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MISSING BACH SCORE FOUND IN JAPAN Bach's missing score found in Japan
Sat Apr 3, 3:17 AM ET Entertainment News - My Yahoo! TOKYO (AFP) - A missing musical score composed by Johann Sebastian Bach was found in Japan, scholars said, calling it an invaluable discovery for musicians and researchers around the world. The 1728 composition, called "Wedding Cantata BWV 216," was found among the possessions of Japanese pianist Chieko Hara, who died in Japan in 2001 at the age of 86. "This is invaluable material that will lead to greater understanding of Bach," Tadashi Isoyama, a professor at Kunitachi College of Music, told reporters. Isoyama led a team of scholars who since December have been examining the authenticity of the eight-page score, which has been missing for 80 years. The score was hand-written under Bach's supervision for the 1728 wedding of the daughter of a customs official in Leipzig, Germany. The documents contain soprano and alto parts with German lyrics. It was not clear how Hara came to acquire the score, the last known owner of which was a descendant of German composer Felix Mendelssohn, Isoyama said. Researchers believe Hara, who spent much of her career in Europe, might have received it from her Spanish husband and cellist Gaspar Cassado, who knew Mendelssohn's descendant. Isoyama's college purchased the work and is considering releasing copies of the score for further research and performance. MORE | |
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