December 2021 Composer of the Month – Ralph Vaughan Williams

California Conservatory of Music is continuing to celebrate Composer of the Month this month by honoring Ralph Vaughan Williams, an English composer and a proponent of nationalism in music. He composed Fantasia on Greensleeves, an exquisite four-minute orchestral miniature.

Ralph Vaughan’s Personal Life

Ralph Vaughan Williams was the son of a clergyman and was born on Oct 12, 1872 at Down Ampney in Gloucestershire. Ralph attended the Royal College of Music. After that, he took music degrees at Cambridge University and Trinity College. He also studied with Max Bruch in Berlin. Did you know that Ralph’s mother was the niece of the renowned scientist Charles Darwin, who came up with the groundbreaking theory of evolution?

When Ralph was a child, he already knew that he wanted to be a music composer. Playing the violin exquisitely in the Charterhouse orchestra, Ralph started composing at age six. This is why if you are considering taking violin lessons, you should be familiar with his work. Ralph also attended the Royal College of Music starting in 1890 as a music composition student.

In 1892, he entered Trinity College in order to study history as well as pursue a bachelor’s degree in music. In 1897, Ralph married Adeline Fisher. Following her death, Ralph got married to Ursula Wood in 1953.

Life as a Composer

It is worth noting that his early works include mainly chamber music and a few songs. As a historian, Ralph also wrote articles and periodicals while contributing to the 2nd edition of the notable Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Did you know that at the heart of his innovation and creativity lie a sequence of nine brilliant symphonies that move gradually from meditative pastoral music to unique themes of existential dramas?

Drawing on the vibrant and rich treasury of national folk songs and dance, Ralph also managed to create a uniquely English style that’s universal in its range of appeal. It is worth noting that in 1905, Ralph Vaughan premiered his work that became his principal and most influential work around the turn of the century. It was a choral setting of Walt Whitman adequately titled Toward the Unknown Region.

In 1904, Williams joined the prestigious English Folk Song Society. In fact, for many years he was active in arranging and collecting old English melodies. Keep in mind that around this time, he also became familiar and intrigued with the music of Henry Purcell and William Byrd.

You should know that the modal and vibrant melodies of various folk songs as well as the smooth counterpoint and free rhythms of the early music composers, became vital elements of Ralph Vaughan’s compositions. Remember that The Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis is one of Ralph Vaughan’s most important and influential early compositions.

Did you know that with this impressive piece, English music shook off two centuries of German domination, tapping a rich and unique source of indigenous music?

And the antiphonal string writing and superb modal harmonies contrast strongly with the feverish and lush music that people were composing in Germany and France at this time. Also, the London Symphony (1914) is another critical piece in Vaughan’s development.

If you are considering taking music lessons at the California Conservatory of Music, you should look into these works.

STAGE WORKS

Keep in mind that the stage music of Ralph Vaughan includes the famous Shakespearean opera Sir John in Love and the masque for dancing Job. It also consists of the ‘morality’ in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Also, incidental music pieces for the theatre include notable music for The Wasps by Aristophanes. Ralph also wrote numerous film scores. To this day, his compositions are an important part of Redwood City Music Lessons and Sunnyvale music lessons.

Some Notable Facts

• Some of Vaughan’s compositions include film scores, nine symphonies, and six operas
• Ralph Vaughan’s music and style express profound regard for folk tunes and show patriotism towards England in a subtle form
• He taught at the Royal College of Music until 1939
• Ralph also studied with Maurice Ravel and Max Bruch and enjoyed engaging and inspirational musical friendships with George Butterworth and Gustav Holst.

If you are looking for violin or piano lessons, Sunnyvale music lessons and Redwood City Music Lessons can provide appropriate and engaging music education for young children and toddlers.

Vaughan Williams also made a significant contribution to English vocal and choral repertoire in compositions that include the amazing Serenade to Music.