National Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (First Edition with Inscription), 1934 🎶🇬🇧🇺🇸

 

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This is a rare first edition of National Music, a collection of essays by the eminent English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Published in 1934 by Oxford University Press, this volume is a tangible link to a pivotal era of musical thought and nationalism.

• Its value is elevated by a unique handwritten inscription from an influential American composer to a Pulitzer-winning American composer.

This book is a philosophical work on the role of national identity in music. It holds both intellectual and material value, as it serves as a historical record of a time when the musical world was grappling with questions of tradition, modernity, and national identity. It is a highly desirable centerpiece for any serious collection that focuses on the nexus of musical intellectual history.

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2. About the Book 📖✍️✨

National Music is a collection of essays that articulates Ralph Vaughan Williams's philosophy on the relationship between a nation and its music. He argues that a truly great musical style is not a universal abstraction but must be rooted in the specific folk traditions and cultural identity of its people. The book champions a distinctively English musical voice, drawing from the wellspring of folk songs and centuries of British compositional history.

The volume is a philosophical exploration of what gives music its soul and meaning. It is a work of deep scholarship that continues to be studied by musicologists for its unique perspective. The book was based on a series of lectures delivered at Bryn Mawr College, and discusses the evolution of folk song and its influence on composers. It stands as a powerful counter-argument to the dominant trends of atonal and internationalist music that were gaining prominence on the continent during that period.

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3. About the Author ✍️🏛️✨

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was an English composer who became a central figure in the renaissance of British music in the 20th century. A student of composers like Max Bruch and Maurice Ravel, Vaughan Williams was known for a style that fused modal elements and rhythmic freedom with a distinctively English sensibility. This book represents a crystallization of the ideas he explored throughout his long and influential career.

Vaughan Williams dedicated his life to advocating for a distinct national musical voice, believing that the greatest artists inevitably belong to their country as much as the humblest folk singer. His work as a teacher, lecturer, and editor of The English Hymnal cemented his place as a national treasure and demonstrated his belief in making high-quality, national-influenced music available to the masses.

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4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

Published in 1934, this book is a reflection of the interwar period in Britain, a time marked by immense political and intellectual ferment. The decade was characterized by growing nationalism and a complex relationship with European culture, which was undergoing a radical shift with the rise of modernism. Vaughan Williams’s advocacy for a "national music" was a direct contribution to these cultural debates.

The book provides a powerful philosophical foundation for a movement that argued for a return to cultural roots in a post-WWI world. His ideas were a significant part of a larger conversation about the role of art in an age of anxiety and rapidly changing global power dynamics. He saw English folk song as the wellspring of the nation's musical identity and went on a personal mission to collect and transcribe hundreds of these songs from elderly rural singers before they were forgotten.

 

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5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This book is for a curator of music history, a scholar of 20th-century British culture, or a private collector of fine antiquarian books. It is an ideal acquisition for an individual who values a book's historical weight and its capacity to tell a story of cultural transmission. The book's intellectual substance appeals to a collector who is interested in the intersection of music, history, and philosophy.

This item appeals to a collector who seeks a direct link to the personal and intellectual relationships that shaped a cultural era. It speaks to someone who understands that the value of an object is often in the story it tells and the human connections it represents. This is not a book for a decorative shelf, but for a collector who will research its history, appreciate its message, and cherish its unique nature.

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6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This 1934 first edition is a valuable asset, but its rarity and value are elevated by its unique inscription. The inscription creates a documented link between three significant figures in 20th-century music: Vaughan Williams (the author), Daniel G. Mason (the inscriber), and Ernest Bacon (the recipient). Finding a book that so tangibly represents a specific intellectual exchange between such prominent figures is uncommon. The price is a direct reflection of this rare historical association.

This is a non-replicable asset with documented ties to a nexus of musical intellectual history. Its value is not based on market averages for this edition but on the extraordinary context of its inscription. Its importance as a historical and academic resource ensures its continued value as a prized item for any serious library.

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7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This book is a genuine and handsome survivor, showing authentic wear consistent with a book from the early 20th century. The blue cloth binding is in good condition, showing some minor wear and rubbing consistent with its age. The dust jacket, however, shows significant wear, including rubbing, creasing, and notable tears, particularly at the spine and edges. This is not uncommon for a book of this age, as dust jackets were often fragile and discarded by their owners.

• Binding: The book is a hardcover with a blue cloth binding. It has a tight and sound binding and a clean interior.

• Dust Jacket: The dust jacket shows visible wear and tear, including rubbing, creasing, and significant tears, particularly at the spine and edges. The original price of $1.75 is visible on the front flap.

• Interior: The pages within are free of major damage, although some light age toning and foxing are expected. The text is clear and fully readable.

• Signature: The inscription is clearly visible on the front endpaper. There is also some minor pencil writing on a back page of music notes.

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8. The Inscription & Relationship 🤝📜✍️

This book’s unique inscription documents a specific moment of intellectual exchange between two significant American composers and musicologists. The inscription from Daniel G. Mason to Ernest Bacon directs Bacon to a specific, important section of Vaughan Williams’s work.

• The inscription reads: "To Ernest Bacon from Daniel G. Mason. February, 1935. - I think you will find from page 73 on very much worth while."

• The inscription provides a direct link between two prominent figures in 20th-century music, one of whom won a Pulitzer Prize, and the work of a third, influential English composer.

• Ernest Bacon (1898-1990) was a prolific American composer, pianist, and conductor who was awarded a Pulitzer Scholarship in 1932.

• Daniel G. Mason (1873-1953) was an American composer and music critic who was head of the music department at Columbia University.

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9. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The book's dust jacket has a price tag of $1.75, which provides a historical look at the book's original market value.

• This is a first edition of a collection of essays that were originally lectures delivered at Bryn Mawr College in 1932.

• A later edition of this book, retitled National Music and Other Essays, was published, but this is the original text.

• The book has some handwritten music notation in pencil on a back endpaper, a unique detail that adds to its personal history.

• Ralph Vaughan Williams was a lifelong humanitarian who served in World War I and was a vocal opponent of the Nazi regime before World War II.

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10. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: National Music.

• Author/Maker: Ralph Vaughan Williams.

• Year: 1934.

• Publisher/Foundry: Oxford University Press.

• Place of Origin: London, UK.

• Format/Binding: Hardcover with Dust Jacket.

• Edition: First Edition, inscribed.

• Rarity: Very Rare.

• Transcription: "To Ernest Bacon from Daniel G. Mason. February, 1935. 'I think you will find from page 73 on very much worth while.'".