THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Clarendon Press
Oxford

12th June, 1947.

Oxford Music Festival

We have been having some preliminary discussions at Oxford about the possibility of a music festival next summer term, early in May.  Westrup has written to Vaughan Williams to ask him if he will write a new work for it, and V.W. has promised to do so; a short choral work, unaccompanied, if and when he can find some suitable words; and with the general idea of commemorating the memory of Parry.
I suppose that you will be expected to publish it, and will be able to do so?  That is why I pass this information on to you at once.  Later on it may be necessary to prod V.W., for if the Bach Choir, or part of it, is to sing the work in May 1948, they will have to start practicing1 it this winter.²
A.L.P.N.³
Mr. N. Peterkin.

1.  sic.
2.  VW fulfilled this commission with Prayer to the Father of Heaven, Catalogue of Works 1948/1. It was dedicated ‘To the memory of my master Hubert Parry not as an attempt palely to reflect his incomparable art, but in the hope that he would have found in this motet (to use his own words) “something characteristic”’. Peterkin responded ‘Vaughan Williams would certainly wish us to publish the new choral work … for he now looks on us as his exclusive publishers. And we in turn are anxious to publish and not let any other publisher get a work from him’
3.  Secretary to the Clarendon Press.