Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to the Editor of The Sunday Times
Letter No. VWL5275
Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to the Editor of The Sunday Times
Letter No.: VWL5275
[7 January 1951]
Letters to the Editor
THE ENGLISH ORGAN
From DR. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, O.M.
SIR,—I have read with apprehension an article in praise of the proposed new organ at the Royal Festival Hall. Judging from the specification, this new organ will, to my mind, accentuate the objectionable “Bubble and Squeak” tone of the organs on the Continent.
Is it really proposed that we should abandon in favour of this unpleasant sound the noble diapasons and rich soft “mixtures” of our best church organs? I admit that we have some bad organs in England, but at their worst they cannot surely make so nasty a noise as most of those on the Continent. As to the so-called “Baroque” organ, which, I presume, I have heard at its best at the hands of the most distinguished performers, I can only compare it to a barrel organ in the street.
This type of instrument is said to be right for playing Bach. For myself I want nothing better than Bach as played by Dr. Harold Darke on his typically English organ at St. Michael’s, Cornhill.
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS.
Dorking.
-
To:
-
From:
-
Names:
-
Subject:
-
Format:
-
General Notes:
Published in the Sunday Times on 14 January 1951. The editor at that time was Harry Hodson. See reference to this letter in VWL2172.
Ralph Downes, who was responsible for the organ’s design, played the first ‘group’ of pieces in the organ’s inaugural recital on 27 March 1954, and included VW’s Three Preludes founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes.
