Ralph Vaughan Williams

Books about Ralph Vaughan Williams and his music

Simon Heffer Vaughan Williams Northeastern University Press, 2001; ISBN 1555534724; 167 pages Unlike the fathers of the nineteenth-century English musical renaissance, who slavishly paid homage to the German masters, composers Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and his friend Gustav Holst threw off the shackles of the Teutonic school and drew their inspiration from the neglected tradition of folk-song. The result was the creation of a distinctly English musical voice that evoked the cultural heritage of a nation. In particular, the sheer beauty, vitality, and aesthetic force of Vaughan Williams's works, which include The Lark Ascending, Greensleeves, the Tallis Fantasia, and nine symphonies, connected listeners to a timeless past and gave them a common national spirit, especially during turbulent, war-torn times. This concise biography charts the course of Williams's remarkable life and career. Simon Heffer traces his privileged upbringing, his years of painstaking studies with Hubert Parry, Max Bruch, and Maurice Ravel, his promotion of folk-song and editorship of the English Hymnal, his close association with Holst and George Butterworth, and his emergence as the leader of English musical life. The first truly English composer of the twentieth century, Williams was a genius of musical invention who is still beloved and admired in Britain and around the world. Price indication: $ 30.00

Ursula Vaughan Williams R.V.W.: A Biography of Ralph Vaughan Williams (Oxford Lives) Oxford University Press, 1992; ISBN 0192820826; 480 pages Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, a man of strong character and unflagging energy, was for sixty years at the center of musical events in England. Utilizing source materials only recently available, this biography, written by Williams's widow, presents a detailed, fascinating account of his career. Price indication: $ 39.95

Paul Holmes Vaughan Williams: His life and times (The Illustrated lives of the great composers) Omnibus Press, 1997; ISBN 0711965269; 144 pages This biography draws on letters, diaries and personal reminiscences to tell the story of Vaughan Williams. Williams was heavily involved with the English folk movement, Tudor music and hymns, and his creations combined humour and mysticism. Price indication: $ 20.00

Lionel Pike Vaughan Williams and the Symphony Toccata Press, 2003; ISBN 090768954X; 352 pages An analysis of all nine symphonies by Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the greatest British composers, this book reveals the hidden complexities of both the composer and his music. Pike argues that Vaughan Williams’s symphonies have depths far beyond the pure sound of music, depths that will stand analytical investigation just as the works of other great symphonists do. He further argues that Vaughan Williams is consistently denied his rightful place in 20th-century music and in the history of the symphony, and that close investigation can uncover elements of construction that show the mind of a genius at work. Price indication: $ 74.95

Alain Frogley Vaughan Williams's Ninth Symphony (Studies in Musical Genesis and Structure) Oxford University Press, 2001; ISBN 0198162847; 344 pages This study, the first of its kind on a work of Vaughan Williams, traces the genesis of the composer's enigmatic final symphony as documented in the surviving manuscripts. The latter reveal an underlying program based on Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles , and chart the composer's struggle to find the technical means by which to realize his most complex spiritual vision. Price indication: $ 130.00

Ralph Vaughan Williams Making Of Music, The (Music Book Index) Reprint Services Corp, 1955; ISBN 0781292352; 61 pages Price indication: $ 59.00

Virginia Mason Vaughan Othello : A Contextual History Cambridge University Press, 1994; ISBN 0521460697; 257 pages Price indication: $ 52.95

Percy Dearmer and R. Vaughan Williams Oxford Book of Carols Oxford Univ Pr (Trade), 1964; ISBN 0193131048 Price indication: (used only): from $ 16.98

Hugh Ottaway Vaughan Williams symphonies (BBC music guides) British Broadcasting Corporations, 1972; ISBN 0563122420; 64 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 68.92

Michael Kennedy The works of Ralph Vaughan Williams Oxford University Press, 1971; ISBN 0193154234; 416 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 32.78

Michael. Hurd Vaughan Williams. Ty Crowell Co, 1970; ISBN 0690859791; 75 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 5.90

Wilfrid Mellers Vaughan Williams and the Vision of Albion David & Charles, 1990; ISBN 0712621172; 270 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 109.41

Ralph Vaughan Williams Heirs and rebels: Letters written to each other and occasional writings on music Cooper Square Publishers, 1974; ISBN 0815404875; 111 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 99.90

Hubert J Foss Ralph Vaughan Williams: A study Harrap, 1950; 219 pages Price indication: (used only): from $ 35.09

Sheet music, libretti, etc.

Collected Songs - Oxford Univ Pr (Sd)

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Other Works for Orchestra in Full Score - Dover Publications
Inexpensive compilation includes great title piece—one of the most frequently performed and recorded works in the modern orchestral repertoire—along with Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1, Overture to "The Wasps," and the Fantasia on Christmas Carols. Reproduced from authoritative early editions.<br>

The Wind Band Masterworks of Holst, Vaughan Williams and Grainger - Meredith Music
With this superb text, Dr. Rapp gives the wind band community both a historical and musical insight into three of its most revered composers. His study of their band works' evolvement through traditional folk music will serve as a fascinating resource, giving both veteran and novice conductors an invaluable understanding of the band repertoire's formative stages.