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This book makes a substantial collection of Vaughan Williams's writings widely available to music lovers, students, and researchers alike. It comprises 102 items written by the composer between 1897 and the year of his death, 1958, including articles for musical magazines, transcripts of broadcasts, obituary notices and program notes. The great majority of items in this anthology have been unavailable since their initial publication, some have never been published, and very few have been reprinted. Vaughan Williams reveals the many roles he played during his life in the pages of this book: he was an active supporter of amateur music-makers, a leader in the folksong revival, educator, performer, campaigner for English music, and polemicist. Through all these perspectives, the words are unmistakably those of a composer who came to believe it his duty to build an active and cohesive musical community within his native country.
How did Ralph Vaughan Williams articulate his philosophy of music and his role within the English musical landscape throughout the twentieth century? David Manning, a scholar of twentieth-century British music, compiles and contextualizes a vast array of primary source documents written by the composer. The book argues that Vaughan Williams viewed his creative output as inseparable from his civic duty to foster a robust, accessible, and nationalistic musical culture.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Musicologists and historians view this collection as a vital resource for understanding the intellectual climate surrounding British classical music in the early twentieth century. Experts highlight the book's utility in providing direct access to rare or previously unpublished documents that clarify the composer's polemical and educational stances.
Page Count:
455
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190292938
ISBN-13:
9780190292935
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