Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph (pronounced "rafe") Vaughan Williams was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1872. His father, a pastor, died when Ralph was young. He subsequently moved with his mother to live with her family at which point he began taking piano lessons from his aunt. Composing his first piece, “The Robins nest” when he was six, he became fascinated by music and began taking violin lessons. He entered the Charterhouse public school and played violin and viola in the school orchestra. The organ master of the school also allowed him to practice on the organ—which he greatly enjoyed. It was at this point that he was introduced to the music of Bach. Bach’s music increased his interest in the piano and would later become a major influence in his music. He was certain that he wanted to pursue an occupation in music and initially considered becoming an orchestral violinist. His family, however, considered this to be beneath him and pushed for him to achieve a more respectable position. He entered the Royal College of Music in 1890 and had the opportunity to study under Hubert Parry, who was a famous composer of the time. Parry saw that he had much in common with Vaughan Williams and was impressed by his skills. It was also at the Royal College of Music that he met Gustav Holtz who would become his greatest friend. They often worked together and critiqued and improved each other’s compositions. He entered Cambridge to study for his Bachelor of Music degree and continued to return to the Royal College of Music to study with Parry. Much of Ralph Vaughan William’s music was influenced by folk and Tudor music. This was the result of his job editing “The English Hymnal” and a short period of time that he spent giving lectures on the history of folk music. These elements combined to make his music truly unique. Ravel, a composer whom Vaughan Williams studied under in Paris for a time, said that “He (Williams) was the only student of mine who didn’t compose my music.” The uniqueness in Vaughan William’s music was helpful in ensuring his success as one of England’s “own” composers who composed “English” music. Such composers were rare since the time of Henry Purcell two-hundred years earlier. Many claim his first major success to be his “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.” Thomas Tallis was a Tudor composer who’s music Vaughan Williams encountered during his job editing “The English Hymnal.” The particular theme by Tallis used in this piece is taken from a hymn written in 1567. “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” was first preformed at a British music festival in 1910. Shortly after his success with Tallis, his friend, George Butterworth—also a composer, suggested that he write a second symphony. (His first symphony being, “Symphony No. 1, A Sea Symphony”) The result was Vaughan William’s “Symphony No. 2, A London Symphony.” The first performance of the symphony was in 1914. Shortly after, the score was lost and Vaughan Williams was forced to reconstruct the entire symphony with the help of Butterworth. The symphony was revised once more following, and reached its final form in 1920. In 1914 World War I broke out, and Vaughan Williams enlisted along with Butterworth. During the war, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and finally in the Royal Garrison Artillery. It was during this time that his friend Butterworth was killed. His experiences during the war likely contributed to his inspiration in writing his third symphony, “A Pastoral Symphony.” In recent years it has come to be known as an elegy for the dead of World War I. At the time however, the piece’s purpose was misunderstood. Stravinsky, another composer from the era, remarked that the piece was “like looking at a cow for a long time.” The work however, inspired by the ironic beauty of the battlefield farmlands in France where Vaughan Williams served, has become an important work in England. The culmination of Vaughan William’s career was his “Symphony No. 4 in F minor.” Leaving the work untitled, he wanted to keep it clear of external connotations so the main focus might be the music. (No more staring at cows) The entirety of the work is fierce and angry in tone—contrasting Vaughan William’s earlier works. It was first preformed in 1935 in England. Vaughan Williams later said about the piece "I don't know whether I like it, but it's what I meant." However, the response to the piece was more than flattering. Some have claimed it to be the greatest symphony since Beethoven. It was also the first of Vaughan William’s works of which a commercial recording was made. In his professional music career, Vaughan Williams went on to write a total of nine symphonies and numerous other works. Later in his career, he wrote music for films such as “The 49th Parallel”, and “Scott of the Atlantic.” Ralph Vaughan Williams died in 1958—his music having earned him a place with England’s greatest composers.