Pierson's Jerusalem - might there be parts at Novello's?

Started by pcc, Sunday 21 October 2018, 23:11

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pcc

Hello again - this may be an off-kilter question, but I was scanning the Wikipedia article on Henry Hugo Pierson and it mentioned that the orchestral material for his oratorio Jerusalem (1852) is not extant, though a vocal score was published. Of course Wikipedia is infallible and the source for all world knowledge, but the title page of the J. Alfred Novello VS of Jerusalem lists the individual parts available for hire and/or purchase, from 1st violin to ophicleide and tympani. Earlier this summer, Mr. Eastick of this group mentioned a Suffolk warehouse of Novello's filled with orchestral material where a friend of his had gained access in 2012 through knowing people and persisting at getting in there.  Has there been any further news of this cache, and might the parts to Jerusalem be in there?  The piano reduction in the VS is extremely elaborate, it's a sprawling and decidedly unconventional choral work, and considering how unusual Pierson's music is (whatever other qualities you think it has) and how scarce any of his major works are, would more effort towards accessing the Novello holdings be worth pursuing?

(And at some point I'd like to ask if anyone in this forum has contacts, or contacts with contacts, with anybody at Ricordi to find out about material on Balfe's Pittore e duca [1854] in their "secret holdings" , but I'm already starting to veer way off topic!...)