Steven Kallstrom scripsit:
 
> Music publishing has added to the difficulties too by charging
> ungodly amounts for scores and renting scores.
 
Yes, and there is no excuse for it in this day and age.  Computer
music setting (with Sibelius -- see www.sibelius.com) is a breeze and
can be every bit as good as pre-war hand engraving from Leipzig.
 
The other day I was reading a score published by Novellos c.1897.  At
the front it said somehting like: "The purchase of scores and parts
carries with it the right of public performance".  In other words, in
those days it was possible to buy performing materials of new
orchestral pieces.  An orchestra could learn a new piece and, if it
was good, play it to death.
 
Nowadays it is necessary to rent the score and parts every time the
piece is performed.  Each time the bowings etc, have to be redone.
It's much easier to pull out soemthing in the library and play it
again.
 
Music publishers have shot themselves in the foot by their rental
policies and the sophisticated audience has been denied variety of
repertoire.
 
If you are still with me, I will atempt to get back to an approved
topic:
 
I recently tried to purchase a series of volumes published by Faber
Music of 16 & 17 C organ music.  There are 18 volumes in the series.
Four of them are out of print and not reprinting.  The original (1986)
price for these 36-page volumes (which have very inconvenient
turnovers) was UKP 4.95 ($8:00 at today's exchange rate).  Present
asking price is UKP 10.95 ($17.50) for those which are still in print.
For xeroxes of those volumes that are now otherwise unavailable Faber
are asking UKP 15.95 ($25.50).  Let me repeat that: $25.00 for a bound
xerox of music which was written over 200 years ago!
 
Where does that leave the incentive to be adventurous?
 
david