RVW’s Letters

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.

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Featured Letter

from Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958 to Cohen, Harriet, 1895-1967

Letter No. VWL988

Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Harriet Cohen

Letter No.: VWL988

The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

[17 December 1931]

Dearest Harriet

Don’t tie yourself up with Stokowsky – if he wants the concerto next autumn he can have it – if you approve – otherwise we will leave ourselves free
– any way I’m not going to let any Yank have me (nor presumably will you) for nothing.1
– and we have definitely fixed for the B.B.C next autumn in London haven’t we? 2
The O.U.P control the concerto – so ask any manager who wants it to communicate direct with them.3
Come back soon! and bring down that balance (10000 – 10?)4

1. Ironically Leopold Stokowski was born in London in 1882 of Polish and Irish parentage.
2. In fact the Concerto did not receive its first performance until the following year – 1 February 1933, at the Queen’s Hall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Adrian Boult.
3. The publisher Oxford University Press were publishing the concerto.
4. A reference to outstanding balance of the reward VW was to claim for the concerto.  See VWL901. VW seems to have forgotten to sign the letter – it appears otherwise complete.

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A teacher's advice is not meant to be taken like a Pill but thought about & then: 1) adopted, or (2) rejected, or (perhaps best of all) (3) a 3rd course suggests itself from thinking the matter over.

RVW letter to GRACE WILLIAMS 1920

New York on the 26th, lecture at Yale on the 1st. Sail on the 4th. Ralph is terrifically well and bouncy and THRIVES on milkshakes and butterscotch sundaes.

UVW letter from New York to Michael and Eslyn Kennedy 1954

Most of Stravinsky bores me. I wish he even shocked me: especially the Rite of Spring...but I do like Symphony of Psalms, Les Noces, and the Suite for Violin and Pianoforte, of which I once heard a record under very peculiar circumstances, of which I will tell you one day.

RVW letter to MICHAEL KENNEDY 1957

You have never lost your invention but it has not developed enough.  Your best – your most original and beautiful style or ‘atmosphere’ is an indescribable sort of feeling as if one was listening to very lovely lyrical poetry.

GUSTAV HOLST letter to RVW 1903