THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Hereford

September 12 [1952]

Sir

Your Music Critic’s astounding criticism of Stanford’s Stabat Mater prompts us, whose names are given below, to place on record our opinion that this magnificent work is one of the finest which have come from these islands. Your Critic suggests the influence of Verdi. The only likeness we can see lies in the fact that both composers wrote with mastery both for voice and orchestra. Who but an Irishman could have written the beautiful tune of “Fac ut portem”?¹
Yours faithfully

Herbert Howells
R. Vaughan Williams 

1. The letter was published in The Times, 52, no. 418, p.7 on 16th September.