THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The White Gates,
Westcott Road,
Dorking.

Oct 14th [1934]

Dear Mr Bates¹
Many thanks for the tickets – I do hope I can come.
By the way are you wedded to Terry’s translation of “Jesu meine Freude” – I know it is more exact than Novello’s which is only a paraphrase – but the Novello  words seem to suit the real spirit of the music much better – can you really expect a self respecting chorus or a self-respecting audience to endure such words nonsense as “Hence thou noisome serpent” – How much finer “Death I do not fear thee”
Yrs
R Vaughan Williams

1. Bates was conductor of the Tudor Singers, of which VW was President.