Unlike Vaughan Williams's first three symphonies, it was not given a title, the composer stating that it was to be understood as pure music, without any incidental or external inspiration.
"[1] According to the letter written by Arthur Benjamin to Vaughan Williams on 21 April 1935 (BL MS Mus 1714/1/9, ff.
Benjamin wrote: "I met Willy Walton on the way to the Hall and he said — having been to the rehearsals — that we were going to hear the greatest symphony since Beethoven.
[6] The earliest American performance to have survived in recorded form was the broadcast of 21 May 1938 by Adrian Boult, guest conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra, released by Pristine Classical.
Opening dissonance of the first movement: Germinal motive that develops out of the opening dissonance: Motive built of fourths (measure 14–15): The symphony is scored for a large orchestra including: 2 or 3 flutes (2nd doubling on piccolo), 2 or 3 oboes (2nd doubling on cor anglais), 2 clarinets (in B♭), bass clarinet (in B♭) (ad lib.