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, Adeline, 1870-1951 to Wedgwood, Ralph L. (Ralph Lewis), 1874-1956

Letter No. VWL208

Letter from Adeline Vaughan Williams to Ralph Wedgwood

Letter No.: VWL208

September 11 [1906]

Dearest Randolph

Your letter of the 5th came to me this morning at Abingdon – We are on our way to London by river & Ralph’s mother is with us.
It would be lovely to come & see you but this week is not much good & next week we go to Leith Hill to see something of the Great Hervey.1   Later on if you have a clear evening do telegraph to us for the chance of our being free – & of course everything else goes to the winds if you can only have us soon and not later.  I am suffering from a second excitement for my darlin[g] brother is just engaged to Cecilia Cornish – he has known her a fortnight & we all think he could not have done better – But he will have to wait longer than you & is as ill fitted for it – 2
I am glad to hear Felix is in England – you will like to have him better than anyone.  Ralph sends his love.  He has been asked to send his photograph to 2 papers so you see he is getting on.
Yr very affte

A.V.W.

I hear that November is the most perfect time for Spain.3

1. VW’s elder brother, Hervey.
2. AVW’s brother William. Wedgwood too was to be married in October.
3. Wedgwood planned to have his honeymoon in Spain.

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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