Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Gerald Finzi
Dear Mr Finzi
As far as I am concerned, with pleasure. But please ask Mrs Leather as well. Address-
Castle House,
Weobley
R.S.O.
Herefordshire.
By the way perhaps I ought to tell you that I also have used the tune in a choral work published by Stainer and Bell.
Yours sincerely,
R Vaughan Williams
Subjects:
Musical works:
Location of copy:
Typewritten, signed.
Envelope addressed to Gerald Finzi Esq, Kings Mill House, Painswick, Glos.
Gerald Finzi had asked for permission to use ‘The truth sent from above’ as the basis for his Christmas carol The Brightness of this day (later published by Stainer & Bell in 1925). VW had collected the tune at King’s Pyon, Herefordshire, with Mrs Ella Mary Leather in August 1909 (See Catalogue of Works, p.289) and had used it as the opening tune in Fantasia on Christmas Carols (1912). The permission granted by VW and Mrs Leather is duly acknowledged in the score of Finzi’s work.
Finzi's draft reply at foot of page:
Dear Dr Williams,
V. many thanks. Of course I know you have used the tune, but the thing is so insignificant slight that I did not think it worth while apologising for doing the same.
Yours sincerely,
Gerald Finzi