With the help of  X-ray technology, scientists blasted the score with X-rays can revealing the missing notes. An opera defaced by its composer more than 200 years ago can now be performed in full for the first time, which had previously been hidden under a layer of carbon.  The handwritten notes on the score were written with iron gall ink, and the lines of the musical staff contained high levels of zinc. When blasted with X-rays, the charcoal smudges became almost completely transparent, revealing the music beneath the scribbles. “It was amazing to be able to see the complete aria,” said physicist Uwe Bergmann from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. “For me, uncovering the composition of a genius’ work that had been lost for centuries is as thrilling as trying to uncover one of the big secrets of nature.”

With the help of  X-ray technology, scientists blasted the score with X-rays can revealing the missing notes. An opera defaced by its composer more than 200 years ago can now be performed in full for the first time, which had previously been hidden under a layer of carbon.  The handwritten notes on the score were written with iron gall ink, and the lines of the musical staff contained high levels of zinc. When blasted with X-rays, the charcoal smudges became almost completely transparent, revealing the music beneath the scribbles. “It was amazing to be able to see the complete aria,” said physicist Uwe Bergmann from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. “For me, uncovering the composition of a genius’ work that had been lost for centuries is as thrilling as trying to uncover one of the big secrets of nature.”