ABOUT THE LETTERS
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Featured Letter
from Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958 to
Letter No. VWL185
Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Director of ‘English Dance Players’
Letter No.: VWL185
From R. Vaughan Williams,
The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.
January 14 [1936]
Dear Sir
I was delighted to hear this afternoon over my wireless the performance of English dance tunes by the ‘English Dance Players’.1 The performance seemed to be excellent and the arrangements had just that element of liveliness which ought to make these beautiful melodies popular. We hear so much of dance tunes from every country in the world except England and it seems to me high time that our own people should be made to realize what delightful and inspiriting dance music we can provide for ourselves without having to go to the other ends of the earth for it. I shall be very much surprised if after this broadcast our English dance tunes do not vie even with jazz in popularity.
yours faithfully
R. Vaughan Williams.
1. The broadcast was on Tuesday 14 January 1936 at 3.15pm.
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General Notes:
Sotheby’s (lot 66), 7 December 2001.
1936 appears to be the only time the English Dance Players were broadcast, on this occasion with the tenor John McKenna.
In the hand of AVW and signed by VW. -
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