Almost lost music

[giles.enders]

There are a number of recordings of which the original music manuscript, printed score and parts are now lost. Edward Isaac's piano concerto and Geirr Tveitt's piano concerto No.3 are examples.  I am wondering if there is any one out there who would be interested in transcribing them back onto paper.   

[mbhaub]

Can you imagine just how difficult and time consuming that would be? And nearly impossible to do correctly? Well, it has been done. Pianist Alain Lefevre was given a recording of the 4th piano concerto of composer Andre Mathieu. The score/parts were lost and composer Gilles Bellamare transcribed it. And a beautiful work it is. You can hear it in a recording with the Tucson Symphony and get the whole astonishing story. Contact Bellamare. He seems to have what it takes.

[albion]

And whilst he's at it, he can knock up a score for Bowen's 3rd Symphony (if, as suspected, the trail to the manuscript goes cold)! 

[Gareth Vaughan]

It is indeed very time-consuming and one needs to have a really first class ear, but it can be done. Perhaps not wholly accurately, but pretty closely. There are a number of works I personally would like to see reconstructed in that way - the PC by Lesley Bridgewater for one. However, it would cost a lot of money because fellas who've got what it takes will not charge peanuts (and why should they?) unless it's a work that is particularly dear to them.

[eschiss1]

one piece I am almost sure exists only on recording is a brief choral work (based on Shakespeare, I think...) by Benjamin Frankel - haven't heard it, heard about it from a family member.  Recorded for the BBC, was broadcast, score either went pretty hopelessly missing(?) or is pretty certainly destroyed...

(edit 13 April 2012 - briefly: score found, in this case-  my information was as of 1999 )

[TerraEpon]

This is done a lot for film music, though I believe they have the composer written short-scores (that is what the composer gives to the orchestrator), at least.

[eschiss1]

in those cases where the orchestrator was someone else, anyway.