“I suppose it never occurs to people that a man might just want to write a piece of music.” Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Vaughan Williams is famous for his invigorating nautical symphonies, breath-taking songs, dreamy yet visually powerful concertos, as well as his rousing, majestic choral music. Browse our sheet music and scores, take a look at our Vaughan Williams Sheet Music Downloads, and explore the wide world of Vaughan Williams today!
His work is particularly important due to his intense preoccupation with the Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as the collection and publication of English folk songs, which significantly influenced his work, and played a big role in the revival of English classical music at the turn of the century.
His best known songs are the Songs of Travel based on poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1907. With A Sea Symphony, Vaughan Williams’ first symphony saw its premier in 1910, which laid the foundations for English symphony in the 20th century.
His most popular works include Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis for two string orchestras (1910) and The Lark Ascending for violin and small orchestra (1914). When asked about “The Lark Ascending” his second wife Ursula said: “He took a literary idea on which he based his musical thoughts... and let the violin become both the song and the flight of the bird, instead of simply illustrating the poem from which the title was taken.”
Vaughan Williams was also a prolific Film Music composer, and his 7th symphony, the Sinfonia Antartica, was inspired by his film score for “Scott of the Antarctic”.
Alongside his musical talents, Vaughan Williams also had a keen sense of humour. The title quote “It never seems to occur to people that a man might just want to write a piece of music” was Williams’ answer to the question of whether his music for the 6th Symphony was meant to be programmatic.
When questioned by a musician in a rehearsal for his Symphony No. 4 in F Minor about a note which seemed relatively dissonant, Vaughan Williams replied: “It looks wrong, and it sounds wrong, but it’s right. I don’t know if I like it, but that’s what I meant.”
Vaughan Williams when discussing Richard Wagner and his operas: “Wagner used to read the libretti of his operas to his friends; I am glad I was not there.”
And of opera and its overtures, Vaughan Williams said: “The audience is requested not to refrain from talking during the overture. Otherwise they will know all the tunes before the opera begins.”
for: Männerchor (TBB) und Klavier
Choir score
Item no.: 1660769
Klassik
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 983015
Klassik
for: Women's choir (SSA), piano
Score
Item no.: 884123
Novello Short Biographies
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 321393
from Psalm 47
for: Mixed choir (SATB), organ
Score
Item no.: 586944
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 962329
A dorset Song
for: Voice (medium), piano
Music score
Item no.: 346906
Folk
for: Men's Choir [TTBB] and Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 560033
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 769540
for: Mixed choir (SATB), violin
Score
Item no.: 866990
Symph. orch.
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 298464
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 1031945
Cantata
for: Soloist (baritone), orchestra; women's choir (SSAA) ad lib.
Piano reduction
Item no.: 930703
for: Soloist (soprano), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 931505
for: Mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 169509
No. 1 of "Three Elizabethan Part Songs"
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 932300
for voice and orchestra
Hawkes Pocket Scores HPS 1570
for: Voice, orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 682469
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 769531
for: Full Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1343158
Geistliche Musik
for: Mixed choir (SATB), organ
Score
Item no.: 982917
F
for: Voice, piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1027470
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 962149
Music for String Orchestra
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1534068
Two Hymns by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Oversized, spiral-bound score
Daehn Publications
for: Concert band
Score (spiral binding)
Item no.: 1060392
Hinshaw Secular
for: SSAA, Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 901469
for: Concert band
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1078187
Windependence
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 888111
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 895162
Great Band Transcriptions QMB 576
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 899159
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 951734
With Baritone Solo
for: Mixed choir (SSATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 904910
Great Band Transcriptions QMB 576
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 900564
Choral
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 897079
for: 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos (quintet)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 603425
for: Recorder ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 549333
British Band Classics QMB 336
for: Symphonic Band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 487298
for orchestra
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Hardcover)
Item no.: 675143
for: Soloist (soprano), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 474285
Paperback
for: String orchestra
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 893028
for: Voice (medium), piano
Music score
Item no.: 213011
Paperback
for: String orchestra
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 628436
for: Women's choir (SSA) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 320460
for: SATB, opt. Congregation, Keyboard
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 920558
Handbells
for: Choir
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 856409
for: Unison Voices, SA, Keyboard [Organ or Piano], Oboe, Flute or Recorder
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1093914
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 951669
for: Concert band
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1077958
for: Concert band
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1077746
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