LONDON, (Reuters Life!) – A lost flute concerto by 18th century composer and virtuoso violinist Antonio Vivaldi has been discovered by an academic among a set of dusty papers housed in Scotland’s National Archives in Edinburgh.
The extraordinary find, a 300-year-old copy of the Italian Baroque composer’s original manuscript, comprises the parts for “Il Gran Mogol,” one of a quartet of national concertos.
The others, entitled “La Francia”, “La Spagna” and “L’Inghilterro” remain lost.
The musical score, which scholars believe may never have been performed, was found and authenticated by Southampton University research fellow Andrew Woolley.
“This piece was previously known only from a mention in the sale catalogue of an 18th-century Dutch bookseller. Discovering that it is actually in existence is unexpected and hugely exciting,” Woolley said.
