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.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SOURCES AND COPYRIGHT

Filter letters

Letter No. Title Date Date on Letter
VWL4467 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19380312 March 12 [1938?]
VWL4468 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 1935---- [late 1930s?]
VWL4472 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19540630 June 30th 1954
VWL4463 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19371206 Dec 6 [about 1937]
VWL1216 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19370921 September 21 [1937]
VWL2407 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19520502 May 2nd [1952]
VWL3076 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19550418 April 18th 1955.
VWL4465 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 1934---- [1934]
VWL4477 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19540612 June 12th 1954
VWL512 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 1937---- [1937?]
VWL2391 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19520409 9th April, 1952
VWL4462 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 1938---- Jan 3d [late 1930s]
VWL4464 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19371101 [Nov 1 1937]
VWL4470 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19350718 July 18 [late 1930s]
VWL4466 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 1939---- Tuesday [1939?]
VWL4469 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19520604 4th June, 1952.
VWL4471 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19341017 [17 Oct 1934]
VWL4473 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19430518 May 18 [1943]
VWL4475 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19380513 May 13 [1938]
VWL4476 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Frank Howes 19400927 Sept 27 [about 1940?]
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.

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