生活
早年
威廉斯出生于格洛斯特郡的下安普尼，而其父亞瑟u2027沃恩u2027威廉斯則是一名副主教。父親逝世后，他在1875年被其母親瑪格麗特u2027蘇珊u2027威奇伍德 ( Margaret Susan Wedgwood，1843u20131937，陶瓷家約書亞u2027威奇伍德之曾孫女 ) 照顧，并于其位于市北處的利斯山地方的家庭同住。達(dá)爾文為威廉斯的伯叔，兩者間頗有關(guān)系。 拉爾夫 ( 英語作Rayf) 于是被稱作尊貴而聰明的中上階級(jí)，但他沒有視以為自然，仍努力不懈為其相信的民主和自由觀念?yuàn)^斗。
作為一個(gè)學(xué)生，他學(xué)習(xí)鋼琴，“但我永不懂彈奏，而小提琴則是我音樂的拯救”。中學(xué)畢業(yè)之后，進(jìn)入皇家音樂學(xué)院，然后進(jìn)入劍橋三一學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)音樂史，后又回到皇家音樂學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)作曲。
他的音樂創(chuàng)作成就很晚，直到30歲他的一首名叫《Linden Lea》歌曲才成為他的第一個(gè)發(fā)表作品。他把很多精力用于收集民歌。
作品
歌劇
● Hugh the Drover或Love in the Stocks (戀愛中股票，1910-20)
● Sir John in Love (約翰先生談戀愛1924-28)，即其創(chuàng)作之綠袖子幻想曲的來源。
● The Poisoned Kiss (1927-29，修訂版為1936-37及1956-57)
● Riders to the Sea (海上騎士、騎馬入海的人，1925-32)，由約翰u2027米靈頓u2027辛奇 ( John Millington Synge ) 之劇本改篇。
● The Pilgrim’s Progress (天路歷程，1909-51)，基于約翰·本仁之托寓詩
芭蕾
● Old King Cole ( 大王科爾，1923)
● Job, a masque for dancing ( 假面舞劇《約伯》，1930)
● Symphonies
○ 1號(hào)交響曲，A Sea Symphony (1903-1909)
○ 2號(hào)交響曲，A London Symphony (1913)
○ 3號(hào)交響曲，A Pastoral Symphony (1921)
○ 4號(hào)交響曲，Symphony No. 4 之F 小調(diào) (1931-34)
○ 5號(hào)交響曲，Symphony No. 5 之D (1938-43)
○ 6號(hào)交響曲，Symphony No. 6 之E 小調(diào) (1946-47)
○ 7號(hào)交響曲，Sinfonia Antartica (南極交響曲) (1949-52) (基于Scott of the Antarctic這套1948年的電影)
○ 8號(hào)交響曲，Symphony No. 8 之D 小調(diào) (1953-55)
○ 9號(hào)交響曲，Symphony No. 9 之E 小調(diào) (1956-57)
● In the Fen Country(在芬縣)，交響樂團(tuán)用 (1904)
● Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1 (諾�？嘶孟肭�，1906,，修訂于1914)
● The Wasps，胡蜂，阿里斯托芬模式(1909)
● Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (湯瑪斯泰利斯幻想曲，1910，修訂于1913及1919)
● Fantasia on "Greensleeves" (綠袖子幻想曲，1934)
● Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (迪夫與拉沙羅的五個(gè)變奏曲，1939)
● Concerto Grosso (大演奏會(huì)1950)
協(xié)奏曲
● 鋼琴
○ Piano Concerto in C (C調(diào)鋼琴協(xié)奏曲，1926-31)
○ Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (雙鋼琴協(xié)奏曲，1946，為上者之重制)
● 小提琴
○ The Lark Ascending，云雀升空，為小提琴和管弦樂所作(1914)
○ Concerto Accademico，小提琴協(xié)奏曲，為小提琴和管弦樂所作(1924-25)
● 中提琴
○ Flos Campi，田野之花，為中提琴用，無字和弦和小的交響樂(1925)
○ Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra，中提琴及小型管弦樂套曲 (1936-38)
○ Oboe Concerto (雙簧管協(xié)奏曲)之A 小調(diào)，為雙簧管及弦樂器所作 (1944)
○ Fantasia (類變化，quasi variazione) 舊約圣經(jīng)詩篇104篇，為鋼琴、合唱團(tuán)和交響樂團(tuán)所用(1949)
○ Romance in D flat for harmonica and orchestra (為口琴和管弦樂所寫的降D小調(diào)浪漫曲，1951) (D為拉利阿德勒Larry Adler所作)
○ Tuba Concerto (F小調(diào)低音號(hào)協(xié)奏曲) (1954)
合唱
● Toward the Unknown Region, song for chorus and orchestra, setting of Walt Whitman (1906)
● Five Mystical Songs for baritone, chorus and orchestra, settings of George Herbert (1911)
● Fantasia on Christmas Carols for baritone, chorus, and orchestra (1912; arranged also for reduced orchestra of organ, strings, percussion)
● Mass in G 小調(diào) for unaccompanied choir (1922)
● Sancta Civitas (The Holy City) oratorio, text mainly from the Book of Revelation (1923-25)
● Te Deum in G (1928)
● Benedicite for soprano, chorus, and orchestra (1929)
● In Windsor Forest, adapted from the opera Sir John in Love (1929)
