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
VWL4474 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19370212 February 12 [1937]
VWL3389 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Callaway 19560426 April 26th 1956.
VWL301 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Francis Jenkinson 19000502 [May 2 1900]
VWL451 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Francis Jenkinson 19190626 26/6/19
VWL2754 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Francis Chandler 19540114 January 14th 1954.
VWL4397 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frances Farrer, Secretary of the Leith Hill Musical Competitions 192910-- [October 1929]
VWL3500 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frances Dakyns 195710-- [October 1957]
VWL4433 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frances Cornford 1913---- [1913]
VWL4255 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Florent Schmitt 191402-- [February, 1914]
VWL384 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Florent Schmitt 19470605 5th June, 1947.
VWL834 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Florence Maitland 190707-- [?July 1907]
VWL4589 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Flora Mann 19210829 [29 August 1921]
VWL4919 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 194----- [1940s?]
VWL4920 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 193----- [1930s?]
VWL3940 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 19391120 Nov 20 [1939]
VWL4700 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 1930---- [1930s?]
VWL4918 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 193----- [1930s?]
VWL4921 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 19521012 [12 October 1952]
VWL4922 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Fiona McCleary 19531016 October 16, 1953
VWL2737 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ferdinand Rauter 19531026 Oct 26 [1953 or later]
VWL1680 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ferdinand Rauter 19420816 Aug 16 [1942]
VWL1695 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ferdinand Rauter 19420929 [29. Sept 42]
VWL3141 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Felix Borowski 19530311 11th March, 1953
VWL2101 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Felix Aprahamian 19501005 October 5 [1950]
VWL4673 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Farmer 19490928 September 28th, 1949.
VWL196 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to F.W. Evans 19050324 March 24 [1905]
VWL193 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to F.W. Evans 19050309 March 9th [1905]
VWL194 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to F.W. Evans 19050314 March 14th [1905]
VWL3986 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to F.W. Evans 19050306 6 March 1905
VWL195 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to F.W. Evans 19050316 March 16th [1905]

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