ABOUT THE LETTERS
Ralph Vaughan Williams’s correspondence - with his friends, family, pupils and fellow musicians - paints an intriguing portrait of the man, as well as providing fascinating insights into his major preoccupations: musical, personal and political.
The VWF database includes transcripts of over 5,000 items of annotated correspondence, fully indexed and searchable, which can all be read online. It includes all the letters of Ralph Vaughan Williams known to the editors and is an ongoing project. Find out more about the database.
The text of letters written by Ralph Vaughan Williams remains in the copyright of the Vaughan Williams Foundation and may not be further reproduced without the prior written consent of the Foundation.
Featured Letter
from Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958 to Cudworth, Cyril Leonard Elwell [Charles], 1908-1977
Letter No. VWL2681
Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Charles Cudworth
Letter No.: VWL2681
From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.
May 11, 1953
Dear Cudworth
This is certainly my writing – I wish I cd write as well now.1
May I be allowed to say how much I like the Fen libretto.2
Yrs ever
R. Vaughan Williams
1. A VW manuscript had been discovered in the Pendlebury Library and had been sent to VW to verify as to whether it was in his autograph.
2. Cudworth had written the libretto for Patrick Hadley’s cantata Fen and flood, a work for male chorus which VW later arranged for soprano and tenor soloists and mixed chorus; Catalogue of Works 1956/6.
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To:
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Scribe:
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Format:
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General Notes:
Check year – the VWs did not move to Hanover Terrace until September.
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Location Of Original:
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Shelfmark:MS 1686-1977
