by Clarence Zuvekas
Sunday, May 19 — Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) composed or arranged many of our Hymnal tunes, some of which came from English folk traditions. He also wrote nine symphonies and numerous other works in various genres.
RVW was born in the Gloucestershire village of Down Ampney, where his father was vicar of the Church of All Saints. He studied with Sir Hubert Parry at the Royal College of Music, earned degrees in both music and history from Cambridge University, and later studied with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Max Bruch.
We will be singing RVW’s anthem, O Taste and See, the text of which is from Psalm 34, verse 8. It was composed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.