Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Alan Bush

Letter No.: 
VWL1456
January 7 [1939]

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

Dear Mr Bush

I fear I could not possibly get anything ready by February – but besides this, as far as I can make out from your prospectus, “the people” are only those who happen to agree with the opinions of the committee (many of which opinions I probably also agree with–)
But to give a true and just account of the peoples music one must represent the people as celebrating in song many things which we doubtless deplore such as battles and kings and coronations & highwaymen and kind squires etc – Unless you include these things in your scheme you are to my mind giving a false impression of “the peoples” music.1
Yours sincerely

R Vaughan Williams2

1.  Bush had written to VW on 4 January asking him to write a piece of music for the Festival of Music for the People, a three-day event beginning with a pageant in the Royal Albert Hall on 1 April 1939.
2.  Signed by VW.

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not yet catalogued

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Format: 
Letter
Citation: 
Cobbe 309
Original database number: 
390107