THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking.

[About 16th October 1934]

Dear Adrian

I want you to hear the (F Min) Symph¹ on 2 pianos soon because I want to get down to it & wash its face – Now have you any free dates?  Vally and Nora² are free after 5.30 on Fridays & Saturday mornings – also possibly Thursdays after 6.0 & possibly Thursday mornings (Fri or Sat: best) – Could you get Mrs Beckett³ to ring up & say if any of those days soon will be poss for you (Nov 10th is imposs for me) – but I hope for something earlier.⁴
Yrs

RVW

1. Catalogue of Works 1934/13.
2. Vally Lasker and Nora Day, who frequently played through piano scores for RVW.
3. Gwen Beckett, Boult’s secretary.
4. The run-through had taken place almost certainly on 2nd November (see VWL1323); VW wrote to Arthur Bliss on 6th November responding to some comments of his on the symphony which he had clearly also heard at this run-through (see also VWL1325).