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Albion
Records Launched
Albion Records is the CD subsidiary of the RVW Society. It released
its first CD in October 2007 entitled "The Sky Shall be Our
Roof" featuring 19 rare songs from the operas of Ralph Vaughan
Williams. Visit: www.albionrecords.org
Ten CDs are planned. |
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Vaughan
Williams speaks!
This BBC page has a profile of RVW plus an audio file of
him speaking on a world service programme in 1956 on the
'glory of the English Hymn'. |
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Philharmonia
Podcasts
A superbly produced series of podcasts covering Vaughan Williams
experience as a stretcher bearer in the First World War, The
Pilgrim's Progress. Paul Edmund-Davies looks at the Sea
Symphony and Mark van de Wiel, the Philharmonia Orchestra's
Joint Principal clarinettist looks at the London
Symphony.
Click
here for excellent media page.
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The
Leith Hill Festival
Vaughan Williams became the first festival
conductor (click to see our page) in 1905, a post which
he held until his retirement in 1955 although he continued
to conduct until the year of his death in 1958. The festival
became famous for VW’s unique interpretations of the
Bach 'Passions', a recording of which is available on the 'Pearl'
label. Many famous musicians of the day performed at
the Dorking venues, drawn by the VW charisma. The festival,
held in Spring, continues to this very day in much the same
format, with a competition for local choirs, followed by
either The St Matthew or St John Passion.
Vaughan Williams wrote "It is better to be vitally parochial
than to be an emasculate cosmopolitan. The great names in
music were at first local and the greatest of them all, John
Sebastan Bach remained a local musician all his life." |
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Faber
A brief biography by Michael Kennedy for Faber. |
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Discovering
Music on Radio 3
Bookmark this superb BBC archive. Excellent analysis of the
Tallis Fantasia and the 5th Symphony and illustrated with
musical examples. |
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Musical
Times
From the archives, an Obituary of Vaughan Williams with tributes
from: John Ireland, Sir Adrian Boult, Sir John Barbirolli,
Herbert Howells, Sir Arthur Bliss, Sir Steuart Wilson, Sir
George Dyson, Frank Howes, Norman Demuth, Alun Hoddinott,
Michael Kennedy. |
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RVW
Trust
The RVW Trust make grants which support British music of
the 20th and 21st centuries. The Trust cannot support the
music of the Founder, at his insistence. |
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Songs
Text of Vaughan Williams songs. |
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Leopold
Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski was a great advocate of RVW's music. They
were both students at the Royal College of Music although
Stokowski was ten years younger and entered the RCM as RVW
was about to leave. According to Stokowski, Vaughan Williams
was influential as a teacher (probably more as an older student – RVW
did not take up teaching at the college until 1920). "I
found him to be a remarkable man – very profound, very
warm".
There were many RVW works in the Stokowski repertoire. Stokowski
conducted the American premiere of the 9th Symphony and he
made the first recording of the 6th but it was the Tallis
Fantasia which he kept returning to. If you visit
The University of Pennsylvannia's site, his manuscript of
the Tallis Fantasia score is illustrated. |
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George
Butterworth
Butterworth was a close friend of Vaughan Williams and encouraged
him to write A London Symphony. |
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Gustav
Holst Website
In the autumn of 1895 Gustav met Ralph Vaughan Williams for
the first time. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
It was also the beginning of their habit of playing their
compositions to each other while they were still working
on them and giving each other honest criticism. See also Holst
Museum |
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Gerald
Finzi
Although of different generations, Finzi and Vaughan Williams
were good friends until the younger man's death from Hodgkinsons
in 1951. The two shared a love of the work of Thomas Hardy.
Vaughan Williams wrote a great part of his 8th Symphony at
Finzi's house in Ashmansworth. Finzi settings of Hardy are
among the finest. A biography is also on Hyperion. |
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Music & Vision
article
Roderick Dunnett talks to Martin Lee-Browne about a newly
discovered Vaughan Williams setting of Walt Whitman. |
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Stainer & Bell
Stainer & Bell catalogue where works can be purchased
or hired. |
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The
English Music Festival
The primary aim of the EMF is to promote the unjustly neglected
music of both well-known and lesser-known British composers.
