THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking,

14th April, 1948.

Dear Cedric
 Thank you so much for your letter. I will send a cheque to Mr. Barlow and also to Mr. Gray.¹
 I wish I had had the opportunity of meeting all those delightful people that you collected for me, but the music took up all the time.
 As Billy Reed said once at the Three Choirs Festival, “How nice Festivals would be if it wasn’t for the music!”²
 I still feel worried about that contretemps in the “Patrem”.³ The choirs tell me that I got quicker earlier than usual and that they got left behind. Then frankly I lost myself and followed the sopranos. Some of the orchestra, including luckily the Timpani and the organ, followed me the sopranos. I should like to know very much whether any one you know who could be described by Tovey as a “naïve listener” noticed that we had become unstuck, Could you find out for me? If they did not it would ease my mind a great deal. 
Yrs  
R. Vaughan Williams

 (R. Vaughan Williams).

Major Glover.

1. Presumably supporters of, or participants in, the Leith Hill Musical Festival; Glover had been among the performers.
2. William H. Reed
3. In the Festival performance conducted by VW, probably of Bach’s Mass in B minor.