Vaughan Williams in Context

Explores Vaughan Williams's life and music in their broad musical, cultural, social, and political contexts, and reassesses their significance.

Julian Onderdonk (Edited by), Ceri Owen (Edited by)

9781108493321, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 April 2024

342 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.3 cm, 0.64 kg

Challenging residual doubts about Vaughan Williams's role and significance within twentieth-century music and culture, this book places and explores his life and music in their broad musical, cultural, social, and political contexts. Chapters by scholars from a range of disciplines re-evaluate the composer's life and career within a world marked by both rapid change and refigured traditions. Building on scholarship that has established Vaughan Williams as aesthetically and politically progressive, the book furthers a revisionist perspective by broadening understandings of the nature of his responses to the twentieth century. This portrait of a modern composer emerges not merely by focusing on under-represented interests and pursuits, but also by contextualizing those activities that have been misrepresented as conservative or backward-looking.

Introduction Ceri Owen and Julian Onderdonk
Part I. Biography, People, Places: 1. London and the modern City Alain Frogley
2. Personality David Manning
3. Correspondents Hugh Cobbe
4. Women Erica Siegel
5. Friends outside music Roger Savage
6.Cambridge Karen Arrandale
Part II. Inspiration and Expression: 7. Early development Jeremy Dibble
8. Romanticism Benedict Taylor
9. Amateur music and musicians Julian Onderdonk
10. Performance Jonathan Clinch
11. Modalities of landscape Daniel M. Grimley
Part III. Culture and Society: 12. Politics J. P. E. Harper-Scott
13. Liberalism and landscape Sarah Collins
14. The English folk revival Georgina Boyes
15. Christian socialism and the English hymnal Katie Palmer Heathman
16. Pageantry Alexander Hutton and Paul Readman
17. History and the spirit of revivalism Deborah Heckert
18. War Eric Saylor
Part IV. Arts: 19. Literature Matthew Ingleby and Ceri Owen
20. Visual art Tim Barringer
21. Theatre, 1895–1914 Roger Savage
22. Dance Rishona Zimring
23. Film Peter Franklin
Part V. Institutions: 24. 'Wanting' the home-grown composer: opportunities and encouragement after the First World War David C. H. Wright
25. Concert life and programming Simon McVeigh
26. The arts council and evolving public policy Andrew Pinnock and Julian Onderdonk
27. The Second World War: a national figure Heather Wiebe
28. Working with the BBC Duncan Hinnells
Part VI. Reception: 29. Reception outside England, 1901–1914 Allan W. Atlas
30. Interwar continental reception Aidan J. Thomson
31. Early recordings Ryan Ross
32. Reception in the USA: a special relationship Alain Frogley.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6]