Oxford University Press donates Ralph Vaughan Williams collection to British Library

Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced its donation of its collection of Ralph Vaughan Williams archive materials to the British Library. The items donated will form part of the Library’s national collection and will be available to scholars, musicologists, and the public after all items have been catalogued.

The donation has been announced today in recognition of the 150^th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’s birth and contains a range of items including scores used at premieres of Vaughan Williams’ works including The Lark Ascending as well as those amended by the conductors of those premieres and by the composer himself (pictured below).

Simon Wright, OUP’s head of music rights & contracts, said: ‘At OUP, we are honoured to be Vaughan Williams’s primary publisher and to provide a wide range of groups, from orchestras to schools, churches, and choirs, with access to his works. In the same vein, our donation to the British Library demonstrates not only the Press’s commitment to Vaughan Williams’s legacy but is underpinned by our mission for greater accessibility.’

The university press of the University of Oxford, OUP is the largest university press in the world and began publishing Vaughan Williams’ works in 1906 with hymn tunes for The English Hymnal. OUP continues to publish most of Vaughan Williams works composed between 1925 and 1958 including film scores and hymn tunes as well as managing the copyrights associated with these works.

This donation, along with the OUP's publication of Eric Saylor’s recent biography Vaughan Williams, is part of the press' ongoing commitment to preserving and promoting access to the works of Vaughan Williams.

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