The Score Musicians Trust on Sight
When new music reaches live players, a flawlessly engraved score is the difference between an inspiring first rehearsal and an expensive sight-reading session. If the spacing is tight, a page turn lands in the wrong bar, or a marking sits where nobody expects it, the whole room slows down and the music suffers. Whether you are starting from a handwritten manuscript, a rough sketch, or a music notation file, ScoreMasters® translates your material into clean, publication-quality scores and performance-ready parts. We engrave in Dorico Pro, Sibelius Ultimate, Finale, or MuseScore Studio, following major publisher house styles and the industry standard of Elaine Gould’s Behind Bars. The result is sheet music that gets out of the way, so your ensemble can play.
The engraving practice was founded in 1997 and is led personally by Samy Elgazzar, who has been engraving by hand and by computer since 1991. Past work includes Editions Bim (Roland Szentpali’s Cataclysms, Laurie Altman’s The Colloquists, and Charles Reskin’s Friedrichstrasse). We have also engraved for the catalogs of Mikis Theodorakis, Jani Christou, Mimis Plessas, Stefanos Korkolis, Ralph Shapey, Martin Mayer, Brian Field, and Victoria Jordanova. Our article on Theodorakis shows how even a world-famous composer’s major works can wait decades for a performing edition.
A score is only as good as its proofreading, so we wrote a free guide for the people who receive one. The Score-Readiness Checklist shows you how to check the score and parts you receive, ours or anyone else’s, using the methods that orchestra librarians and music publishers rely on. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive it.
Every engraving project includes a complimentary audio mockup so you can hear the score before it reaches musicians. When your source needs more than typesetting, we can take it further: Orchestration & Arranging if the piece has to be written for a different ensemble, Music Transcription if it exists only as audio or video, MIDI to Score if it lives in a DAW session, and AI Music to Score if it started as an AI-generated track. Tell us what you have and we will tell you which one you need.
Scores prepared for publication and performance.
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Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra by composer and pianist Stefanos Korkolis.
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Funk-E for big band by composer Brian Field.
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Inventions by composer Ralph Shapey (1921–2002), originally for B-flat clarinet and percussion, transcribed for alto saxophone by Athanassios Zervas.
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Flute 1 part from Kaleidoscope by composer Brian Field.
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Piano-vocal score excerpt from the operetta The Godson (O Vaftistikos) by Theophrastos Sakellaridis.
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Positano, from The Solo Piano Collection by composer and pianist Martin Mayer.
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Voice and piano sheet music with guitar chord diagrams for Moscow Nights, by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy and Mikhail Matusovsky.
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Song of Habakkuk, an alternate music setting for the Lutheran Service Book by composer James Derrick.
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Study material on the major keys from the Harmony 101 course, created by our sister company Amirel Music e-Training.
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Every source is different.
Every score is engraved to the standard its destination demands.
Film, TV & Game Composers
DAW exports into scores and parts musicians can sight-read, with the precision and page turns to wrap a recording session on time.
Music Publishers & Rights-Holders
Publication-quality engraving, house-style adaptation, and catalog digitization, with two revision rounds included even at the publisher tier.
Musical Theater, Songwriters, Artists & Producers
Piano-vocal and orchestral scores, lead sheets, and chord charts, with lyrics set cleanly under the vocal line.
Classical & Concert Composers
Contemporary and graphic notation, extended techniques, and non-standard layouts prepared to competition and publication standards.
Ensembles, Choirs & Orchestras
Conductor’s scores and parts with consistent articulation, cues where performers need them, and page turns that fall on rests.
Educators & Institutions
Teaching material, textbook examples, and student exercises, transposed and formatted for print or a course platform.
Sacred Music
Hymns, choral arrangements, and worship settings, with lyrics typeset in any of the major liturgical languages.
Four Steps: The ScoreMasters® Brief System
Send Your Files
Share your material in any format (audio, MIDI, PDF, or handwritten sketches) and tell us about your project. Our form walks you through everything we need.
Get Your Quote
Within 12 hours, Samy personally reviews your material and replies with a transparent quote: scope, deliverables, format, timeline, revision policy, and final price (in USD, EUR, or GBP).
Approve, Then We Craft
Once you approve and place your order, work begins. On larger projects, you'll see a draft at the midpoint, with the chance to course-correct before final delivery. Two rounds of revisions are always included.
Receive Final Files
Your completed score arrives with a free audio mockup and in every format you requested: PDF, MIDI, MusicXML, and editable Dorico, Sibelius, or Finale files. Ready to rehearse, record, publish, or perform.
What it costs, and what you receive.
Music Engraving & Score Preparation
since 1997More on fees, rush delivery, revisions, copyright, discounts, and payments is on the Pricing page.
