Vaughan Williams’s film scores are considered in light of the state of the British film industry from the 1930s into the post–Second World War period, and of the implications of the composer’s bold decision to try his hand at what many of his contemporaries might have regarded as a rather inferior use of music. His contribution of scores for both feature films and documentaries involved some interesting ideas of his own about the genre of cinematic music. The responses of contemporary critics reflected the complexity of British attitudes to the dominance of Hollywood as much as the inventive ways in which Vaughan Williams negotiated the specific constraints upon British film-making during the Second World War and the demands for ‘propaganda’.

For most British composers active in the twentieth century, the actual writing of music was only one of many skills they were obliged to develop. Many composers were also actively engaged in the fields of teaching, performance, and administration, and could supplement their income with a variety of other jobs, ranging from adjudication and private tutoring to broadcasting and music criticism. Additionally, the growth in popularity of radio, television, and film opened up new opportunities for composers in lighter genres that had hitherto not been available, either to supplement their contributions to more traditional concert hall repertory, or as dedicated positions in their own right. This chapter will examine these various career paths and responsibilities, looking at how British composers’ training, abilities, interests, and sociocultural status shaped and directed their vocational trajectories.