During our recent vacation to the UK and Ireland, we arrived at Heathrow at 8 in the morning (2 AM "our" time) and at our hotel by 9. Of course our hotel rooms weren't yet ready, so the three of us stored our luggage and then walked over to Westminster Abbey as a first visit during a memorable vacation. The line to get in---the queue, as they'd say---was long but moved along.
If you're familiar with the abbey, you know that many notable figures in history are buried there (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Burials_at_Westminster_Abbey). Overwhelmed as any good history nerd would be, I was also interested in viewing the grave of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. I've appreciated RVW's music for nearly thirty years and wrote a modest tribute in 2008 for the 50th anniversary of his death (http://paulstroble.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/thank-you-rvw).
If you're familiar with the abbey, you know that many notable figures in history are buried there (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Burials_at_Westminster_Abbey). Overwhelmed as any good history nerd would be, I was also interested in viewing the grave of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. I've appreciated RVW's music for nearly thirty years and wrote a modest tribute in 2008 for the 50th anniversary of his death (http://paulstroble.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/thank-you-rvw).
Our first exhausted walk through the abbey amid the slow-moving crowds was nevertheless fascinating and moving. But I hadn't found the composer's grave, which I knew was near memorials for composers Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten and was near the tomb of RVW's great uncle, Charles Darwin.
I asked a guide about the grave and he kindly told me where to find it. I complied with the abbey's prohibition of photography but found this picture and tribute at the website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/ralph-vaughan-williams. The guide said he loved RVW's music, too, and added, "I'm glad we have him here at the abbey." He said he was present when the tomb was open in 2008 to receive the ashes of RVW's second wife, Ursula. Later, after lunch at The Albert and a nap, I listened to the lento movement of RVW's "London Symphony."
Looking for sites for this post, I found this article, which notes RVW's importance and uniqueness:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4601922.ece On a related note, this article discusses bomb damage to the abbey during the war; I can't imagine how frightening that would have been: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/war-damage
I asked a guide about the grave and he kindly told me where to find it. I complied with the abbey's prohibition of photography but found this picture and tribute at the website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/ralph-vaughan-williams. The guide said he loved RVW's music, too, and added, "I'm glad we have him here at the abbey." He said he was present when the tomb was open in 2008 to receive the ashes of RVW's second wife, Ursula. Later, after lunch at The Albert and a nap, I listened to the lento movement of RVW's "London Symphony."
Looking for sites for this post, I found this article, which notes RVW's importance and uniqueness:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4601922.ece On a related note, this article discusses bomb damage to the abbey during the war; I can't imagine how frightening that would have been: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/war-damage
No comments:
Post a Comment