From $14€12£10 per page · 3–5 business days
- Parts extraction$4€3£3 per page · 2–5 business days
- Single instrument / lead sheet$14€12£10 per page · 3–5 business days
- Piano / vocal score$18€16£13 per page · 3–5 business days
- Ensemble / chamber score$21€18£16 per page · 3–7 business days
- Full orchestral score$25€22£19 per page · 5–10 business days
What’s included
- Print-ready PDF sheet music, or score and parts
- A standard audio mockup
- Publication-quality engraving with guaranteed accuracy
- The editable project files (MIDI, MusicXML, notation) if you hold the copyright
What affects the fee
- The instruments involved
- The readability of the source
- Conventional or non-conventional notation
- Extras such as lyrics, chord symbols, or graphics
- Notation density and voices per staff
- The requested deadline
What clients ask before commissioning an engraving.
What is the difference between music engraving and music copying?
Music copying and music engraving are two approaches to preparing sheet music. Copying is a functional process: it translates a composer’s working drafts or scores into legible parts, so musicians can read them smoothly in rehearsal and performance, without adding interpretation. Engraving is a meticulous craft that began with notes carved into metal plates and has evolved into precise digital work in specialized software. It prioritizes layout, spacing, and visual balance to produce polished, industry-standard scores ready for publication. Copying is about clarity and getting the job done. Engraving is about presenting the music to a professional and artistic standard. Every project we take on is prepared to engraving standards and delivered ready for publication and performance, whatever the source material.
What file formats do you work from?
Any format. Handwritten manuscripts, PDFs, and images, plus source files from Dorico, Sibelius, Finale, MuseScore Studio, Fender Notion, and Guitar Pro, as well as MusicXML and MIDI.
What file formats do you deliver?
Print-ready scores and parts, plus a complimentary audio mockup. Editable project files (MIDI, MusicXML, and the native notation file) are included when you hold the copyright to the source material. If you do not, we can supply them under a separate agreement for an additional fee.
What affects the price of music engraving?
The instruments involved, how readable the source material is, whether the notation is conventional, extras such as lyrics, chord symbols, or graphics, the notation density and voices per staff, and the deadline you need.
Will I receive an audio mockup of the engraved score?
Yes. Every project includes one as standard at no extra charge, so you can check the score by ear before it goes to musicians.
Do you extract parts from an existing score?
Yes. Parts extraction is priced separately from engraving because it works from a score that already exists. Every part is checked in full, including transpositions, clefs, rests, cues, page turns, and the placement of each marking, then delivered to match the score exactly.
What types of music notation do you have expertise in?
We have engraved in every common notation type since 1997: standard notation, lead sheets, chord charts, guitar tablature, and graphic notation.
Do you engrave scores to custom specifications?
Yes. We work to our in-house engraving style guide by default, and to your own specifications when you have them, which is standard practice for material headed to publication.
Do you offer music engraving for publishing purposes?
Yes. Every score and part is delivered at publication quality, ready for print or digital distribution, using either our in-house style guide or your house specifications.
Do you clean up and format old or draft scores?
Yes. We take material in any condition, including aging manuscripts, faded photocopies, and abandoned drafts, and bring it to publication-ready quality.
Does your engraving service include proofreading?
Every score and part goes through our internal quality assurance before delivery. We also offer proofreading as a standalone service for material engraved elsewhere: a full examination of the work and a detailed report of every error and correction.
Which notation software do you use, and can you convert between formats?
We work in Dorico Pro, Sibelius Ultimate, Finale, MuseScore Studio, Fender Notion, and Guitar Pro, and we can convert between any of them, including MusicXML and MIDI.
Can you set lyrics in languages other than English?
Yes. We handle lyrics in most major languages, including Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish. If your language is not one we support in-house, we will find and supervise a professional typesetter for it.
When will I receive the score and parts?
Most engraving projects are delivered in 3–5 business days. The exact timeline depends on the number of instruments, how readable the source is, whether the notation is conventional, and the notation density. Subject to availability, small and urgent projects can be delivered the same day or within 1–2 days.
Does the music engraving service include revisions?
Yes. Accuracy is guaranteed, and every project includes two rounds of revisions at no extra cost, covering any genuine error measured against your source material and the agreed scope.
How do I start?
Send us your source material, whatever form it is in: handwritten manuscript, a PDF, photographs of a score, or a file from any notation program. Tell us what the music is for, whether that is a concert, a recording, a submission, or publication, and send any house style or publisher specification you have to meet. We will come back with a fixed quote and a delivery date, usually the same working day. Nothing is charged until you approve both. For a large catalog, ask for a single engraved sample page first, so you can see the standard before committing to the whole.