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
VWL4623 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Sidney Newman 19520312 12th March, 1952.
VWL4622 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mr Noble 194-05-- [May 1940s?]
VWL4621 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mr Noble 194-0520 May 20 [1940s?]
VWL4620 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Joan Western 193502-- [February, 1935]
VWL4619 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Joan Western 193612-- [December, 1936]
VWL4618 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Joan Western 1936---- [1936]
VWL4617 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Joan Western 19360131 Jan 31 [1936]
VWL4616 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to William Glock 19551213 December 13th 1955.
VWL4615 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Adrian Boult 19350927 27 Sept 35
VWL4614 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to L.P. Pells 19350419 April 19 [1935]
VWL4613 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Marion Scott 19371230 [30 Dec 1937]
VWL4612 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Marion Scott 1935---- Sunday [Spring 1935?]
VWL4611 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Marion Scott 19220201 [1 Feb 1922]
VWL4605 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mrs Western 19351102 Nov 2 [1935]
VWL4604 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Joan Western 19350510 May 10 [1935]
VWL4603 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mrs Western 19350411 April 11th, [1935]
VWL4601 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to an unidentified correspondent 19310319 [19 March 1931]
VWL4600 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Martin Shaw 19580727 [July 27th, 1958]
VWL4599 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Percy Dearmer 1925---- [1925]
VWL4598 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mr Coffman 19541121 November 21st 1954
VWL4592 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to the Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians 19340713 July 13th [1934]
VWL4591 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to the Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians 19521019 Oct 18 [1952]
VWL4590 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mr Scott 19551226 December 26th 1955.
VWL4589 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Flora Mann 19210829 [29 August 1921]
VWL4586 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Mary Windley 19520820 20th August, 1952
VWL4585 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams’s cat to Marjory Jordan 19530913 September 13th. [1953]
VWL4583 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Christovam Pavia 19501123 23rd November, 1950.
VWL4582 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to W. Norman Boase 19280216 Feb 16th [about 1928]
VWL4581 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ida Darwin 19200629 June 29 [about 1920?]
VWL4580 Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to E Winder 19230214 Feb 14th 1923

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