Informusic is an app that includes biographies, sheet music, and audio examples of roughly 30 renowned composers. Laudably, female composers Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Clara Wieck Schumann are among the composers profiled in this resource.
Users may refer to a timeline that runs from the 15th century through to the early 20th century. This delineates momentous events in the lives of eminent composers as well as significant events in European history. We are able to discern if masterworks were composed in a period of peace or war. Information is provided about the literary masterpieces that were published at the same time as famous musical compositions.
For each composer, a short biography is provided. Users are able to listen to a few major works. With respect to Tchaikovsky for example, users may access audio renditions of the Valse from Swan Lake as well as the first movement of Symphony No. 4. A few pages of the scores of these works are available for viewing. A complete list of works for each of the composers referenced in this app is included.
This app would be particularly useful to those with limited formal music training wishing to deepen their appreciation of Western art music from the Renaissance period through to the early modernists of the 1920s. Additionally, it would constitute a valuable resource for an introductory course in music history. For seasoned musicians and concert goers, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is a more thorough and in-depth online reference.
More information about the Informusic app is available at www.informusic.org. Informusic is compatible with iOS and runs on both tablets and smartphones.
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