THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.

February 17th 1957.

Dear Mr Morris,

We have both been through this most carefully, added a few stage directions, a little more dialogue and made clear the rearrangement of the last few numbers.  As far as I can tell it is now complete and workable.  We hope to go to some rehearsals soon at the Academy, then, if anything is not absolutely clear we can add, subtract, put in another couplet or change any word in the spoken dialogue.  By the time they have got all three acts to the stage rehearsals we shall see if it is all as good as can be.
Yours sincerely,

Ursula Vaughan Williams

We also return the score they had at Cheltenham, & very kindly lent me to work from.¹

1. John Neve had conducted a performance of The Poisoned Kiss, Catalogue of Works 1936/4, at Cheltenham School in April 1956,which had stimulated VW to buy the copyright in the libretto from Evelyn Sharp so that he and Ursula could revise it and make a new performing version of the opera incorporating spoken dialogue and a number of cuts (see Catalogue of Works p.157). The new version was performed at the Royal Academy of Music on 11th July 1957. See Kennedy, Works of Vaughan Williams, p.332.