THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking, Surrey.

29th March, 1951.

Dear Mr Robertson,¹

I fear I cannot break my rule of not talking about my music.  But why should not Michael Mullinar do the talking as well as the playing?
He is quite an experienced lecturer and knows my score rather better than I do myself, and if necessary I will give him a little coaching in what to say.²
Yours sincerely

R. Vaughan Williams
(R. Vaughan Williams).

1.  The writer on music who at this time was Chief Producer of music talks on the BBC Home Service and Third Programme.
2. This probably evolved into a 30 minute talk on Pilgrim’s Progress given by Sir Steuart Wilson with illustrations played by Mullinar, broadcast at 6.30 pm on 30 April, followed immediately by the second broadcast of the opera itself, all on the Third Programme. UVW writes that AVW was able to hear it on 30 April, but it was also broadcast on the Home Service on Thursday 26 April, the first night.