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    22 of the world's most beautiful manuscripts

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    The 22nd of November is dedicated to St Cecilia – the patron saint of music. So what better way to mark the occasion than with a gallery of some of the most eye-catching musical manuscripts, from the earliest Gregorian chants to scores signed by Elgar? Here are some of our favourites… 

    1. Beautiful musical manuscripts

      1. 22 of the most beautiful musical manuscripts

      These are 22 of the most beautiful musical manuscripts

    2. Beautiful manuscripts Beethoven Ninth Symphony

      2. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

      The manuscript for Ludwig van Beethoven's first edition of the Ninth Symphony, which was sold for £2.1m in 2003. Credit: Ian Waldie/Getty

    3. Beautiful manuscripts

      3. Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante

      An image of one of the surviving leaves of Mozart's own draft manuscript for the Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat for violin, viola and orchestra. Credit: Getty

    4. Beautiful manuscripts

      4. Chopin's Prelude in D flat

      A facsimile of the manuscript of Chopin's Prelude in D flat. Op. 28. No. 15. Credit: Getty

    5. beautiful manuscripts

      5. Saint Wulfram Gospels

      Jesus' crucifixion, depicted in a miniature from the Saint Wulfram Gospels, 15th-Century France. Picture: Getty

    6. Beautiful manuscripts

      6. J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier

      From around 1721, this is the first page of the musical manuscript of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'The Well-Tempered Clavichord' showing the first prelude. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

    7. beautiful manuscripts

      7. The firebird

      A manuscript score of Stravinsky's 'The Firebird'. Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale De France (Library) Picture: Getty

    8. beautiful manuscripts

      8. Blind man's buff

      People playing blind man's buff, miniature from Chansonnier de Paris, around 1280-1315, France. Picture: Getty

    9. Beautiful manuscripts

      9. Beethoven's Grosse Fuge

      The manuscript of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op 133 for string quartet. Credit: Getty

    10. beautiful manuscripts

      10. Elgar

      A score signed by the great British composer Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934). Picture: Getty

    11. beautiful manuscripts

      11. A Prelude by J.S. Bach

      A manuscript of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Credit: Getty

    12. beautiful manuscripts

      12. Song of love

      Song of love, miniature by Chansonnier de Paris in a manuscript from France, 1280-1315. Picture: Getty

    13. beautiful manuscripts Rhapsody in Blue

      13. Rhapsody in Blue

      A copy of the first page of the autographed manuscript of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from 1924. Picture: Getty

    14. Beautiful manuscripts

      14. Vellum

      An antiquated illuminated manuscript on vellum. Credit: Getty

    15. Beautiful manuscripts

      15. Schubert's Erlkönig

      1815: The manuscript of Franz Schubert's first sketch of the song 'Erlkönig from 1815, showing a different right-hand accompaniment to the finally published version. Credit: Getty

    16. Beautiful manuscripts

      16. Schumann

      From around 1845: a page of music by Robert Schumann that belonged to the famous violinist Joseph Joachim. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

    17. beautiful manuscripts

      17. Illuminated manuscript

      A beautiful illuminated musical manuscript. Credit: Getty

    18. Beautiful manuscripts Schumann

      18. Schumann's Ritornelles

      A manuscript of Robert Schumann's 'Ritornelles', for male chorus, in canon form from January 1852. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

    19. Beautiful manuscripts

      19. Rossini

      A page of musical manuscript by Gioacchino Rossini from around 1858. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

    20. beautiful manuscripts

      20. The Resurrection

      An illustration showing the Resurrection, c. 1500. Found in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Picture: Getty

    21. Beautiful manuscripts JS Bach

      21. A rediscovered piece of music by J.S. Bach

      A manuscript of a re-discovered composition by J. S. Bach, a "ritornello aria" in which the different verses of the aria are interrupted by short passages of instrumental music. Credit: Getty

    22. Beautiful manuscripts

      22. Beethoven's handwriting

      A manuscript showing music written in Beethoven's own hand. Credit: Getty

    23. Beautiful manuscripts Belshazzar Handel

      23. Handel's Belshazzar

      A facsimile of Handel's 'Belshazzar' oratorio. Photo: Jan Woitas

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