THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates
Dorking

May 11 [1942]

Dear Harold
Yes I listened – & it came through very well.  I felt that perhaps listening for the first bit for the first time and with no previous knowledge would get a clear idea if (a) the story (b) the words (c) the tunes.  I thought all were good, & the Loreley (by the way she is Mrs Stanford Robinson!)¹ sang the tunes clearly & without wobble (you could tell what note she was on) , but she spoiled “here on my throne”.  I should love to come & see you one day.  I am usually up & down for C^tees about once a week or so.
By the way would you feel inclined to write some words for a tune – if it is the prelude to some more I wrote for “49^th //^e” – & I believe it might make a good community song for some high falutin words about Canada or Freedom or Federal Union or something (its rather a high falutin tune) – I tried my pet poetesses hand on it (Ursula Wood), but she can’t high falute in the right way some how – she can’t be impersonal enough.  I know enough for a big popular (good sense) song.  Would you do it?  If so I would send you the tune & a nonsense verse which I wrote to show the metre & rhyme scheme, which are very important to the tune.
Yrs
R. Vaughan Williams

1.  Lorely Dyer.