Symphony No. 4 in f minor

Composer: VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, Ralph
  • Written between 1931-34, Symphony No. 4 in f minor was first performed in London in 1935 under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult. The piece marks a decidedly modern shift compared to the composer’s previous symphonies, which took many listeners by surprise.1
  • Despite being one of the composer’s most dissonant symphonies, Symphony No. 4 is also among Vaughan William’s most frequently performed works.
  • Vaughan Williams noted that he “stole” the beginning of the first movement from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth.2
  • In the years following the premiere, listeners speculated that the symphony was a reflection on the impending international upheaval that would soon erupt into WWII; however, the composer denied this connection, writing:

“I wrote [the symphony] not as a definite picture of anything external, e.g. the state of Europe, but simply because it occurred to me like that.”

  • Rather, Vaughan Williams was likely inspired to experiment with writing more modern symphonic trends of the time after reading an article about a festival for the International Society for Contemporary Music.
  • At a rehearsal for the symphony, Vaughan Williams is noted to have said, “I don’t know if I like it, but it’s what I meant.”3
  • In an interview Robert Layton in 1966, Sir Adrian Boult maintained that Vaughan Williams was “certainly getting something evil off his chest” when writing his fourth symphony, whether that be in relation to his experiences in WWI, hardships from his personal life, or something else.
  • Vaughan Williams dedicated the symphony to fellow English composer, Sir Arnold Bax.4

Sources

  1. Michael Kennedy, “Symphony No. 4 in F minor” in accompanying booklet, Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Complete Symphonies performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox, CHAN 5303, 2022, compact disc.
  2. Steve Schwartz, “Symphony #4 in F minor (1934): Introduction & Recommended Performances,” Classical Net, 2000, accessed September 6, 2022, http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/v-w/v-w4.php.
  3. Michael Kennedy, “Symphony No. 4 in F minor” in accompanying booklet, Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Complete Symphonies.
  4. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Symphony No.4 in F minor (London: Oxford University Press, 1935), 1.

Cut IDs

43373