Editing Ralph Vaughan Williams (section)

====''Sinfonia antartica'', Symphonies 8 and 9 (1952–1957)====
The seventh symphony, the ''[[Sinfonia antartica]]'' (1952), a by-product of the composer's score for ''Scott of the Antarctic'', has consistently divided critical opinion on whether it can be properly classed as a symphony.<ref name=s135>Schwartz, p. 135</ref> Alain Frogley in ''Grove'' argues that though the work can make a deep impression on the listener, it is neither a true symphony in the understood sense of the term nor a tone poem and is consequently the least successful of the mature symphonies. The work is in five movements, with wordless vocal lines for female chorus and solo soprano in the first and last movements.<ref name=grove>Ottaway, Hugh and Alain Frogley. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/42507 "Vaughan Williams, Ralph"], ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 10 October 2015 {{Grove Music subscription}}</ref> In addition to large woodwind and percussion sections the score features a prominent part for [[wind machine]].<ref>Schwartz, p. 121</ref>

The [[Symphony No. 8 (Vaughan Williams)|Eighth Symphony]] (1956) in D minor is noticeably different from its seven predecessors by virtue of its brevity and, despite its minor key, its general light-heartedness. The orchestra is smaller than for most of the symphonies, with the exception of the percussion section, which is particularly large, with, as Vaughan Williams put it, "all the 'phones' and 'spiels' known to the composer".<ref name=k293>Kennedy (2013), p. 293</ref> The work was enthusiastically received at its early performances, and has remained among Vaughan Williams's most popular works.<ref name=k293/><ref>Schwartz, p. 150</ref>

The final symphony, the [[Symphony No. 9 (Vaughan Williams)|Ninth]], was completed in late 1957 and premiered in April 1958, four months before the composer's death. It is scored for a large orchestra, including three saxophones, a [[flugelhorn]], and an enlarged percussion section. The mood is more sombre than that of the Eighth; ''Grove'' calls its mood "at once heroic and contemplative, defiant and wistfully absorbed".<ref name=grove/> The work received an ovation at its premiere,<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E7DF1E3FE43BBC4B53DFB2668383649EDE "Ninth Symphony by Vaughan Williams Cheered at World Premiere in London"], ''The New York Times'', 3 April 1958, p. 22 {{subscription}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305205906/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E7DF1E3FE43BBC4B53DFB2668383649EDE |date=5 March 2016 }}</ref> but at first the critics were not sure what to make of it, and it took some years for it to be generally ranked alongside its eight predecessors.<ref>Kennedy (2013), pp. 296–297</ref>