THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates
Dorking

Dec 11 [1948]

Dear Gerald

At last I have been thoroughly through your works. I put off because I was trying to finish the scoring of my opera¹ – but I got stale with that so I turned to you & your works for refreshment to you & your works. You know I always admired Cecilia & now going through it I like it all the more (By the way here is a warning – both Gustav Holst & I got bogged in a cliché from which we have never emerged – i.e. a big modulation to a 6/4. Don’t let it become a cliché with you (Cecilia p.6 fig 4, p.10 fig 8 p.15 4 before 15).
The lovely one² is lovely – though I don’t care for the El Greco like sentimental affectation of the words (By the way poor blushing bride – no it will not do for weddings!)
Edmund Rubbra played through his new symphony the other day. I think it magnificent . Have you heard it yet? If not when you do will you note 2 points
(1) end of whole work (wrong chord?)
(2) 2d movement after G.P.³ – new key – very remote?⁴
My love to Joyce
Yrs

RVW

1.  Pilgrim’s Progress.
2.  The tenor solo in Finzi’s For St Cecilia.
3.  i.e. after the General Pause at Letter M.
4.  Rubbra’s Symphony No. 5. VW‘s criticisms may refer (1) to the fact that the final chord, though tonic, is disposed so that the third only occurs in high registers and there are only open fifths below; (2) that there is a sudden shift down a semitone from B major to B flat major nine bars after letter N.