TImeline :: Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams Timeline

Vaughan Williams' mother was Margaret Wedgwood. She was a direct descendant of pottery magnate, Josiah Wedgwood, and a niece of Charles Darwin, author of the Origin of Species. Her family home was 'Leith Hill Place', a farm estate near the village of Coldharbour, a few miles from Dorking in Surrey. Vaughan Williams' father was Arthur Vaughan Williams, a vicar whose family was of Welsh origin and had distinguished itself in the law. The family home, only a short distance from Leith Hill Place, was known then as it is today, as 'Tanhurst' (pictured above).

1868–1895

1868	Arthur Vaughan Williams and Margaret Wedgwood were married at Coldharbour Church, near Dorking. Shortly after, Arthur accepted the living, and he and Margaret settled into the Vicarage at Down Ampney, in Gloucestershire.
1872	Ralph (pronounced 'Rafe') Vaughan Williams was born at the vicarage in Down Ampney.
1875	Vaughan William's father died on the 12th October.
1879	Ralph receives first lessons in violin. Soon after he begins to write little operas for a toy theatre which was given to him as a present. His manuscript book was entitled, "Overtures by Mr R.V. Williams".
1880	Takes a correspondence course in musical theory and passes.
1883	Starts school at 'Rottingdean' in Sussex. VW took piano lessons and was introduced to Bach who was to become a lifelong passion.
1884	During his schooldays, attends concerts. Is especially impressed by the music of Wagner. Performs Raff's Cavatina at a school concert.
1887	Ralph starts at Charterhouse in Godalming.
1888	Gives a concert at school of compositions by himself and his friend H. Vivian Hamilton.
1890	Visits Munich where he hears Wagner's Die Walkerie. VW admired Wagner's music all his life. In September, a month before his 18th birthday enters the Royal College of Music with the intention of studying composition under Parry. He is not permitted to study composition until he passes Grade 5 Harmony.
1891	Passes Grade 5 Harmony and becomes a pupil of Sir Hubert Parry.
1892	In October enters Trinity College, Cambridge to read History but continues to travel to London to attend Parry's classes. Studies organ under Alan Gray. Mahler (aged 32) comes to London to conduct Tristan und Isolde which hugely impresses RVW.
1894	Music B Cantab
1895	Returns to the Royal College of Music where Sir George Grove is succeeded by Hubert Parry. RVW begins composition lessons with Stanford. Becomes the organist at St Barnabas in South Lambeth.

1896–1906

1896	Visits Bayreuth.
1897	Marries Adeline Fischer at All Saint's Church, Hove, Sussex, 9 October. His 'working' honeymooon means going to Berlin to study with Max Bruch and where he hears an uncut performance of The Ring in addition to a variety of music.
1898	Obtained Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO) diploma by examination. Settles at 16 North Street, Westminster then moving to 5 Cowley Street.
1899	Passes Music D Cantab examination. Moves to 10 Barton Street.
1900	Meets Cecil Sharp. Writes Bucolic Suite for orchestra. Attends first performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius on 3 October, in Birmingham.
1901	Takes Mus. Doc at Cambridge. First published composition, Linden Lea.
1902	Gave University Extension lectures (and wrote articles for The Vocalist for several years. Bucolic Suite first performed at Bournemouth.
1903	Begins to collect folk-songs. Composes Willow Wood and other vocal works.
1904	Meets Percy Dearmer and begins work on the English Hymnal. Composes In the Fen Country, The House of Life, and Songs of Travel. Goes on folk-song collecting expeditions.
1905	First Leith Hill Musical Festival, 10 May. Moved into 13 Cheyne Walk in November and where he lived for the next 24 years. Composes Toward the Unknown Region and begins work on A Sea Symphony.
1906	English Hymnal published. Composes three Norfolk Rhapsodies using collected tunes.

