THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

January 26th 1957.

Dear Bill

Thank you for your letter. I have had no answer from Miss Riddick yet!¹
I think we had better have Martin to play,² in spite of his not being ablre³ to come to rehearsal – I suppose he could come to the Saturday rehearsal all right. – and perhaps we could arrange a morning rehearsal for the solosist and obbligatists as we have done before? Namely, Soprano, contralto, tenor, flute, oboe, violin, 2 violas, ‘cello and continuo. That would ease things very much at full rehearsal. I think as so many of our players have to be away at the Thursday rehearsal we better ask all the strings, amateur and professional, to come either to the afternoon, or the evening rehearsal, or both. Though I don’t think we need have all the double basses, two will be enough, one for each orchestra, and I do not think we need have the solo wind. I know it will mean a little more money, but I happen to know there will be some. Love to Winifred.
Yrs
RVW

1. Presumably in response to VWL3695.
2. David Martin, who led the orchestra in the St. Matthew Passion on 16 March (and had also done so for the 1955 Matthew Passion). Vera Kantrovitch led the orchestra for the St. John Passion in 1958.
3. sic.