THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

13 Cheyne Walk
S.W.

[November 1914]

Dear Dent

I’ve now finished your book¹ – & I do congratulate you on it most heartily. I now want you to write a book called `Further discussion of the things I hadn’t time to say in my Mozart book’ & sh^d consist of
 (1) a further discussion of the language of music with regard to nationality – whether in the musical language there are varieties of dialect – the English, the German, the French etc
(2) With regard to folk-song & the composer – an elaboration of what you say about it not yet being our national language – whether in the course of years this may become so & whether if it does whether any good will accrue – At present your paragraph leads me to suppose that you do not believe in the F.S.³ as a good influence but
(a) perhaps you don’t mean this
(b) if you do it may quite possibly be the truth – any way a book from you on the subject w^d be most valuable.
(3) elaborate p.411 starting “It is indeed this very  remoteness” – this seems to me the basis of all technical instruction & I always urge my few pupils to found their technique entirely on Palestrina, Bach, Mozart & then build up for themselves.
Thank you again.
Yrs

R.V.W.

1. Mozart’s Operas: A Critical Study, 1913.
2. i.e. folk song