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 Frank, Alan, 1910-1994

Letter No. VWL2739

Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Alan Frank (OUP)

Letter No.: VWL2739

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.

November 22nd 1953.

Dear Frank,

As regards easy anthems, I will do my best, but I have so many rabbits in my top hat at the moment that I don’t know where to start.
I have had a letter from Cyril Clarke of Argo record company about my voice and violin songs.  Before I let them go they matter will want a lot of revision and thinking over, so they are another rabbit in the top hat.  By the way, they are for soprano, not tenor.1
Would you mind answering the enclosed, and sending the book, if you think fit.  Fred May was an old pupil of mine.2
Yrs

R. Vaughan Williams

1.  Eight (originally nine) Housman songs for voice and violin published in 1954 as Along the field, Catalogue of Works 1927/1.  The Argo recording was made on 17 February 1954 by Nancy Evans and Leonard Hirsch, but never released.  They gave the first public performance of the revised version in the Wigmore Hall on 26th May 1955. See Catalogue of Works pp.123-124.
2.  Fred May, Irish composer.

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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