The Festival intends to bring to live audiences pieces that
deserve to be in the repertoire but that are never, or rarely,
played or recorded.
EMF 2010 – Dates have been confirmed:
28-31 May |
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Naxos
The RVW Society is proud to be working closely with Naxos,
particularly on world premiere recordings of rare Vaughan
Williams' music. 'Willow Wood' has been a notable success
and we are hoping that future projects will enjoy similar
acclaim. |
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Discography
A BBC page containing a full listing of all VW albums with track
details and sound clips. |
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Ivor
Gurney
Gurney was regarded as one of the most promising men of his
generation, both in music and poetry. However, in 1922
the Bipolar disorder that had plagued him from early
adulthood prompted his family to have him declared insane.
Throughout Gurney's years of confinement as well as getting
his works published or performed, Vaughan Williams used to
visit and send him books and maps which he loved. |
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The
Bach Choir
Vaughan Williams was one of a succession of outstanding Musical
Directors. |
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Classical
Net
Classical Net features more than 6800 files including more
than 5000 CD, SACD, DVD and book reviews and over 5300 links.
Of interest to RVW Society members are the excellent VW critical
reviews by Steve Schwartz. |
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Rebecca
Clarke
Composer and viola player, she sang in an Early Music ensemble
of which Butterworth was also a member, called 'The Palestrina
Society'. Vaughan Williams was their conductor. |
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Hodie
More personal views from 'Flying Inkpot', this time Vaughan
Williams Christmas oratorio, Hodie, conducted
by Wilcocks. |
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Arts
in Residence
Musical weekends in country houses and small country hotels
with good food, wine and friendly ambience. Guests need only
the ability to enjoy music; no technical knowledge is required. |
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Elgar
Society
Vaughan Williams had enormous respect for Elgar. The Society
website is a superb resource. One of the best of its kind. |
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The
British Library
Vaughan Williams' wife Ursula, donated most of the composer's
manuscripts to the British Museum. If you want to study the
originals, illegible scrawl and all, then this is the place! |
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The
49th Parallel
Vaughan Williams was 69 when he wrote the music for the film,
The 49th Parallel. Society member Rolf Jordan wrote the article. |
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Chandos
Chandos have produced some superb Vaughan Williams recordings
with Hickox conducting. |
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Hyperion
Records
Some of the finest Vaughan Williams recordings have come
from this label, including The Early Chamber Music. |
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UK
Cathedral Music Links
For a supposed atheist or even agnostic, Vaughan Williams
produced a remarkable amount of church music. This site links
you to the websites of our great cathedral, abbeys, collegiate
churches and college chapels – 'Britain's choral heritage
online'. |
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Sir
Roger Norrington
This is the fan club page of the great conductor and interpreter
of historic music as well as of course, Ralph Vaughan Williams. |
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Sir
Granville Bantock
"Sir Granville Bantock probably has the unenviable distinction
- with less than a handful of other arguable challengers
- of being the most unreasonably neglected composer in the
whole pitiable chronicle of neglected 20th century British
music."
So writes Vincent Budd in his introduction to the Bantock
Society web site. "In his short musical autobiography
Vaughan Williams noted his regret in not having become his
pupil, as Elgar had suggested, since 'what Bantock did not
know about the orchestra is not worth knowing'.". |
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The
Arthur Bliss Society
Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) was one of the most important
figures in British musical life from the early 1920s (when
he was regarded as an enfant terrible) through to his later
life when he was a revolutionary Master of the Queen's Music. |
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Documents
on line
If you are curious to see on-line documents from the National
Archives such as Vaughan Willams' Acceptance for admission
to Officer Cadet School, his next of kin form, medical card,
an extract from certificate of recommendation for admission
to an Officer Unit, then visit this site. Fascinating. |
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The
British Music Society
The British Music Society was founded in 1979 by enthusiasts
who believed an organisation was needed to stem the indifferent
attitude generally displayed towards the music of many British
composers. |
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Lyrita
Lyrita Recorded Edition is one of the UK's longest-established
and highest regarded independent Classical record labels. Lyrita
has an unparalleled reputation for recording specifically British
repertoire at the highest audio standards. |
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