THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Dorking.

Jan 5 [1953]

Dear Frank

I have been going through Roy Douglas’ 4 Seasons Suite¹  – He has put such a lot of work into it that I feel that he ought to have the major share of the credit – Therefore I propose the title thus:
                        Roy Douglas
            Folksongs of the Four Seasons
                   Suite for Orchestra
            founded on the Cantata of the
                      same name by
                   R. Vaughan Williams

Also I should like if possible for the work to be treated for royalty hiring fee & performing fee purposes to be treated² entirely as his composition.
Can this be arranged?
Yrs

R. Vaughan Williams

1. Catalogue of Works 1949/1a.
2. The repetition is in the original.
3. Frank responded on 15th January that there would be no difficulty about the proposed allocation of royalties and fees; VW should write to the Performing Rights Society with appropriate instructions. However he disagreed with VW’s proposed title layout: The settings of the folksongs were VW’s in the first place and it would be wrong to suggest anything else; furthermore the work would do better, and therefore yield more remuneration to Roy Douglas, if it appeared under VW’s name, with Douglas’ name appearing prominently as the arranger.