THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking,

12th February, 1948.

Dear Mr. Rutland¹,

As regards my “Partita”, it was originally a double string trio, and as such was performed about ten years ago by the Menges Sextet, but I did not think it successful and I withdrew it.
I have now revised it and written an entirely new last movement, and it is now a Partita for double string orchestra.²  The movements are as follows:
1. Prelude, 2. Scherzo Ostinato, 3. Intermezzo (“Homage to Harry³ Hall”) 4. Fantasia.
The new work is dedicated to Robert Müller-Hartmann⁴ .
Yours sincerely,

R Vaughan Williams

1.  Of the Music Department
2.  The Partita, Catalogue of Works 1938/5a, was to be given its first performance on the BBC Third Programme on 20th March.
3.  Altered by recipient to ‘Henry’.
4.  Note by recipient on original: ‘formerly Mus Advisor to Radio Hamburg’. Müller-Hartmann had revised VW’s score of the Partita – see VWL2315.