THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

Aug 6th 1937

Dear Professor Murray

I feel it a great shame for you, who hardly know me, to be worried by me on your holiday. But your opinion on the following would be very valuable to me.
A rich Hamburg merchant has, through the university of Hamburg, offered a prize (10,000 marks) to be given, strange to relate, to an English composer. It has been offered to me. The offer has come to me through Professor Fiedler of Oxford. At first I suspected political propaganda but he assures me that it is entirely private and absolutely non-political – that in fact is why music was chosen as one of the subjects.(Similar prizes are being offered to Scandinavia and Holland). I feel that for the sake of my profession I ought to accept such an unprecedented offer. But I want to be reasonably certain that I can do so with clean hands & not, thereby, have my anti-Nazi teeth drawn. I put all these points to Fiedler and he reassured me thoroughly.¹
Your opinion would be most valuable to me.
Yours sincerely

R. Vaughan Williams

1. See VWL643 etc.