THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Lemons Cottage
Abinger Common, Dorking
Surrey

[Before 5th June 1924]

Dear Dent
I hope you won’t mind me butting in on the subject of the Cambridge Professorship. I hear a report that you do not propose to stand for it.
I hope this is not true.¹
I admit that what the authorities ought to do is to offer it you without your applying.
But I believe they are so hide bound that they will not go outside their custom, which is only to consider those who have applied.
I feel it so very important for music in England that you should have the position – in fact if I may make so bold I think it is your duty to offer yourself.
So I very much hope that you will give in to the prejudice of these people to the extent at all events of a formal letter to the effect that you wish to stand for the post.
I realize that if by any chance they did appoint someone else (and of course there is no lengths of foolishness to which a committee cannot go) you w^d feel in an unpleasant position – But I do feel that we ought to give them the chance of doing the right thing –
Yrs ever

R. Vaughan Williams

1. The chair of music at Cambridge University had fallen vacant following the death of Charles Stanford on 29 March 1924.