THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates
Dorking

Nov 17 [1941]

Dear Stanford Robinson
Many thanks for the script of P.K.¹ – I think the selection is very good – I suppose it w^d not be possible to have both verses of the Empress invocation (vocal score p276) that is the only suggestion I have to make
By the way the scoring is on the whole very light as I had to deal with not very powerful voices – I remember that when I heard Trevor Jones broadcast the song out of Act II the orchestra was nearly inaudible – so you may have to tone up the dynamics or even alter the scoring which you have my full permission to do.
Owing to cuts in the original production no orchestra has yet played the following passage
No 30 page 234 G “Sleep
No 40 (p.
  2nd verse (if you include it
No 44 (p 309) “Love in a hut”
Good luck to your show
Yrs
R Vaughan Williams

P.S. in the script sent me there is a misprint “Amaryllis” for Amaryllus

1. The Poisoned Kiss. Stanford Robinson was to conduct a performance of the work broadcast on the Home Service on 28 November 1941; see also VWL1594.