Search the letters

The Vaughan Williams Foundation has made over 5000 items freely available: chiefly letters from Ralph Vaughan Williams, but including some responses which shed light on the subject matter, and also a number of letters from Adeline and Ursula Vaughan Williams. These provide further information and often include messages or observations from Ralph, and there are also letters from Adeline and Ursula written on behalf of the couple. The text of letters written by RVW and UVW remain the copyright of the Foundation.

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The letters are in tabular form and can be sorted by column, or filtered by any keyword including name, musical title, year or subject (singly or in combination). Partial matches will also be found, e.g. searching “sky” will also find “Stravinsky”. To search for a phrase use inverted commas, e.g. “New York”.

To search by letter number, include the prefix VWL, e.g. VWL123.

Filter letters

Letter No. Title Date Date on Letter
VWL876 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Finzi 19301105 [5th November 1930]
VWL875 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Diana Awdry 19301101 [1 November 1930]
VWL893 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Diana Awdry 193011-- [November 1930]
VWL874 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gustav Holst 19301031 [About 31 October 1930]
VWL873 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Diana Awdry 19301029 [29th October 1930]
VWL872 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Edwin Evans 19301026 Oct 26 [1930]
VWL871 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ethel Colman 19301025 Oct: 25: l930
VWL870 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Vally Lasker 19301013 [13th October 1930]
VWL892 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Herbert Ellingford 193010-- [?October 1930]
VWL4816 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Maud Karpeles 193010-- [October 1930]
VWL869 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Diana Awdry 19300923 [23rd September 1930]
VWL4033 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Evelyn Ault 19300911 September 11 [1930]
VWL4877 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Isidore Schwiller 193009-- [late 1930]
VWL4815 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Maud Karpeles 193009-- [September 1930]
VWL4992 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Arthur Boosey 19300830 Aug 30 [ca 1930]
VWL868 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Finzi 19300829 [29th August 1930]
VWL4845 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Peter Montgomery 19300823 Aug 23 [1930?]
VWL867 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Daniel Gregory Mason 19300819 August 19 [1930]
VWL3819 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193008-- [August 1930]
VWL3821 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193008-- [August 1930]
VWL862 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Vally Lasker 19300731 July 31st. 30
VWL861 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Finzi 19300712 [12th July 1930]
VWL860 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Finzi 19300708 [8th July 1930]
VWL4849 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Peter Montgomery 19300624 June 24 [1930?]
VWL858 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Diana Awdry 19300622 [22nd June 1930]
VWL3899 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19300606 6 Jun 30
VWL891 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Peter Montgomery 193006-- [About June 1930]
VWL4813 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Maud Karpeles 193006-- [June 1930]
VWL848 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Edward J. Dent 19300527 [27th May 1930]
VWL4032 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Evelyn Ault 19300517 May 17 [1930s]

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

He was one of the most 'complete' men I have ever known. He loved life, he loved work and his interest in all music was unquenchable and insatiable.

SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI, conductor

I was thunderstruck by the symphony last night - and hadn't expected to be. Jagged, pulsating and angry, from that very first clanging dissonance - how can it have come from the same source as the Tallis Fantasia?

AUDIENCE MEMBER, Newbury Festival