THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

July 29th 1956.

Dear Michael,

Your letters were splendid.  I will not attempt to answer them, but I want to ask you to do something for me.  I find I am entirely ignorant of all the jargon of the wrong note school: could you give me a short resume?  Telling me especially what the twelve tone scale means and what a tone row means.¹
Our love to Eslyn

RVW

POSTAL TUITION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE OF WRONG NOTERY: CONVERSATIONAL SUCCESS GUARANTEED.  LEARN WHAT ALL THE LEARNED REVIEWERS MEAN: BE CONTEMPORARY! ENROL TODAY AS A KENNEDY STUDENT!

1. VW had not embraced the twelve-note school. According to Michael Kennedy, VW liked to pronounce “tone row” to rhyme with “cow.”