THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

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

July 11th 1953

Dear Frank,

As regards the new carol book idea; I will do one or two arrangements myself if you wish, and if I am to be in the book I must have a final veto on all that goes into it. I do not see much point in having Jacques in; I don’t trust either his judgement or his knowledge in the matter of Carols. I think we ought to make it entirely a collection of English Carols.
With regard to Anthony Scott’s arrangement of Tallis, I claim no copyright over the tune. I understand he [Tallis] has been dead more than fifty years.
Yrs

RVW

1. English Traditional Carols, ed. by VW and Martin Shaw was published in 1954, containing 21 carols from the Oxford Book of Carols (Catalogue of Works 1928/2). Reginald Jacques was subsequently invited by OUP to edit, with David Willcocks, the first volume in its highly successful series Carols for Choirs.
2. On VW’s connexion with Scott’s motet Almighty Word, see VWL2685 and VWL3442.