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Two of them, actually, and though neither piano player will be returning for the performance, their music lives on in high-resolution MIDI.

Raleigh, North Carolina will host a unique recital on May 19th. Through the efforts of local software company Zenph Studios, degraded recordings of performances by Alfred Cortot and Glenn Gould will be played note-perfect on a MIDI-capable concert grand piano.

Polyphony, a combination of several independent melodic voices, makes MIDI transcription difficult. Zenph claims to have found a way to completely transcribe a polyphonic recording without the usual errors caused by omitting or mistaking notes.

Should the recital prove successful, Zenph stands to gain greatly by marketing or selling the technology behind the transcribing. Long-ignored recordings thought unreleasable could be resurrected and sold to music fans. Imagine a "new" collection of Thelonius Monk's work becoming available. That's what Zenph hopes to accomplish.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.