or ▁sa x oph one . ▁The ▁Four th ▁Sym phony ▁( 1 9 3 5 ) ▁aston ished ▁listen ers ▁with ▁its ▁striking ▁dis son ance , ▁far ▁removed ▁from ▁the ▁prev ail ing ▁quiet ▁tone ▁of ▁the ▁previous ▁sym phony . ▁The ▁composer ▁firm ly ▁contrad icted ▁any ▁not ions ▁that ▁the ▁work ▁was ▁program mat ical ▁in ▁any ▁respect , ▁and ▁Kennedy ▁calls ▁attempts ▁to ▁give ▁the ▁work ▁" a ▁mer etr icious ▁programme   ... ▁a ▁poor ▁compl iment ▁to ▁its ▁musical ▁vital ity ▁and ▁self - su ffic iency ". ▁ ▁The ▁Fif th ▁Sym phony ▁( 1 9 4 3 ) ▁was ▁in ▁complete ▁contrast ▁to ▁its ▁prede cess or . ▁V aug han ▁Williams ▁had ▁been ▁working ▁on ▁and ▁off ▁for ▁many ▁years ▁on ▁his ▁oper atic ▁version ▁of ▁Bun yan ' s ▁The ▁Pil gr im ' s ▁Progress . ▁F ear ing — wr ong ly ▁as ▁it ▁turned ▁out — that ▁the ▁opera ▁would ▁never ▁be ▁completed , ▁V aug han ▁Williams ▁re work ed ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁music ▁already ▁written ▁for ▁it ▁into ▁a ▁new ▁sym phony . ▁Despite ▁the ▁internal ▁t ensions ▁caused ▁by ▁the ▁deliber ate ▁conflict ▁of ▁mod ality ▁in ▁places , ▁the ▁work ▁is ▁generally ▁ser ene ▁in ▁character , ▁and ▁was ▁particularly ▁well ▁received ▁for ▁the ▁comfort ▁it ▁gave ▁at ▁a ▁time ▁of ▁all - out ▁war . ▁Ne ville ▁Card us ▁later ▁wrote , ▁" The ▁Fif th ▁Sym phony ▁contains ▁the ▁most ▁ben ed ict