Symphony No. 8 (Vaughan Williams) Symphony No. 8 (Vaughan Williams) Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 8 in D minor was composed between 1953 and 1955. It was the first of his symphonies which Vaughan Williams numbered. Sir John Barbirolli conducted the premiere of the piece on 2 May 1956, with the Hallé Orchestra. The Eighth Symphony is the shortest of Vaughan Williams' nine symphonies, with a typical performance taking just under a half hour, yet it is remarkably inventive, especially in the composer's experiments in sonority. Not only does he use a much-expanded percussion section, including "all the 'phones and 'spiels known to the composer"
Ernest Williams (conductor) C Minor" in 1937. Also of note are his opera, "Rip Van Winkle", and tone poem, "America" (for chorus and band or orchestra), which stand alongside numerous marches, concerti and solos. In 1931, Ernest Williams was elected to the American Bandmasters Association and, in 1983, he was posthumously installed in the National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors. Ernest Williams (conductor) Ernest Williams (27 September 1881 – 8 February 1947) was a prominent American band conductor, cornet soloist, composer, and music educator. A native of Wayne County, Indiana, Ernest Williams' musical career began in 1898 as a