THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
10, Hanover Terrace,
Regents Park,
London, N.W.1.

July 8th 1954.

Dear Warrack,

Herewith the preface for the Carols.¹ Could you possibly help me to obtain the books of which I enclose a list?
The next point you will probably want to consult about with Alan Frank. It occurs to me that This Day is likely to be popular with school and other Choral Societies, but that, as usual, I have made the accompaniment too elaborate and difficult for this purpose. With the leave of the O. U. Press I propose to ask Roy Douglas in consultation with one or two school experts, such as Wilson of Charterhouse, to make a revised score within the capabilities of a school orchestra. This will I suppose be at my expense, but perhaps it could be offset against my royalties as usual?² 
Yours sincerely,

R. Vaughan Williams

1. VW arranged 21 carols from the Oxford Book of Carols with Martin Shaw for female voices; they were published by Oxford University Press in 1954 as English Traditional Carols – see Catalogue of Works 1928/2.
2. This Day (Hodie) (Catalogue of Works 1954/3) did not become popular with schools and no simplified version of the orchestral accompaniment was issued.