A composer is searching for the first score he was commissioned to write, more than 45 years after it was performed.

Nigel Paterson, 70, is appealing for help to reunite him with a score, “Here is the News” which was commissioned for a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday May 18, in 1972.

Nigel wrote the piece when he was commissioned by conductor, Dr Roy Wales, to write for the Southend Schools Music Association Junior Choir.

He said: “At the time, Dr Wales was Southend’s director of music.

“I was in my final year at college when I begun watching the choir perform in rehearsals, Dr Wales then asked me if I would like to write something for the choir.

“It would have been the first score I ever wrote for commission.”

Since the performance, Dr Wales has conducted orchestras across the world and for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Just over 46 years to the day since the performance, Nigel has never seen the score since.

He added: “The score for reasons I do not know never came back into my possession, but I do not remember at the time making any great effort to find it.

“Due to other circumstances with the performance, the piece was never formally released after it was performed.

“I have spent the past few years trying to talk to people from Southend who were involved at the time in the hope I can find it, but I have not had a single response.”

Nigel, who was studying at Brentwood College of Education when he first met Mr Wales.

He then moved away from writing and continued his career as a performer. Since retiring from music, he has stepped up his search in the hope he can be reunited with the score.

He has also tried to recreate the original piece, working with a transcriber, who can rewrite sheet music just by listening to a recording of it.

Nigel said: “To have the score back would be like being reunited with an old friend. “The person I am working with to recreate the piece has done a fantastic job but it is hard at times to make out the vocals.

“To have those back would be absolute gold dust and to have the music back would be absolute gold dust.”

Nigel hopes that in rediscovering the old score, he can have the chance to perform it again.

The only version Nigel possesses of “Here is the News” is a vinyl recording from the original choir in 1972.