Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony Number Five Ralph Vaughan Williams, descended from the famous Wedgwood and Darwin families, was born at Down Ampney, Gloucestershire in 1872. In 1890 he entered the Royal College of Music, and in 1892 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge. One of the greatest of the British composers, a prolific writer of music, folksong collector, and champion of British cultural heritage, he died aged 85 in 1958. His ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey alongside the nation's …showed first 75 words of 1234 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1234 total…version of the counter-melody, leading to a large climax on the original passacaglia theme. This breaks into music from the first movement, the Preludio, signifying that we have come full circle, and the end is near. Various themes from the first movement float make special guest appearances, which leads to a quiet extended fantasia on the counter-melody, fanfare, and passacaglia. The movement ends with the violins playing extremely high minims - a very serene ending.