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.

Searching:
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
VWL3868 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193310-- [autumn 1933]
VWL3819 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193309-- [September 1933?]
VWL3832 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1933---- [about 1933?]
VWL3836 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1933---- [1933?]
VWL3821 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1933---- [September 1933?]
VWL3828 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1933--- [about 1933]
VWL3873 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19321228 December 1932
VWL3835 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19321115 Nov 15 [1932]
VWL3820 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1932---- [1930s]
VWL3842 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1932---- Fri [1932?]
VWL3827 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1932---- [1932?]
VWL3883 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193108-- [August 1931]
VWL3895 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3887 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3900 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3829 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [about 1931]
VWL3888 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3855 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1930s?]
VWL3879 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3898 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3878 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3897 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3899 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19300606 6 Jun 30
VWL3824 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930?]
VWL3871 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930s?]
VWL3825 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3848 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930 or 1931]
VWL3893 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3894 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3826 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [mid-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