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Table of Contents
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Birth
Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was born in the Gloucestershire village of Down Ampney, was related to Charles Darwin (Ralph's great-uncle) and the ceramics magnate Josiah Wedgwood (his great-great-grandfather).1)
Beginning
Ralph learned the piano and violin as a child, and he began collecting traditional folk tunes at a young age. Many of his subsequent works were inspired by these tunes.2)
Royal College Of Music
Vaughan Williams attended the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Gustav Holst and Leopold Stokowski. He also continued his studies under Max Bruch for a short while in Berlin.3)
A Pilgrim's Process
Arthur, the composer's father, was ordained pastor of All Saints Church in Down Ampney. Vaughan Williams, while being an agnostic, edited The English Hymnal in 1904, composed some wonderful Christian choral music, and developed an opera based on The Pilgrim's Progress.4)
Socialist
The composer never took his fortunate upbringing for granted and worked tirelessly for democratic and equitable values throughout his life. He saw music as a part of everyone's daily lives, rather than the domain of a select few.5)
Influenced By Ravel
Vaughan Williams studied orchestration with Ravel in Paris in 1907-1908. It sparked one of his most prolific periods of writing. The premieres of his A Sea Symphony and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis took place in 1910.6)
6. Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Vaughan Williams discovered the theme from Thomas Tallis' Fantasia on a Theme when he was commissioned to put together the 1906 edition of the English Hymnal. His orchestration gave it a decidedly British sound, and it has remained one of his most popular songs.7)
The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams' most popular work, was written in 1914, but its premiere was delayed due to the onset of World War I. It was performed in 1921 by violinist Marie Hall, the woman for whom Vaughan Williams wrote it.8)
At War
Vaughan Williams was 41 years old when World War I began, and he served in France and Salonika. Prolonged exposure to gunfire triggered a process of hearing loss that resulted in profound deafness in his old age.9)
English Folk Songs Suite
Vaughan Williams was somewhat emotional about military bands, which he saw as fundamental to the UK's cultural and societal life. As a result, he wrote English Folk Songs Suite for them in 1923.10)