THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

[27th September 1946]

Dear Gerald

I’m sorry about the music – I will return it. (I think Miss Cullen¹ has the Purcell.)
Quite at y^r leisure I sh^d like the Parry which I sent by mistake.
As regards y^r choice of music
Why not do King Arthur (Novello’s shortened version – which leaves out a lot of good things but makes it of reasonable length). When we did it Fanny Farrer wrote a splendid connecting story (embodying a good deal of Dryden) which Steuart² declaimed with great effect. (I think I could get a copy for you.) Otherwise I suppose you could not bea[t]
(A) Meistersinger selection (Curwen)
(B) Phaudrig Crohoore (Boosey)³
The choirs love them.
I suppose you are beyond Orpheus Act II⁴ & “Spring”⁵  – By the way we once did Autumn & Winter – lovely – & great fun when the sportsmans gun goes off & the young woman sings what is supposed to be an improper ballad with punctuations by the choirs of Ha! ha! ha!
My love to Joyce
Yrs

RVW

PTO & PS⁶

1.  Margery Cullen, conductor of various choirs in the Leith Hill Musical Festival at various times but mainly Mickleham. See And Choirs Singing: An account of the Leith Hill Musical Festival 1905-1985, Leith Hill 1985.
2.  Steuart Wilson, the tenor.
3.  By Stanford.
4. By Gluck.
5.  From Haydn’s Seasons.
6.  The remainder of the letter is not extant.