RVW's Letters - Vaughan Williams Foundation

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, Adeline, 1870-1951 to Gatty, René

Letter No. VWL4457

Letter from Adeline Vaughan Williams to René Gatty

Letter No.: VWL4457

10 Barton Street
Westminster

October 13 [1900]

Dear Herr Gatty
Here are a few of the photographs I took at Hooton: the only ones that are ready so far. Ralph irreverently suggests that under the one of Ivor¹ should be written ‘what do you say God’? Don’t think to write – but let us have a postcard some time to say how you are. When you are better I hope you will take the six weeks holiday that is owing to you – it would be very nice to see you again. If you came, say at the end of the month, I w^d make you take Ralph back with you at Xmas for a weeks holiday & Nicholas would go too I hope.
We had a very pleasant evening with y^r brethren yesterday – we all went to hear a Beethoven programme at the Queen’s Hall & had supper together afterwards. Ivor has got a piano & plays Beethoven sonatas & Schuberts songs! Nicholas is writing something that promises to be very beautiful. Is y^r piano sonata finished yet. You must bring it with you when you come, perhaps you are already at work at something new. Have you started on Paul Verlaine?
I have been reading a lot of Anatole France – a very charming writer – novels & stories. Ralph send his love.
yours always
Adeline Vaughan Williams

To:

Gatty, René
From:

Vaughan Williams, Adeline, 1870-1951
Scribe:

Vaughan Williams, Adeline, 1870-1951
Names:

Gatty, Ivor Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828 Gatty, Nicholas, 1874-1946 Verlaine, Paul, 1844-1896 France, Anatole, 1844-1924
Subject:

Performance history
Places:

England--Hooton Roberts
Format:

Letter
General Notes:

Year from context: there was a big Beethoven concert in Queen’s Hall on 12 October 1900.
Location Of Original:

Birmingham City Archives
Shelfmark:

MS 135
Location Of Copy:

British Library
Shelfmark Copy:

MS Mus. 1714/1/2, ff.22-23

Back to all letters

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