O how amiable

for SATB and organ, or SATB and brass, percussion, and organ, or SATB and strings and organ Vaughan Williams composed this simple anthem for a pageant in aid of the church of Abinger in 1934. The homophonic texture and inclusion of the first verse of O God our help in ages past at the end of the piece make it an accessible and inclusive work and a rousing addition to any service, concert, or community occasion. Vaughan Williams's string orchestra accompaniment is available on hire, and Jerry Brubaker's brass, organ, and percussion arrangement is available on sale.

Ralph Vaughan Williams, born in Gloucestershire on 12 October 1872, read History at Cambridge and went to the Royal College of Music where his teachers were Parry, Wood, and Stanford. Vaughan Williams believed in the value of music education and wrote practical competition pieces, serviceable church music, and with the 49th Parallel (1940-41) he found a new outlet in writing for film. His profoundly disturbing Symphony No.6 (1948) received international acclaim with more than a hundred performances in a little over two years. His great sensitivity to the 20th-century human condition, his flexibility in writing for all levels of music making, and his unquestionably great imagination combine to make him one of the key figures in 20th century music. Ralph Vaughan Williams had a long association with Oxford University Press; over 200 publications are available in the Oxford catalogue.