“Worthy of the Cause Which He Serves” (1951–1958)

• Main Author: Saylor, Eric
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2022
• Subjects: antartic*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190918569.003.0017

Following Adeline’s death, Vaughan Williams and Wood were finally able to make public the true nature of their relationship, cemented when the couple married in early 1953. Wood’s influence on the composer was immense, and she has been credited with reviving him in the twilight of his career. Nowhere was this inspiration more conspicuous than in the remarkable completion of three further symphonies ( Sinfonia Antartica , Symphony No. 8 in D Minor, and Symphony No. 9 in E Minor) over a six-year span, but also in ways unrelated to composition, such as his move back to London and his resumption of widespread international travel following his marriage to Wood, including an extended trip to the United States in 1954. His compositional productivity continued to be remarkable for a man of his age, and his financial security led him to establish the RVW Trust as a means of securing his philanthropic legacy. Though his own health remained surprisingly robust, surgery for a cancerous prostate in 1957 and 1958 was a reminder of his own mortality. His death in August 1958 drew an outpouring of sympathy and tributes from around the world, a testament to the impact that he and his music had on the lives of countless friends and admirers.