THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

[Aug. 3rd 1959]

[Dear Mr Rust¹]

Thank you so much for your letter.  I am glad to hear of your doing Sons of Light because I feared it was quite dead.  I think failing a good orchestra a well-played pianoforte is the best solution of the accompaniment, with or without strings.
You are evidently doing a good and stimulating work among your pupils – Your orchestra & chorus looked so delightful in the photograph.  Thank you for sending it to us.²
[Yours sincerely

R. Vaughan Williams]

1.  Frank Rust, of Wolverhampton, sent an account and transcripts of his correspondence with VW to John Brown at Oxford University Press in May 1959, following Brown’s appeal for material about RVW. This is the copy at the British Library.
2.  Rust had commented with his transcript: ‘After the performance we sent him copies of the programme together with a specially mounted photograph of the choir about to sing his Cantata’. He also added an early reminiscence: ‘My earliest recollection of R.V.W. dates back to 1923(?)  I was staying at Middlesborough with a young friend who accompanied me as a boy soprano in Purcell’s Hark the Echoing Air.  This was the test piece in a competition R.V.W. was adjudicating.  When he had given his criticism and announced the winner he added “I should like to congratulate also xx boy who accompanied the winner of this class.  It was delightful playing ”.  The boy accompanist was Cyril Smith.’