Abbey Road x George Martin - A Day In The Life Folio
Abbey Road Studios x George Martin proudly present this official limited-edition replica of Sir George Martin’s handwritten score for The Beatles’ A Day In The Life.
Each folio is individually numbered as a limited-edition of 250, containing the first four pages of George Martin’s score for A Day In The Life plus a certificate of authenticity. Each score sheet replica is Giclée printed on 300gsm Monte Carlo textured watercolour paper, hand torn and cradled with transparent corner holders onto a black card folio.
During the early sessions in Studio Two at Abbey Road, a stretch of empty bars was recorded as a placeholder at the end of the song. To fill that space, John and Paul imagined something extraordinary: an immense, rising swell that could lift the song from one world into another. This leap of imagination would become the track’s iconic orchestral crescendo and the defining climax of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Though thrilling, producer George Martin recognized that the idea needed a framework that classically trained musicians could actually perform. His handwritten score, presented here, reveals the ingenious solution he devised. For the brass and woodwinds, Martin wrote no traditional melodic parts at all. Instead, he instructed the players to begin on the lowest note of their instrument and climb to the highest over a span of 15 bars, “with crescendo poco a poco” (an Italian phrase which means "get louder little by little"). Martin instructed each player to ignore his neighbour, encouraging the orchestra to abandon its core discipline of unified playing, creating instead a mass of individual ascents that would merge into a single overwhelming wave.
The recording session took place in Studio One on 10 February 1967, where 40 of London’s finest musicians, led by violinist Sidney Sax, were hired for a whopping total of £367 and 10 shillings. The Beatles turned the session into a real 1960s happening – asking the orchestra to wear a collection of fancy dress props including fake noses, party hats, gorilla hands and clown noses and inviting famous friends including Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithful and Donovan to join them in the room. The session also served as a testing ground for a breakthrough in recording technology. At George Martin’s request, technical engineer Ken Townsend created a method for synchronizing two tape machines, allowing the orchestra to be recorded multiple times and layered into a single, immense sound. In the end, five takes were captured and combined to create the colossal crescendo that now defines the heart-stopping transition of the song.
Product measurements:
Folio: 26 x 38 cm
Score pages: 33 x 48 cm
Original: $456.00
-65%$456.00
$159.60Product Information
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Description
Abbey Road Studios x George Martin proudly present this official limited-edition replica of Sir George Martin’s handwritten score for The Beatles’ A Day In The Life.
Each folio is individually numbered as a limited-edition of 250, containing the first four pages of George Martin’s score for A Day In The Life plus a certificate of authenticity. Each score sheet replica is Giclée printed on 300gsm Monte Carlo textured watercolour paper, hand torn and cradled with transparent corner holders onto a black card folio.
During the early sessions in Studio Two at Abbey Road, a stretch of empty bars was recorded as a placeholder at the end of the song. To fill that space, John and Paul imagined something extraordinary: an immense, rising swell that could lift the song from one world into another. This leap of imagination would become the track’s iconic orchestral crescendo and the defining climax of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Though thrilling, producer George Martin recognized that the idea needed a framework that classically trained musicians could actually perform. His handwritten score, presented here, reveals the ingenious solution he devised. For the brass and woodwinds, Martin wrote no traditional melodic parts at all. Instead, he instructed the players to begin on the lowest note of their instrument and climb to the highest over a span of 15 bars, “with crescendo poco a poco” (an Italian phrase which means "get louder little by little"). Martin instructed each player to ignore his neighbour, encouraging the orchestra to abandon its core discipline of unified playing, creating instead a mass of individual ascents that would merge into a single overwhelming wave.
The recording session took place in Studio One on 10 February 1967, where 40 of London’s finest musicians, led by violinist Sidney Sax, were hired for a whopping total of £367 and 10 shillings. The Beatles turned the session into a real 1960s happening – asking the orchestra to wear a collection of fancy dress props including fake noses, party hats, gorilla hands and clown noses and inviting famous friends including Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Marianne Faithful and Donovan to join them in the room. The session also served as a testing ground for a breakthrough in recording technology. At George Martin’s request, technical engineer Ken Townsend created a method for synchronizing two tape machines, allowing the orchestra to be recorded multiple times and layered into a single, immense sound. In the end, five takes were captured and combined to create the colossal crescendo that now defines the heart-stopping transition of the song.
Product measurements:
Folio: 26 x 38 cm
Score pages: 33 x 48 cm
