orchestral parts, composed by VW, from his manuscript, for a performance of Bach’s Cantata no.21 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (information from a note by the recipient).