Rosemary Brown and Ferenc Liszt (et al.)

Rosemary Brown may have surpassed Curran and Merrill in her artistic achievements, claiming to have composed music for at least twenty deceased composers, many of them well-known. Rosemary, whose mother was said to have possessed psychic abilities, claimed that at the age of seven a white-haired spirit appeared to her and told her she would become a famous musician. Only ten years later, when she saw his image in a book, did she realize that the spirit was Franz Liszt.

Contrary to prophecy, however, Rosemary never achieved success in music – she only took a few piano lessons. In 1964, Rosemary – then a middle-aged British widow with two children – was again contacted by the spirit of Franz Liszt. He presumably brought several friends with him. Rosemary began composing music under the guidance of such legendary composers as Bach, Chopin, Stravinsky, Schubert, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt – even completing Beethoven's 10th and 11th Symphonies.

Critical evaluation of Rosemary Brown's work has been mixed. While all critics agreed that the compositions clearly fit the composers to whom they are attributed, some were greatly impressed, finding several of the pieces subtle and complex. Others, however, argued that they were merely reworkings of well-known works by these composers, though they acknowledged that they would pose a considerable challenge even for a seasoned musician with extensive musical knowledge—something Rosemary lacked. In fact, she even struggled to play many of the compositions she had written down.