I don’t know whether I like it, but it is what I meant.—Ralph Vaughan Williams
Vaughan Williams has always been a favourite among band conductors as he was one of the first composers of the twentieth century to write for the concert band (military band) as a serious medium for aesthetic music (the English Folk Song Suite was composed in 1923 for band and later arranged for orchestra). Since then, various original works and transcriptions of Vaughan Williams’ have become standards in the band repertoire, most notably:
- Flourish for Wind Band (1939)
- Linden Lea (1901)
- English Folk Song Suite (1923)
- Sea Songs (1923)
- Toccata Marziale (1924)
Non-Exhaustive
The following list is by no means exhaustive. New arrangements are being written all the time and there are smaller, boutique publishers popping up around the world. It is very difficult to keep up with every new arrangement on the market.
Subjective
Any discussion of repertoire is always going to be subjective. What appeals to one won’t necessarily appeal to another.
Curated
All the lists of repertoire I recommend are curated. There are no pop songs, show tunes or film scores. There are also (generally) no medleys, even if they are of works by Beethoven or Bach. Although the arranger’s intention is to present more than one work to the students as an educational aim, medleys fail the composer by changing the impression his work was supposed to have, often turning three aesthetic compositions into an entertainment spectacle (medleys also often have stupid titles.)
Any arrangement that changes the style intended by the composer is also left out. Arrangements that have the words ‘Rock’ or ‘Boogie’ in the title should be burned.
Tips for conductors
As with playing any transcription, playing Vaughan Williams is not only an opportunity for the students, but also an opportunity for the conductor to better their practice. Always listen to the works in their original form and watch videos of the great conductors, both band and orchestral.
A personal favourite
Of all the works of Vaughan Williams that I have both performed and conducted, one stands out as my personal favourite: Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (1939) arr. Stephen Gregson. It is one of those works that I can listen to over and over again and never tire of.
Level 1
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| Linden Lea | arr. Wagner | Alfred/Belwin | 2:21 | |
Level 2
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| Linden Lea | arr. Stout | Boosey & Hawkes | 3:00 | |
| Sussex Carol | arr. Anne McGinty | Queenwood | 2:27 | |
| Solemn Procession (From the Fourth Movement of A London Symphony) | arr. Wagner | Alfred/Belwin | 3:36 | |
Level 3
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| Golden Vanity | arr. Wagner | Alfred/Belwin | 4:51 | |
| Rhosymedre | arr. Walter Beeler | Galaxy Music | 3:46 | |
| Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis | arr. Jay Bocook | Hal Leonard | 3:51 | |
| Flourish for Wind Band | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Oxford University Press | 2:00 | |
| The Lowlands of Scotland (Alister McAlpines Lament) | arr. Daehn | Daehn Publications | 2:57 | |
| Folk Songs from the Eastern Counties | arr. Wagner | Alfred/Belwin | 3:29 | |
| Three Studies in English Folk Song | arr. Harbison | Alfred | 4:54 | |
| Sine Nomine | arr. Bullock | Alfred | | |
| Silent Noon | arr. Huckeby | CL Barnhouse | 4:13 | |
| I got me Flowers | arr. Jos van de Braak | Baton Music | | |
| Well Met My Own True Love | arr. Larry Daehn | Daehn Publications | 4:01 | |
| Three Dorset Songs | arr. Douglas Stotter | Daehn Publications | | |
| I Vow to Thee My Country | Gustav Holst, setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams | G. Schirmer | | |
| Sine Nomine | arr. J Cacavas | Alfred | | |
Level 4
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| Sea Songs | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Boosey & Hawkes | 4:00 | |
| Sea Songs | arr. Longfield | Boosey & Hawkes | 4:16 | |
| Fantasia on Greensleeves | arr. Wagner | Alfred/Belwin | 5:02 | |
| March Past of the Kitchen Utensils | arr. Paul Erwin | Music By Paul Erwin | 3:20 | |
| Flourish for Glorious John | arr. Boyd | Ludwig-Masters Publications | | |
| Overture to the Wasps | Rens van Leeuwen | Baton Music | | |
| Fantasia | Jos van de Braak | Baton Music | | |
| 49th Parallel-Prelude | arr. L Osmon | G&M Brand | | |
| Sine Nomine | arr. Alfred Reed | Alfred | | |
| The Running Set | arr. Daehn | Daehn Publications | 6:04 | |
Level 5
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| English Folk Song Suite | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Boosey & Hawkes | 12:00 | |
| Five English Folk Songs | arr. Evan Feldman | Tierolff-Muziekcentrale BV | | |
| Variations for Wind Band | arr. Donald Hunsberger | Boosey & Hawkes | 13:40 | |
| Norfolk Rhapsody | | Oxford University Press | | |
| Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus | arr. Gregson | Oxford University Press | 10:20 | |
Level 6
| Title | Arranger | Publisher | Duration | Recording |
|---|
| Toccata Marziale | ed. Battisti | Boosey & Hawkes | | |
| Toccata Marziale | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Boosey & Hawkes | 4:45 | |
| Overture to the Wasps | arr. Frank M. Hudson | TRN Music | 9:58 | |