1907–1913

1907	Toward the Unknown Region performed. Goes to Paris to study with Ravel.
1908	Composes String Quartet in G minor. Begins work on On Wenlock Edge.
1909	Music for The Wasps performed at Cambridge. On Wenlock Edge performed.
1910	A Sea Symphony, first performed at the Leeds Festival. Tallis Fantasia, first performed at the Three Choirs Festival, Gloucester. Edits second volume of Purcell's Welcome Songs.
1911	Begins work on Hugh the Drover.
1912	Conducted and arranged music for Benson's seasons of plays at Stratford-upon-Avon. Composes Phantasy Quintet and Fantasy on Christmas Carols.
1913	A London Symphony, (No 2). Later revised at least twice.

1914–1924

1914	First performance of A London Symphony, 27th March and conducted by Geoffery Toye. Enlisted as a private in the Royal Ambulance Medical Corps. The Lark Ascending was partially written then revised in the intervening years after the Great War.
1915	Posted to Dorking with 2/4 London Field Ambulance.
1916	Posted to France. Unit is involved in the Battle of the Somme. Then posted to Salonika.
1917	Commissioned as a Lieut. Posted to France.
1918	Served in France. Appointed Director of Music, First Army BEF.
1920	The Lark Ascending first public performance at Shirehampton Public Hall, Bristol, on 15 December 1920.
1921	Appointed Conductor of the Bach Choir.
1922	A Pastoral Symphony performed, Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains performed at the RCM. First visit to America. Mass in G minor performed.
1923	Old King Cole performed at Cambridge.
1924	Hugh the Drover staged at the Royal College of Music under Malcolm Sargent.

1925–1930

1925	Flos Campi; Concerto Academico performed. Songs of Praise published.
1926	Sancta Civitas performed in Oxford. On Christmas Night staged in Chicago.
1927	Composes Along the Field.
1928	Resigns from the Bach Choir. Co-edits The Oxford Book of Carols with Martin Shaw.
1929	Moved to Dorking. Sir John in Love staged at the Royal College of Music. Completes Fantasia on Sussex Folk Tunes for Pablo Casals.
1930	Job. First performance at the Norwich Festival.

1931–1943

1931	Job staged in London
1932	Gave the Mary Flexner Lectures at Bryn Mawr on National Music.
1933	Piano Concerto performed in London.
1934	Death of Gustv Holst. Suite for Viola performed in London.
1935	Symphony 4 in F minor performed under Boult, BBC Symphony Concert. Created Order of Merit.
1936	The Poisoned Kiss performed at Cambridge 12 May. Five Tudor Portraits performed at Norwich. Dona Nobis Pacem performed at Huddersfield.
1937	Festival Te Deum performed at George VI's Coronation in Westminster Abbey. Riders to the Sea staged at The Royal College of Music.
1938	Serenade to Music performed at the Royal Albert Hall.
1939-43	Film music, war work, lecturing, writing. DIves and Lazarus performed in New York.

1943–1952

1943	"Symphony No 5" Symphony in D major performed under RVW.
1944	Oboe Concerto performed. Second String Quartet ('For Jean on her Birthday') performed in London.
1945	Thanksgiving for Victory.
1946	Introduction and Fugue for two pianos composed.
1947	The Loves of Joanna Godden.
1948	Symphony in E minor (no 6) composed. Scott of the Antarctic composed.
1950	Folk Songs of the Four Seasons. Concero Grosso.
1951	Pilgrim's Progress staged at Covent Garden. Begins work on Sinfonia Antartica. Adeline Vaughan Williams, died 10th May after a long and debilitating illness.
1952	Romance for Harmonica; An Oxford Elegy.

1953–1958

1953	Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No 7) performed under Barbirolli in Manchester. Married Ursula Wood. Moves to Hanover Terrace in Regents Park, London.
1954	Tuba Concerto performed in London. Hodie performed in Worcester, Violin Sonata. Lectured at Cornell. University and Lecture tour across USA and Canada, taking in Toronto, Universities of Michigan, California and Yale. Conducts A London Symphony in Buffalo.
1956	Symphony in D minor (Symphony No 8).
1958	Symphony in E minor (Symphony No 9) performed in London. Ten Blake Songs performed in London, 8 October. Died 26th August at Hanover Terrace. Ashes interred at Westminster Abbey on 19 September.