The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams

498 Pages·2014·5.96 MB·English

by  Alain Frogley

The Cambridge Companion to
Vaughan Williams
An icon of British national identity and one of the most widely performed
twentieth-century composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams has been as much
misunderstood as revered; his international impact, and enduring influence on
areas as diverse as church music, film scores and popular music, have been
insufficiently appreciated. This volume brings together a team of leading
scholars, examining all areas of the composer’s output from new perspectives,
and re-evaluating the cultural politics of his lifelong advocacy for the music-
making of ordinary people. Surveys of major genres are complemented by
chapters exploring such topics as the composer’s relationship with the BBC, and
his studies with Ravel; uniquely, the book also includes specially commissioned
interviews with major living composers Peter Maxwell Davies, Piers Hellawell,
Nicola LeFanu and Anthony Payne. The Companion is a vital resource for all
those interested in this pivotal figure of modern music.
ALAIN FROGLEY has taught at Oxford and Lancaster universities, and since
1994 at the University of Connecticut; in 2008 he was Visiting Professor at Yale.
In 2005–6 he was a Fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies. He is
the editor of Vaughan Williams Studies (1996) and the author of Vaughan
Williams’s Ninth Symphony (2001); he has also contributed to the New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians and the Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography.
AIDAN J. THOMSON taught at the universities of Oxford and Leeds before
being appointed Lecturer in Music at Queen’s University Belfast in 2003. His
publications include articles and book chapters on Elgar (in 19th-Century Music,
The Cambridge Companion to Elgar, Edward Elgar and His World, Elgar
Studies and The Musical Quarterly), Ethel Smyth and Arnold Bax.
Cambridge Companions to Music
For a list of titles published in the series, please see end of book.
The Cambridge Companion to
Vaughan Williams
Edited by
Alain Frogley
University of Connecticut
Aidan J. Thomson
Queen’s University Belfast
University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New
York
Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.
It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of
education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521162906
© Cambridge University Press 2013
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any
part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University
Press.
First published 2013
Printed in the United Kingdom by CPI Group Ltd, CR0 4YY
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
The Cambridge companion to Vaughan Williams / edited by Alain Frogley and
Aidan J. Thomson.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-52116290-6
1. Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872–1958. 2. Composers – England –
Biogaphy. 3. Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872–1958 – Criticism and
interpretation. 4. Music – England – 20th century – History and criticism.
I. Frogley, Alain. II. Thomson, Aidan J., 1975–
ML410.V3C36 2013
780.92–dc23
[B]
2013016199
ISBN 978-0-521-19768-7 Hardback
ISBN 978-0-52116290-6 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this
publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will
remain, accurate or appropriate.
In memory of
Ursula Vaughan Williams (1911–2007)
and
Richard Hickox (1948–2008)
Contents
List of tables
Notes on the contributors
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Chronology
Introduction
Alain Frogley & Aidan J. Thomson
Part I ‘Who wants the English composer?’: forging a path, 1890–1925
1 The composer and society: family, politics, nation
Julian Onderdonk
2 Vaughan Williams’s musical apprenticeship
Byron Adams
3 Becoming a national composer: critical reception to c. 1925
Aidan J. Thomson
Part II Works by genre
4 History and geography: the early orchestral works and the first three
symphonies
Alain Frogley
5 The songs and shorter secular choral works
Sophie Fuller
6 ‘An Englishman and a democrat’: Vaughan Williams, large choral
works, and the British festival tradition
Charles Edward McGuire
7 Folksong arrangements, hymn tunes and church music
Julian Onderdonk
8 Music for stage and film
Eric Saylor
9 Chamber music and works for soloist with orchestra
Christopher Mark
10 The later symphonies
Julian Horton
Part III Activism, reception and influence
11 The public figure: Vaughan Williams as writer and activist
David Manning
12 Vaughan Williams, Boult, and the BBC
Jenny Doctor
13 Fluctuations in the response to the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Michael Kennedy
14 Vaughan Williams and his successors: composers’ forum
Peter Maxwell Davies, Piers Hellawell, Nicola LeFanu and Anthony Payne in
conversation with Aidan J. Thomson
Select bibliography
Index of Vaughan Williams’s works
General index
Tables
4.1 Vaughan Williams’s orchestral works to 1925
6.1 Music by Vaughan Williams at major British choral festivals: 1906–14
6.2 Music by Vaughan Williams at major British choral festivals: 1920–38
6.3 Music by Vaughan Williams at major British choral festivals: 1946–58
9.1 Formal summary of The Lark Ascending
9.2 Formal summary of Oboe Concerto, first movement
10.1 Symphony No. 4, fourth movement, fugal epilogue