THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

From R. Vaughan Williams,
The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

Dec. 1936

dictated
 

Dear Maud

Having preached a sermon to the Ctee I will now proceed to preach one to you in the hopes that like the two people quarrelling in the street you will settle your differences by both turning on me.

Do not adopt an absolutely ‘non possum’ attitude.  (1) With regard to the control of the copyright – my feeling is that on principle national things should be controlled by national bodies and not by individuals – but in this particular case I want them controlled by you. Why not a joint control?  You would keep all your rights and they would acquire a say in the matter and it might be useful to settle now who should have control in future years.

(2) With regard to Novello – Why should not the EFDS buy out Novellos and stand in the same relationship as Novellos do at present?

Mrs Jenkins told me the other day that she had calculated that they could sell the goods much cheaper than Novellos – pay the same royalties to the Sharp family and still make a small profit.  (3) With regard to the ‘dead hand’ I know you are tired of this phrase but that does not make the arguments about  it any less true or false as the case may be – I daresay that these young sparks are quite foolish over their ‘discoveries’ but the way to deal with them is not to ignore them or sneer at them but to consider their ideas sympathetically and reason with them.  We diehards must not get into the same position as the old Folk Song Society with Cecil Sharp.  They said ‘Who is this man who thinks he knows everything and we know nothing’  They were wrong but we must make sure that we are not also wrong.   If the F.S. Society had been sympathetic to Sharp and not ignored him they might I believe have helped him to avoid certain mistakes which he made in early days – We must do the same.  (4) in fact I want you to be helpful and constructive and meet the committee with concrete suggestions.  I know they do not deserve it but we must not think only in terms of this committee & must be prepared to treat them like Hamlet ‘better man, better’

(5) I have got into a fearful row with Howes for even suggesting we might be
driving you out of the Society.  I thought it right to warn them – but do tell them from yourself that you do not intend to be driven out.  I am sure that however unpleasant it is to you that you must stick.

Yrs

RVW