Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)

Subject: Vaughan William's Birthday
From: The Shambles
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 08:32 PM

Ralph Vaughan Williams was born this day (12th October) in 1872.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 09:03 PM

Happy 134th Ralph!

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday
From: Mooh
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 10:13 PM

Cool. By coincidence I just inherited some cds, including "A Vaughan Williams Hymnal" with 21 hymns and 3 organ preludes on Welsh hymn tunes, the choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Richard Marlow conducting. Haven't listened to it yet, though many if not all of the tunes are familiar.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: The Shambles
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 03:53 AM

http://www.efdss.org/library.htm

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 05:50 AM

Funny, I was just thinking about him this morning. In particular, how heartbreakingly lovely his setting of a Thomas Hardy poem is ("Christmas Eve", from RVW's oratorio Hodie). Worth checking out if you've never heard it and like Hardy's poems. This one reflects his usual dark doubts but is shot through with a muted hope that you don't usually find in TH; and Vaughan Williams captures its complex spirit beautifully. It's written for bass/baritone voice and orchestra but the piano reduction (in the choir part) works very well if you want to sing it and don't have an orchestra handy. It's not the sort of song that requires an operatic voice, and can always be transposed for non-basses.

Thanks Shambles for the commemoration of this sensitive composer -

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 11:44 AM

HMMMMM Did someone have to edit "The Planets" once Pluto was delisted?
Happy Birthday V. wherever you are.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: The Shambles
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 11:48 AM

http://www.aquarianage.org/lore/holst.html

Is that happy birthday to Ralph Vaughan Williams or to Gustav Holst?

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 11:56 AM

I don't think Pluto ever made it into "The Planets" in the first place.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: The Shambles
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 12:07 PM

He was in Mickey Mouse In Space.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 12:36 PM

Vaughan William's conducted a very famous recording of The Planets. Now I have to go back and figure out if Pluto ever made it in.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: Mooh
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 02:18 PM

Sinsull...I have The Planets conducted by Lorin Maazel (CBS Masterworks), Eugene Ormandy (RCA Classics), and Adrian Boult (EMI Classics), but not RVW. Is it worth having, ie, is it better? Or maybe I should have it just because it's RVW?

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 08:51 PM

Mooh,
Since we ware celebrating VW's birthday, I thought it appropriate to mention his. Would you like to borrow mine and decide for yourself?
SINS

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: Mooh
Date: 12 Oct 06 - 08:57 PM

Golly, thanks, but let me see if any family have it first. I really appreciate the offer.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Oct 06 - 09:35 AM

I've spent four full days in the VW library, precious days for me.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: The Shambles
Date: 13 Oct 06 - 11:07 AM

Does Volkswagon have a libary?

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: GUEST,Autolycos
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 01:06 PM

Heard, on Classic FM(UK) this morning V-W's Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis, so intense, an extraordinary achievement. Preceding was an anecdote by the composer Howells, who, when a teenager, went to a performance. He'd heard that someone had written a strange piece. After he got V-W's autograph. Love the idea of a substantial composer collecting music autographs.

My fave. recording of The Planets is that by the composer. Composers are so often terrific performers, especially of their own work.

Belated happy Birthday, Ralph.

   Ivor

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: Surreysinger
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 01:39 PM

I have to second, heartily, Bonnie's recommendation of the setting of "Christmas Eve" by Hardy - it's a lovely piece. In fact the whole of "Hodie" is to be recommended. My favourite movement is the March of the Three Kings, where I will swear you can hear the thunder of elephants approaching, and their trumpeting as they get closer (althoug why elephants should be bringing the Three Kings to the spot I hadn't actually considered until now!!) I've sung the piece with my choir (Guildford Choral Society)in the past, and in fact they're performing it again in Guildford Cathedral on Sat December 2nd with the BBC Concert Orchestra. The performance is being recorded for Radio 3, so with luck, if you want to, you might get the chance to catch it on the radio over the Christmas period.

On the occasion of Ralph Vaughan Williams' birthday last week I was sitting in the Surrey History Centre peering at correspondence received by Lucy Broadwood from various composers - one of the letters was one from RVW, asking her to provide him with assistance in a lecture he was writing on folksong in 1902 - approximately 2 years before he collected his own first folksong in Essex. I came home to find this thread that day ... spooky! (His writing was dreadful, by the way!)

Subject: RE: Vaughan William's Birthday (12 Oct 1872)
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 09:28 PM

I collected a hug from him once! (See # 3 of the first photo group listed on my homepage-www.jeanritchie.com. Look carefully and you'll see his hand round my waist- with his wife's consent, though!) Even without the hug, I would treasure the memory of that visit. Most kind and friendly folks!   Jean