# What are your top five compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams?



## Chibi Ubu (11 mo ago)

My son recently acquired a complete Vaughan Williams CD discography that I have access to, and I'd like to know where to begin. What are your favorites? Thanks for your thoughts!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Symphonies 2,5,7
On Wenlock Edge (song cycle)
Oboe concerto

YMMV (as it usually does).


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## Chibi Ubu (11 mo ago)

Art Rock said:


> Symphonies 2,5,7
> On Wenlock Edge (song cycle)
> Oboe concerto
> 
> YMMV (as it usually does).


Thanks, but I'm just a neophyte dope... what does YMMV mean?

edit: I just googled it... isn't all music like that?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Yes, but we have people here who do not realize that. :tiphat:


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## Philidor (11 mo ago)

My top five compositions from RVW are:

1) A Sea Symphony ("Symphony No. 1")
2) Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
3) Sinfonia antartica ("Symphony No. 7")
4) Symphony No. 4
5) A London Symphony ("Symphony No. 2)

However, I have a soft spot for the smaller scale works such as the Mass in G minor, the Oboe Concerto, the string quartets and some more ... there was a wonderful 4-CD-box at Nimbus called "A Portrait of Vaughan Williams" which presented a bunch of these works ... great stuff.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

For a neophyte I would suggest:

- Symphony #2 (A London Symphony)
- Symphony #5
- Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis
- Folk Song Suite
- Lark Ascending

I would not recommend the 4th, 6th, 7th or 9th as they are rather tougher fare, or the 1st as not everyone takes to vocal/choral works.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

You ask two questions requiring different answers.

My favourite five are:

Pastoral (3rd)
5th
Tallis
7th
Lark


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

"Hodie" Christmas cantata
Songs of travel
Tallis Fantasia
Job - A Masque for Dancing
Phantasy Quintet


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Syms. 1,2, 3, 6, and 9.


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## Xenophiliu (Jan 2, 2022)

I tend towards the vocal end of his output, despite loving his orchestral, concertante, and chamber music as well:

Mass in g minor
Five Mystical Songs
Dona Nobis Pacem
Songs of Travel
Three Shakespeare Songs


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Symphony 3
Symphony 5
A Lark Ascending
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Serenade to Music


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

1. Overture to The Wasps (has one of the greatest tunes ever, by anyone.)
2. London Symphony (no. 2)
3. The Pastoral Symphony
4. Job, A Masque for Dancing
5. Divas and Lazarus variants
6. English Folk Song Suite (in the original version for winds)
7. Sinfonia Antartica
8. The 49th Parallel soundtrack
9. The Poisoned Kiss
10. The Lark Ascending


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

My (probably non-)definitive choices are:

_Fantasia on Christmas Carols_ for baritone, mixed choir and orchestra (1912):
Mass in G-minor for unaccompanied choir (1922):
_Five Tudor Portraits_ for contralto, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra (1936):
Symphony no.6 in E-minor (1944-47 - rev. 1950):
_An Oxford Elegy_ for narrator, mixed choir and small orchestra (1949):


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

In order of preference

1. The Lark Ascending
2. Symphony #9
3. On Wenlock Edge (slight preference for piano & SQ version over orchestral)
4. Flos Campi
5. Job: A Masque For Dancing

So hard to get down to five, leaving out symphonies 3, 4, 5 & 6 and a few other wonderful compositions. 

Edit: These are my favourites as asked by OP. I don’t know if they make a good starting point for a newbie


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

any combination of the suggestions so far works for me. I'm also a big fan of 'The Five Tudor Portraits' and 'An Oxford Elegy' mentioned by Elgar'sG above.
Two highly reccomended but sadly neglected works for hardcore RVW fans.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Symphony no. 3 (Pastoral)
Symphony no. 5
Oboe Concerto
Folk Song Suite


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## Chibi Ubu (11 mo ago)

HenryPenfold said:


> In order of preference
> 
> 1. The Lark Ascending
> 2. Symphony #9
> ...


