THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates

January 8 [1950]

Dear Frank

The W.I are an almighty nuisance¹ – Nevertheless perhaps I ought to be getting busy with the orchestration² and on this I want your advice.
I feel for the Albert Hall we must have a full orchestra at least 40 36 strings and full wind and brass – total about 70 65 players.  I told the secretary 70, but she apparently translated 70 into 60 according to your letter.³
Do you agree to this?
But in addition you will probably like to have a version for reduced orchestra and one for pianoforte and strings – Do you favour doing this by “cueing in” or by making 3 separate scores?  Personally I favour the latter – chiefly for the reason that I should have to do the ‘cueing in’ myself and the reduced versions would be done by someone else –⁴
Could you therefore in order that I could get to work soon – send me 2 copies of the vocal score which I can cut up and paste into the full score to avoid having to write out the vocal parts –
Yrs

R. Vaughan Williams

1. The National Federation of Women’s Institutes commissioned Ralph Vaughan Williams to write a cantata, Folk Songs of the Four Seasons, for women’s voices. This was the basis of a national Singing Festival held in 1950. For nearly a year 1,230 WI choirs – 21,000 members – practised. There were County Festivals and the best choirs were chosen to sing at the final performance in the Albert Hall on 15^th June 1950, a choir of more than 3,000 accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. Then VW conducted the last folk-song (God bless the master) as an encore.
2. Of the cantata Folk Songs for the Four Seasons, Catalogue of Works 1949/1.
3. Frank responded that he felt that 36 were too few strings and the balance too much wind. He proposed 7.6.5.4.3 strings and only double wind plus 2-3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani and 2 percussion.
4. Frank felt three versions would be excessive, but agreed to two – full orchestra and strings and piano.