October 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. His unique 'English' style and the wide range of his compositions make him an accessible composer for all ages, and particularly to singers, whether it's a simple setting of a folk song, or the unforgettable opening of the Sea Symphony.
A wealth of resources have been made available online, of interest to choir leaders, teachers and anyone interested in hearing RVW's music and we've listed just a few here:
To find out where to find any individual piece of Vaughan Williams's printed music - or to get in touch with the publisher - search the catalogue of published works on the Vaughan Williams Foundation website, where you can also find much more information on the composer.
Vaughan Williams' music is published by several different publishers, many of whom have dedicated anniversary pages:
Oxford University Press (view the complete RVW catalogue published by OUP here)
Wise Music
Gramophone Magazine: Ralph Vaughan Williams: how his music has influenced today's composers. Richard Bratby speaks to some of today's most prominent British composers.
OUP have donated a major RVW archive to the British Library to mark the anniversary, including copyists' scores with VW's own markings, manuscripts & session materials for film scores.. Find out more here.
A new programme, initiated and supported by Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust and produced by the Music Teachers' Association, has been set up to provide resources for the teaching of various aspects of RVW's work, from Early Years Foundation Stage right through to Key Stage 5. The materials are available to download free of charge to all schools and organisations running education projects here.
The Vaughan Williams Foundation (VWF) was established in 2022, exactly 150 years after the birth of the celebrated composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. It brings together the two charities originally founded by Ralph (RVW Trust) and his wife Ursula (Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust) and is funded by the royalties earned from RVW's music.
The principal aims of the Foundation are to honour RVW's desire to support his fellow composers, and to make his own work widely accessible to the general public.
VWF is now open for applications and the first grants will be awarded in 2023.
Posted: Tue 18th October 2022