In 1936, Wood was in charge of his final Sheffield festival. The choral works he conducted included the Verdi "Requiem", Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis", Berlioz' "Te Deum", Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast", and, in the presence of the composer, Rachmaninoff's "The Bells". The following year, Wood began planning for a grand concert to mark his fiftieth year as a conductor. The Royal Albert Hall was chosen as the venue, having a far larger capacity than the Queen's Hall. The concert was given on 5 October 1938. Rachmaninoff played the solo part in his Second Piano Concerto, and Vaughan Williams, at Wood's request, composed a short choral work for the occasion: the "Serenade to Music" for orchestra and 16 soloists. The other composers represented in the programme were Sullivan, Beethoven, Bach, Bax, Wagner, Handel and Elgar. The orchestra comprised players from the three London orchestras: the London Symphony, London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestras. The concert raised £9,000 for Wood's chosen charity, providing health care for musicians. In the same year, Wood published his autobiography, "My Life of Music".