THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking.

Nov 14 [1943]

Dear Peterkin

                                   New Commonwealth

I am anxious as you say to make the unison version as cheap as possible – so I suggested suggest leaving out the alternative choral version of verse 2 altogether. After all there is going to be an unaccompanied SATB version issued separately – Otherwise I suggest putting in the alternative S.A.T.B. version between the 2^nd  & 3^rd verse with an appropriate note as to what to omit in the each case.
Personally I see no harm in the present arrangement – we did the same I think with ‘England my England’¹  – but I think omission is the best course – anything to keep the price down!
If you decide to issue that organ arrangement of “Greensleeves” I had better look at it again before you print – there is a discrepancy in the number of bars between the various versions.²
Yrs

R Vaughan Williams

1.  This choral song, Catalogue of Works 1941/1, was also issued in a unison version which has an optional descant.
2.  An organ arrangement of the song by Stanley Roper was published by Oxford University Press in 1947, see Catalogue of Works 1934/1 e.