THE Elgar Birthplace Museum, near Malvern, is looking at the possibility of buying the manuscript of the composer's last great work.

The signed manuscript of The Severn Suite, written four years before Elgar died and dedicated to George Bernard Shaw, will be going under the hammer at Sotheby's on Friday, December 8, when it is expected to fetch up to £30,000.

Michael Messenger, chairman of the museum's management committee, said: "This is an important document and we must consider very carefully our interest in it. We only heard about the sale last Friday but we are already taking steps.

"First we must decide whether the guide price is a fair indication of the manuscript's value.

"Secondly, there's the question of money. We've had a busy year with the reopening of the museum and the buying of the Newman letters, so we would really have to find someone to help us out.

"If there is someone out there who can be our white knight, we would love to hear from them."

The Severn Suite was commissioned for the Crystal Palace Brass Band Festival and first performed there in September 1930. The manuscript is being sold by a private vendor.

Sotheby's catalogue says: "This is the complete autograph working manuscript of Elgar's last major work. We know of no comparable example that has been sold at auction for over 20 years.

"This is a splendid, colourful manuscript of a large-scale work by Elgar, of which it was formerly believed that the composer had provided only a short score."

A version of the piece had been completed by brass band arranger Henry Gheel, but Elgar did not like it and this manuscript reflects his true intentions.

The auction also features the sale of a first edition of a Mozart symphony.