The British Library has managed to keep the draft score of Benjamin Britten's The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in the UK following a temporary export bar on the manuscript by Arts minister Ed Vaizey.
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is one of Britten's most pieces and is many children's first introduction to orchestral music. the export bar gave the British Library the time it needed to raise the £220,000 needed to keep it in Britain.
Richard Chesser, Lead Curator of Music, British Library, said: 'We are delighted to have acquired this important manuscript, keeping it in the UK. Many of Britten’s draft scores give similar evidence of his consummate genius, but this is a particularly fine example and a celebrated piece of music. It is remarkable that there is no evidence of planning of the larger structure, such as numbering of the variations: this information was added only later, in the full orchestral score. The manuscript is an exciting addition to the British Library’s archives.'
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is one of Britten's most pieces and is many children's first introduction to orchestral music. the export bar gave the British Library the time it needed to raise the £220,000 needed to keep it in Britain.
Richard Chesser, Lead Curator of Music, British Library, said: 'We are delighted to have acquired this important manuscript, keeping it in the UK. Many of Britten’s draft scores give similar evidence of his consummate genius, but this is a particularly fine example and a celebrated piece of music. It is remarkable that there is no evidence of planning of the larger structure, such as numbering of the variations: this information was added only later, in the full orchestral score. The manuscript is an exciting addition to the British Library’s archives.'
