THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

Dec 26: 1936

Dear Miss Colman
Thankyou very much for the beautiful card – & the picture of “Gib our cat”.¹
My best wishes for the New Year.
Yours sincerely

R Vaughan Williams

1. Ethel Colman lived at Carrow Abbey near Norwich, which is referred to in John Skelton’s poem ‘Jane Scroop’ which VW set as no.4 in Five Tudor Portraits, Catalogue of Works 1935/5. The work had been given its first performance on the previous 25th September at the Norwich Triennial Festival . ‘Jane Scroop’, laments the death of Philip Sparrow…
that was late slain at Carrow
among the Nuns Black …

The tears down hailed
But nothing it availed
to call Philip again,
Whom Gib, our cat, hath slain.
VW had stayed with Miss Colman in 1930 for the first performance of Job, two festivals earlier.  See VWL871.