THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

May 11 [1949]

Dictated.

Dear Müller Hartmann
I have been through the Pilgerreise very carefully and with great interest.¹
I make one or two suggestions – but the final decision must be with you as it is your work and I shall entirely agree.

Act 1.  Pilgrim “What shall I do to be saved” becomes “Was soll Ich tun, wohin fliehen”
I find in my German New Testament in Acts XVI 30 “What must I do to be saved” is “Was soll Ich tune dass Ich selig würde”
By the addition of a few notes we could adopt this here (see Musical example 1)²

Act 2 Chorus “To be a Pilgrim” becomes “Heil Wack’rer Pilger” The word “Heil” still leaves rather a nasty taste in my mouth but perhaps to a German it is so common a word  the effect is not felt and I admit that in Act 4 the heavenly Messenger must say “Heil” unless we can translate “Hail Pilgrim” by something like (in my faulty German) “Gruss Dir Pilger” (musical example 2)

Act II Apollyon “Here will I spill my soul”
This magnificent bout of rhetoric does not seem to me adequately represented by “Hier flusse dein Blut”

Act 3  I am still unhappy about “Humbug” and Von Ubel” and is “Frau” a proper translation of “Madam” – you will notice that Bunyan does not say “Mistress” and I have a half recollection that in Freitag’s “Die Journalisten” the married ladies were all called “Madame” – This applies to Bubble and Wanton in Act 3 and Byends in Act 4.
Wanton “Music and Dancing” “Singen und tanzen” would avoid the awkward slur on the second syllable of “Musik”. Incidentally I find there is a mistake in the voice part  should be  (see musical example 3).

Pilgrim in prison  “So bist du da”
I suggest what I think would be a better musical underlaying (see musical example 4)
I enclose what I hope is an adequate material equivalent of your work  – but the spiritual equivalent of your skill, knowledge and friendliness cannot be repaid – the price of your wisdom is indeed above rubies³
Thank you once more
Yrs
R Vaughan Williams

1. VW had asked Müller-Hartmann if he would translate Pilgrim’s Progress into German (see VWL2952).
2. The musical examples do not survive with the copy of the letter.
3. Quote from the Bible, Proverbs 31:10, ‘Who can find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies’.