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 Carey, Francis Clive Savill, 1883-1968
Letter No. VWL4876
Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Clive Carey
Letter No.: VWL4876
The White Gates,
Dorking,
19th January, 1949.
Dear Clive
I feel quite ashamed of myself in worrying you so much and so you simply must not answer this letter.
I am so glad or your opinion and I think you are right.
As regards the key of promise – it is mentioned at the end of Act II, but I doubt if this is necessary. In fact I think this is almost too realistic in a purely fanciful opera. The scene with the key in the book occurs in Doubting Castle and no mention has been made of it before, so we must suppose that the preselect were born with keys round their necks, and that the Pilgrim had simply forgotten about this one.
As regards his dress at the end of Act II, it is mentioned, at all events in later editions of the libretto, that he changes his armour for the conventional Pilgrim’s dress.
Thank you once again for all tor help and please do not answer this.
yrs
RVW
(R. Vaughan Williams).
Clive Carey, Esq.,
85, St. Mark’s Road, London, W.10.
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Typewritten, signed and with annotations.
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Shelfmark:1714/2/5, f.69