● Three Choral Hymns (1929)
● Magnificat for contralto, women’s chorus, and orchestra (1932)
● Five Tudor Portraits for contralto, baritone, chorus, and orchestra (1935)
● Dona nobis pacem,沃特u2027衛(wèi)特曼詞及其他(1936)
● Festival Te Deum for chorus and orchestra or organ (1937)
● Serenade to Music for sixteen solo voices and orchestra, a setting of Shakespeare (1938)
● A Song for Thanksgiving (原作 Thanksgiving for Victory) for narrator, soprano solo, children’s chorus, mixed chorus, and orchestra (1944)
● An Oxford Elegy for narrator, mixed chorus and small orchestra (1949)
● Three Shakespeare Songs ，為SATB沒有伴奏的，用作英聯(lián)邦國(guó)家音樂競(jìng)賽 ( The British Federation of Music Festivals National Competitive Festival ，1951)
● Hodie, a Christmas oratorio (1954)
● Folk songs of the Four Seasons for unaccompanied SSA chorus.
● Epithalamion for baritone solo, chorus, flute, piano, and strings (1957)
● Numerous hymns, some of which were first published in the English Hymnal of 1906, of which Vaughan Williams was the musical editor, collaborating with Percy Dearmer.
聲樂
● "Linden Lea"，歌(1901)
● The House of Life (1904)
● Songs of Travel (1904)
● "The Sky Above The Roof" (1908)
● On Wenlock Edge, song cycle for tenor, piano and string quartet (1909)
● Along the Field, for tenor and violin
● Three Poems by Walt Whitman for baritone and piano (1920)
● Four Poems by Fredegond Shove: for baritone and piano (1922)
● Four Hymns for Tenor, Viola and Strings (1914)
● Merciless Beauty for tenor, two violins, and cello
● Four Last Songs (Vaughan Williams)|Four Last Songs to poems of Ursula Vaughan Williams
● Ten William Blake|Blake songs, song cycle for high voice and oboe (1957)
室內(nèi)樂及樂器
● String Quintet in C 小調(diào) for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (1903)
● String Quartet No. 1 in G 小調(diào) (1908)
● Phantasy Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas and cello (1912)
● Six Studies in English Folk-Song, for violoncello and piano (1926)
● Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes, for organ (1956)
● String Quartet No. 2 in A 小調(diào) ("For Jean, on her birthday," 1942-44)
● Romance for Viola and Piano (undated)
風(fēng)琴
● Three Preludes on Welsh Hymntunes (Bryn Calfaria, Rhosymedre, Hyfrydol) (1920)
● A Wedding Tune for Ann (1943)
● Two Organ Preludes (The White Rock, St. David’s Day) (1956)
● The Old Hundredth Psalm-Tune (?)
電影、電臺(tái)、電視配樂
● 49th Parallel, 1940, his first, talked into it by Muir Mathieson to assuage his guilt at being able to do nothing for the war-effort
● Coastal Command (film)|Coastal Command, 1942
● BBC接納了The Pilgrim’s Progress, 1942
● The People’s Land, 1943
● The Story of a Flemish Farm, 1943
● Stricken Peninsula, 1945
● The Loves of Joanna Godden, 1946
● Scott of the Antarctic (1948 film)|Scott of the Antarctic, 1948, partially reused for his Symphony No. 7 Sinfonia Antartica
樂隊(duì)
● English Folk Song Suite for military band (1923)
● Toccata Marziale for military band (1924)
● Flourish for Wind Band (1939)
● Sea Songs
● Overture: Henry V for brass band
● Variations for brass band (1957)
