Ralph Vaughan Williams

Born: October 12, 1872 in Down Ampney, England

Died: August 26, 1958 in London

Late Romantic/ Modern

Vaughan Williams studied at the Royal College of Music, then studied with Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in Paris (both well-known composers). Around the 1900s, he was one of the first composers to collect folk songs from the countryside and record them. Before WWI, he had been close friends with another composer, Gustav Holst. Vaughan Williams served as a volunteer in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders during WWI. The violence and deaths in war affected him greatly, especially when he lost his friends in the fighting, such as the composer George Butterworth.

His music, which includes symphonies, choral and orchestral music, operas, ballet and stage music, song cycles, film music, and church music, is famous for its lush and noble expression, and its embodiment of “Englishness.” My favorites of his works are Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, Fantasia on Greensleeves, and The Lark Ascending (with a beautiful violin solo!) Of course, since I am a string player, my preferences for music can be very subjective. ^_^

The Lark Ascending: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wbcuteYm-EA

(loud applause at first, then really soft beginning) An uplifting piece, whether it reminds you of a lark or not.

Five Variants: http://youtube.com/watch?v=AZ4bx4r1VeQ

(yay, luv the celli’s lead into the melody!)

Fantasia on Greensleeves: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjZ161-mejg

A little background noise.

Sources: http://www.rvwsociety.com/biography.html, a music dictionary, and other people’s videos.