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
VWL3876 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19370226 [Late February 1937]
VWL3877 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 194----- [1940s?]
VWL3878 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3879 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3880 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193----- [1930s?]
VWL3881 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19320910 [19320910]
VWL3882 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 194----- Wed. [1940s?]
VWL3883 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193108-- [August 1931]
VWL3884 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19480601 June 1st [1948]
VWL3885 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19391028 [late October 1939]
VWL3886 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 194----- Nov 2 [1940s]
VWL3887 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3888 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931?]
VWL3889 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930?]
VWL3890 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3891 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 193----- [December 1930s]
VWL3892 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930?]
VWL3893 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3894 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3895 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3896 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1930---- [1930]
VWL3897 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3898 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3899 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 19300606 6 Jun 30
VWL3900 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1931---- [1931]
VWL3901 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Grace Williams 1934---- [1934?]
VWL4276 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Alan Frank (OUP) 19500727 July 27 [1950]
VWL4277 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Guthrie Foote (OUP) 19500817 Aug 17 [1950?]
VWL4467 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19380312 March 12 [1938?]
VWL4741 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Cockshott 19451004 Oct 4 [1945]

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