Original score for The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby expected to make £20,000 at auction
The original music score for The Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby is expected to fetch £20,000 at auction next month.
Written in pencil by the band’s legendary producer, George Martin, and signed by Paul McCartney, it is among a number of items of memorabilia going under the hammer.
Also being auctioned are the deeds to the grave of the woman long speculated to have been the inspiration for the song.
Although McCartney has said the name just came to him, it subsequently emerged there was a woman called Eleanor Rigby who was buried in St Peter’s churchyard in Woolton, Liverpool.
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He and fellow Beatle John Lennon are known to have used the graveyard as a shortcut while living in the city and may well have walked past the headstone bearing her name on numerous occasions.
Deeds for the grave and a miniature bible, dated 1899 and with her name written inside, will be sold.
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They were discovered by a relative when the estate of two of Rigby’s half-sisters was left to the family.
Paul Fairweather, from Omega Auctions in Warrington, said: “Each item is fantastic, unique and of significant historical importance in itself so to have both to come up for auction at the same time is an incredible coincidence and it will be exciting to see how they perform.
“I expect there to be fierce bidding from across the globe.”
Eleanor Rigby was released as the B-side to Yellow Submarine in 1966, and both appeared on the Revolver album.
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McCartney has said the name Eleanor was inspired by actress Eleanor Bron, who starred in The Beatles’ film Help! The surname was taken from a local wine merchant, he has said.
The score includes notes specifying that it was to be recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studio number two and that four violins, two violas and two cellos were to be used.