Just to say I'm not a newbie when it comes to classical music, but I am totally unfamiliar with Ralph Vaughan Williams, so I'll find out... Thanks to all!


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

In descending order of preference these are my favorites:

1. The Lark Ascending
2. Fantasia on Greensleeves
3. Oboe Concerto
4. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
5. Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Oh boy, this is tough...

Symphonies - 4, 9, 2, 
English Folk Song Suite
Wasps - Ov/ Incidental music
Job, 
oboe concerto
Syms 1,7,8
Toccata Marziale
Tudor Portraits


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

_Here's a little cross section of my favorites …_

"Bredon Hill" from _On Wenlock Edge_ (1909) ~ 7½ minutes
_Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis_ (1910) ~ 16 minutes
Mass in G minor (1921) ~ 22 minutes
_Job ~ A Masque for Dancing_ (1927-30) ~ 46 minutes
Symphony No. 5 (1938-43) ~ 36 minutes


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

No order:

Tallis Fantasia
On Wenlock Edge
Symphony 2
Symphony 5
Serenade to Music


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

The Complete Symphonies by Haitink. Below are also in it:
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Vaughan Williams: In the Fen Country
Vaughan Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1
Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending





This box never disappoints and has all essential's .
More then highly recommend .


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Symphony 5
Symphony 8
Serenade to Music
Overture to the Wasps
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

Bonus work: 

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Good question...

In no particular order:

_Flos campi
Symphony No. 5
Concerto for Two Pianos
Five Mystical Songs
Job, A Masque for Dancing_


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Norfolk Rhapsody

Folk Song Suite

Symphony 5

Symphony 3

Symphony 4/6


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

*He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound,
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.

For singing till his heaven fills,
'Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup
And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes.

Till lost on his aerial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.*


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Not the easiest of choices to make! Try the following five:

5th Symphony
8th Symphony
Phantasy Quintet
Variations on Dives & Lazarus
Partita for Double String Orchestra

And then there's the Oboe Concerto, String 4tets ... Flos Campi, don't miss that ...


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

Some not mentioned:

Violin Sonata in a minor
Tuba Concerto (considered the paragon of all tuba concertos, which there are quite a bit, surprisingly)
Piano Concerto (in contrast to the previous mention, this is not highly regarded but I like it)


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## HerbertNorman (Jan 9, 2020)

Symphonies 2 , 1 , 7
oboe concerto
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Torkelburger said:


> Some not mentioned:
> Tuba Concerto (considered the paragon of all tuba concertos, which there are quite a bit, surprisingly)


Yes, the Tuba Concerto i forgot that one!!..neat piece


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

Thanks to this thread, I returned to my VW boxed set only to discover that I had neglected to listen to the 8th and 9th symphonies.

In truth, I thought he'd only written 7.


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## marlow (11 mo ago)

Tallis Fantasia
Lark Ascending
Symphony 2, 3, 6


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Symphony No. 9
Job
Tallis Fantasia
String Quartet No. 2
Sancta Civitas


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

_Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Concerto Grosso
Partita for Double String Orchestra
Symphony #2 (A London Symphony)
Symphony #8_

These are my favourites, and I think they would suit a beginner too. The first three are for string orchestra, a medium in which he excelled. The first work I heard by him was _Fantasia on Greensleeves_.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Rogerx said:


> The Complete Symphonies by Haitink. Below are also in it:
> Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
> Vaughan Williams: In the Fen Country
> Vaughan Williams: Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1
> ...


The box does include On Wenlock Edge but only the orchestral version. To my ears the work really does need to be heard in the chamber version.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

My favourite 5 of RVW would need to include the Tallis Fantasia (Barbirolli if at all possible) and On Wenlock Edge (Padmore on Harmonia Mundi is a good one). Then I will need some symphonies and that is already more than five.


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