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.

Search the letters

Featured Letter

from Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958 to Editor of The Times

Letter No. VWL5043

Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams and others to the Editor of The Times

Letter No.: VWL5043

London.

[Saturday January 21, 1956]

Sir,
The Arts Council’s decision to close all its regional offices from March 31, 1956, is one which we deplore. Although re-organizarion is put forward as a continuation of existing policy there is already evidence to show that the previous reduction of regional offices has had a stultifying effect. It is our belief that nothing can replace the valuable work done by those regional officers, who, through personal contact and intimate knowledge of local conditions, have done so much to stimulate arts in the provinces. To give the provincial public the close encouragement it needs to surmount difficulties and limitations, someone who knows, from daily experience, what these are and who is able to discover and help local enthusiasm and enterprise is essential. A central control, we fear, will have the same effect as an absentee landlord.
If the Arts Council becomes centralized its work cannot but be superficial. Economy is the reason given for this change, but we believe that, if the will were there, economies could be made in other directions less damaging to the country’s cultural life.
Yours faithfully,
John Betjeman, Nevill Coghill, C. Day Lewis, Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams

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