Scores/Sheet Music??

Hi. Does anyone know how I go about finding scores for some of the pieces that were actually written for the theremin?

Lydia Kavina has some listed on her site:

http://www.lydiakavina.com/index2.html

But where do I find them?

This site has some sheet music and it includes a review by some guy named Jason In North Carolina....

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=65325&item=3365429

Thanks, Diggy, but I'm looking for Original works for theremin. Like, the Schillinger pieces or Friedrich Wilkens "Dance on the Moon," etc. . .

Jason? Who the crap is he?

Short version: Just because something has been recorded, doesn't mean that a score is readily available.

If you're lucky, the CD liner notes include information on the publisher/edition. (I don't have my theremin CDs here at home to check this.)

For the items listed by Frau Kavina, your best bet would be to write her directly and inquire about availability.

Long version: The possibilities are endless, and often not in a good way.

Easiest to track down would be an item a) currently in print, b) available for purchase, c) from a publisher who maintains a detailed website.

If an item is not currently in print, then you might be able to find a copy in the collection of a large research library. In fact, such a collection may even include copies of rental items (see below). Assuming that the score isn't rare and precious, you could then borrow a copy through Inter-Library Loan.

If an item isn't available for purchase (i.e., it's available by rental only), then you might be able to see a perusal copy. To do so, you would call the publisher and explain that you're thinking of performing the piece, and you need to see the score before you decide. Of course, to perform it, you would have to rent the materials.

If the publisher doesn't maintain a detailed website, then you could try to get more information through your sheet-music retailer. Or, if a research library has a copy, then you could learn the name of the publisher from the cataloguing information in OCLC.

If you haven't already, I would recommend that you consult with a reference librarian at Mannes and/or the New York Public Library to learn the gory details of how to hunt things down.

Brian, you #1 on my list of most helpful dudes in America~ Thank you so much!

P.S. There's a strong element of "if you want to make sure it's done right, then do it yourself" to such searches.

In a perfect world, you would be able to fill out an Inter-Library Loan (ILL) request, and expert staff would handle the gory details of locating a copy of the item you seek.

In real life, said staff might not be entirely expert, or might be overworked, underpaid, and not so obsessively motivated as you to keep searching until you find the damned thing.

When I was graduate student, I learned that the best way to ensure that an ILL department can find you a copy is to supply a printout of the OCLC holdings record (i.e., the coded list of Which Libraries Own A Copy Of This Thing).

Some unpublished scores may still be under the control of the composers' estates.
You might try sluthing out anything by a composer and find the copyright owner. They might have private copies of missing scores. Getting your hands on them and rights to perform them are yet another adventure.

Please keep us posted Hammy.
Still curious, what technique method book did you end up using for your studies, one of the theremin ones or a violin one you're adapting? I'm very interested in how physical safety and ongoing flexability of technique are being addressed at the school.

bona fortuna!

Hi, Jen--

You're welcome!

By the way, an even more exciting alternative is to seek out composers (at Mannes, in NYC, wherever) whose music you like and try to get them to write new works for theremin.

It's the best of both worlds: You save yourself the hassle of tracking down dusty, old, obscure music, AND you garner the prestige of giving the world premiere of shiny, new, obscure music!

Hammy,

I kind of thought that was too easy.

Good luck in your search.