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 Holst, Gustav, 1874-1934

Letter No. VWL851

Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gustav Holst

Letter No.: VWL851

The White Gates
Westcott Road
Dorking

[4th April 1930]

Dear Gustav,

I was distressed not to see you last night.1 I know you hate it all – but we had to tell you in public that we know you are a great man.
The Lament & Ground are splendid – I’m not quite so sure about the scherzo – and even that boils down to not being quite sure about the 6/8 time.2 
Yrs

RVW

1.  Holst had received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal on 3 April. VW had also been awarded the medal, on 13 March the same year.
2.  The concert had included the first performance Holst’s Double Concerto played by Adila Fachiri and Jelly d’Aranyi.

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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