Vaughan Williams, Ralph

Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in Down Ampney in 1872 and died in London in 1958. Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces, and orchestral compositions, including nine symphonies written over the course of sixty years. His work was strongly influenced by Tudor music and English folk songs and marked a decisive break in British music from its German-dominated 19th-century style. He wrote many works for amateur and student performances. His vocal works include hymns, folk song arrangements, and large-scale choral pieces. His distinctive, expressive, imaginative, and influential musical legacy lives on.