Vaughan Williams's manuscripts were famous for their illegibillity and ambiguities, which stemmed from the composer's great speed in composition. Roy Douglas was first called in to read and interpret one of these manuscripts in 1942. Thereafter he became an increasingly valued interpreter and adviser, and remained so until Vaughan Williams's death in 1958. This account of a close working relationship with a major composer will be found deeply interesting by all those concerned with the process of musical creation [Publisher description].