THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking.

Nov 14 [1951]

Dear Hubert

I remember a great many years ago (early ‘90s) that the ‘Strand’ Magazine started the fashion of personal interviews & sent round a questionnaire to several eminent composers – Hubert Parry’s reaction was “I’m damned if I’ll tell those fellows whether my bottom is painted blue”.
I feel the same with the BBC snoopers trying to get a factitious interest in my music by telling people what I eat for breakfast and what sort of lavatory paper I use
– If my music cannot stand on its own bottom, I have no desire for it to stand on mine.
Of course I sh^d love to have you write about my music – but you have already done that¹
I’m sorry but there it is!
Yrs

RVW

1. Foss had written Ralph Vaughan Williams: a study (London: Harrap, 1950). This letter is a response to VWL2293.