Buying Scores around the World

[Rabbity Baxter]

I thought this thread might be useful in order for members to share their knowledge of places that sell scores (especially second-hand ones) around the world.

I am going to Krakow tomorrow. Any ideas of places there? Am particularly interested in Polish piano music of 1st half of 20th century. Thanks -- all suggestions very gratefully received.

[Luke]

Couldn't agree more with the general sentiment here - such places are paradise to me. Some of my happiest hours have been spent in them. I can't help you out with this particular query - Maciek is your man for this one, surely (you could try PM-ing him)

But, unromantic though it is, I do have to check that you use IMSLP (I'm sure you do). Plenty of the stuff you're talking about there.

By coincidence (slightly connected story) I played Paderewski's op 8 Chants du Voyageur myself late last night. Peculiar pieces, those, and they have a very profound effect on me, very possibly out of proportion to their worth (I find it hard to tell, as I lose all critical faculties where this piece is concerned). I found the score when I was young, 10 or 11 maybe, in an antiques shop somewhere on the Yorkshire moors, of all places (Pateley Bridge, I think it was - shows what an indelible effect finding a good score has on one's brain, that I remember that!) and something about them grabbed me very strongly immediately. I used to play through them a great deal, and they still work magic on me. Nothing else I know by Paderewski comes even close to them...