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Ralph Vaughan Williams OM (/ ˌ r eɪ f v ɔː n ˈ w ɪ l j ə m z / ⓘ RAYF vawn WIL-yəmz; 12 October 1872 – 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over sixty years.
Jun 4, 2024 · Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer in the first half of the 20th century, and the founder of the nationalist movement in English music. Vaughan Williams studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in London at the Royal College of Music under two major figures of the late 19th-century.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Lark Ascending. The Lark Ascending is a “pastoral romance for orchestra”, with solo violin, based on a poem by George Meredith. The writing – in the poem and the resulting piece of music – is nostalgic, and Vaughan Williams draws on folk melodies and programmatic writing that seems to trace the journey of the lark as it bursts into flight.
- Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Vaughan Williams composed his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis in 1910, to great acclaim. It’s a one-movement piece for string orchestra, based on a tune from the 16th century written by, as the name of VW’s work suggests, one Thomas Tallis.
- The Wasps. The Wasps is an enduringly loved stage score of Vaughan Williams’. It was actually commissioned by a drama committee at Cambridge University, the Cambridge Greek Play committee, who were staging Aristophanes’ work of this name.
- Symphony No. 5. This symphony, written between 1938 and 1943, is Vaughan Williams’ orchestral music at its pastoral, romantic best. The composer used lots of the fine tunes in this symphony that were lying around, waiting to be used for his opera, The Pilgrim’s Progress (see below).
Learn about the life and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the greatest English composers of the 20th century. Explore his musical influences, folk song collections, war experiences, marriages, awards and legacy.
A Cotswold Romance, Cantata for tenor, soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, adapted from Hugh the Drover by M. Jackson (1950) Sir John in Love (1924–28). Opera in 4 acts, based on The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare with interpolations from other authors.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) is one of the most important composers of the 20th century. Drawing on the influences of English folk song and Tudor polyphony, Ralph succeeded at reviving British music during a career that spanned over six decades.
Meet Ralph Vaughan Williams - England's greatest composer? Get to know all the great composers with BBC Music's insightful online guides.
