Symphony No. 4

Study score

Forces or Category: Full orchestra

Orchestration: 3 fl (II+picc, III opt), 3 ob (III+ ca opt), 2 cl, bcl (opt), 2 bn, cbn (opt), 4 hn, 2 tpt, 3 tbn, tba, timp, 2 perc (SD, tri, cym, BD), str

Described by Walton as the 'greatest symphony since Beethoven', Vaughan Williams's fourth symphony is noted for its dissonant harmonic language. This new scholarly edition, edited by David Matthews, will replace the existing 1935 OUP edition. The preliminary text will include a preface, sources and editorial method, and detailed textual notes.

Symphony No. 4

Study score

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Description

Described by Walton as the 'greatest symphony since Beethoven', Vaughan Williams's fourth symphony was composed in 1935 and is noted for its abrasively dissonant harmonic language, unlike much of the composer's other work. This new, scholarly edition, edited by David Matthews, will replace the existing OUP edition from 1935 and the Eulenburg edition from 1983. The preliminary text will include a preface, sources and editorial method, and detailed textual notes.

Symphony No. 4

Study score

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Composer Information

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Ralph Vaughan Williams, born in Gloucestershire on 12 October 1872, read History at Cambridge and went to the Royal College of Music where his teachers were Parry, Wood, and Stanford. Vaughan Williams believed in the value of music education and wrote practical competition pieces, serviceable church music, and with the 49th Parallel (1940-41) he found a new outlet in writing for film. His profoundly disturbing Symphony No.6 (1948) received international acclaim with more than a hundred performances in a little over two years. His great sensitivity to the 20th-century human condition, his flexibility in writing for all levels of music making, and his unquestionably great imagination combine to make him one of the key figures in 20th century music. Ralph Vaughan Williams had a long association with Oxford University Press; over 200 publications are available in the Oxford catalogue.

The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society