THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

September 27th 1953.

Dear Frank,

I was surprised to find my name in large print on the copies you sent me of Tony Scott’s Tallis piece. Neither the tune, the harmonies, nor the words are by me and I cannot for the life of me make out why my name appears. I feel very uncomfortable having what is not mine apparently ascribed to me.¹
Thank John Warrack very much for sending me the specimen of Week’s scoring paper.
R. Vaughan Williams

1. See VWL2685. Frank replied that OUP had informed VW that they wished to make use of ‘the enormously strong association of this Tallis tune with your name’ and that VW had agreed to this if it was going to make the piece sell more and thus benefit Tony Scott. There would however be some adjustment to the typography in the next reprint. See further in VWL3442.