A London Symphony in Full Score

by Ralph Vaughan Williams

An outstanding leader in England's twentieth-century musical renaissance, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) sought inspiration in English folk song and in the sights and sounds of his native country. A London Symphony, the composer's most colorful orchestral work and his own favorite among his first six symphonies, features echoes of street sounds and cries, including a Cockney accordion and the chimes of Big Ben.
Nevertheless, Vaughan Williams wrote of this symphony, "The music is intended to be self-expressive and must stand or fall as 'absolute music.'" Its successful fulfillment of his ambition has been widely agreed upon since its 1914 debut. The composer revised the music in subsequent years, but in 1951 — while reworking the orchestration of his other symphonies — he left this work alone, perhaps reluctant to tamper further with its profound originality, rich and picturesque scoring, and balanced structure. Musicians and music lovers will appreciate this inexpensive and authoritative edition of Vaughan Williams' masterpiece.

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1996

About the author

Ralph Vaughan Williams OM 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. Strongly influenced by Tudor music and English folk-song, his output marked a decisive break in British music from its German-dominated style of the 19th century.

Vaughan Williams was born to a well-to-do family with strong moral views and a progressive social outlook. Throughout his life he sought to be of service to his fellow citizens, and believed in making music as available as possible to everybody. He wrote many works for amateur and student performance. He was musically a late developer, not finding his true voice until his late thirties; his studies in 1907–1908 with the French composer Maurice Ravel helped him clarify the textures of his music and free it from Teutonic influences.

Vaughan Williams is among the best-known English symphonists, noted for his very wide range of moods, from stormy and impassioned to tranquil, from mysterious to exuberant. Among the most familiar of his other concert works are Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910) and The Lark Ascending (1914). His vocal works include hymns, folk-song arrangements and large-scale choral pieces. He wrote eight works for stage performance between 1919 and 1951. Although none of his operas became popular repertoire pieces, his ballet Job: A Masque for Dancing (1930) was successful and has been frequently staged.