Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer born in 1872 in Gloucestershire. He studied at the Royal College of Music and Cambridge, later collecting folk songs across England that deeply shaped his style. His major works include The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and nine symphonies that blend modal harmony with pastoral English imagery. He taught at the Royal College of Music, edited The English Hymnal, and composed film scores during World War II. His music spans orchestral, choral, chamber, and opera genres, influencing generations of British composers.