THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Eversleigh Court
105/109 Cromwell Road
South Kensington.

[20.2.1934]

Dear Gustav

This is splendid news.  I shall think of you at S.P.G.S.¹ on Wed.
I wish you could have been there on Sunday and on Wed: Its been one of the joys of my life rehearsing with that orchestra: their wonderful responsiveness & flexibility (when you say “pp please” they play pp – shades of the L.S.O.!)² & they know what you want before you know it yourself.
I had 3 rehearsals and really didn’t know what to do with them.  The 1st one (thank heaven) was only supposed to be two hours, but I gave out 1/2 hr before time & the final one nearly an hour before time.  I told them I wished I could have kept them at it merely for the pleasure of hearing them play.  As a matter of fact the 1st movement of the P.S.³ did not seem to me to go as well as sometimes – entirely my fault because I could not get going myself & exaggerated, I think, a bit to make up for it.  My greatest triumph was when Robert Murchie⁴ said `We’ve had a very enjoyable evening’!  We trotted out the old “4 Hymns”⁵  once again – I quite liked them.
Dorothy⁶ sang them extremely well though a little nervous.
Goodbye and Welcome home
We are here till Friday or Sat
Yrs RVW

1. St Paul’s Girls’ School, where Holst taught music.
2. London Symphony Orchestra
3. Pastoral Symphony
4. Robert Murchie was a leading London flautist who played with various orchestras which performed at the Proms.
5. Presumably Four Hymns for tenor, viola obbligato and piano (or string orchestra), Catalogue of Works 1914/2, sung here by a soprano.
6. Dorothy Silk, the soprano.