THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.

October 21st 1956.

Dear Edmund,

I posess Beethoven’s tuning fork, which was passed from hand to hand, direct from Beethoven to Gustav Holst, who left it in his will to me.¹ I had left it on to Gerald.²  May I now leave it to you?  That would give me great pleasure. And will you, in your turn, leave it on to any composer you think worthy: I should like it to remain in this country.
Yrs RVW

1. Beethoven’s tuning fork said to have been given by the composer to the violinist George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower. It was not in fact passed to Rubbra – see VWL4968 – and was presented by UVW to the British Library (Add MS 71148A) in 1992. See VWL3020.
2. Finzi had died on 27 September.