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The Times, London
October 27, 2004

You hum it, Sibelius will score it
Richard Morrison

Software that can notate music in real time has taken the world by storm


IT WAS ten years ago that I started hearing the rumours. Musician friends,
especially those of a composing bent, were \r\nbabbling excitedly aboutSibelius  who, they said, would change the world. \r\nSibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start \r\nthrowing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt \r\na person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological \r\nmiracle. And British through andthrough.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nThe background was this. For years the Americans \r\nhad been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music \r\nquickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of \r\nexpression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual \r\nalignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive \r\nmusic-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow \r\nto work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the \r\ntime-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.\r\n \r\nThen along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and \r\nJonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed \r\nchoir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by \r\nworking laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation \r\nprogram that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans \r\nsoftware.\r\n \r\nNot only that, it was beautifully intuitive to \r\nuse. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could \r\nbe turning outprofessional-quality finished scores  from which the program \r\nwould thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a \r\ndifferentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would \r\npreviously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of \r\nmind-numbing drudgery.",1]
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especially those of a composing bent, were babbling excitedly aboutSibelius  who, they said, would change the world. Sibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start throwing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt a person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological miracle. And British through andthrough.



The background was this. For years the Americans had been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music quickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of expression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual alignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive music-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow to work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the time-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.

Then along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and Jonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed choir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by working laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation program that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans software.

Not only that, it was beautifully intuitive to use. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could be turning outprofessional-quality finished scores  from which the program would thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a differentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would previously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of mind-numbing drudgery.
\r\n \r\nA jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a \r\nwhole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or \r\nask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last \r\nsaxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity \r\nto orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not \r\navailable toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their \r\noutput.\r\n \r\nAt this point you might imagine that the worlds \r\ngiant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this \r\nrevolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music \r\npublishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own \r\ncompany.\r\n \r\nIf the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, \r\nworking musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in \r\ngrasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the \r\nFinns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held \r\nthem back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their \r\npurposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got \r\nfaster, fewer people boughtAcorns.\r\n \r\nSo in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the \r\nentire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with \r\nfiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was \r\ninterchangeable between the two computersystems.\r\n \r\nThat did it. Sibelius employed five people in \r\n1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in \r\nCalifornia. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now \r\n130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries  but many of \r\nthose are institutions (more",1]
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A jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a whole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or ask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last saxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity to orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not available toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their output.

At this point you might imagine that the worlds giant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this revolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music publishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own company.

If the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, working musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in grasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the Finns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held them back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their purposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got faster, fewer people boughtAcorns.

So in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the entire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with fiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was interchangeable between the two computersystems.

That did it. Sibelius employed five people in 1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in California. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now 130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries  but many of those are institutions (more
than half of all British schools have it, for \r\ninstance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now \r\nruns into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story \r\nin British computerscience.\r\n \r\nAnd just to conclude these statistics on a \r\ngratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little \r\ncompany (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than \r\n50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the \r\nAmerican giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest \r\nedition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by \r\nincluding in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments  \r\nincluding the sousaphone andthe mellophone  generally found only in \r\nAmerican marching-bands.\r\n \r\nSibeliuss impact has, however, been \r\nextraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the \r\ncomplexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through \r\nthe recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of \r\nSibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly \r\ntransforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly \r\ninto tab or notation on theprinted page  a blessing for the many \r\nguitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey \r\ninstructions to the other players inthe group.\r\n \r\nBut the feeling at Sibelius is that the \r\nmusic-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast \r\nonline cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users  \r\nbypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future \r\nmove entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance \r\ndirectly from flat-screen",1]
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than half of all British schools have it, for instance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now runs into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story in British computerscience.

And just to conclude these statistics on a gratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little company (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than 50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the American giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest edition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by including in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments  including the sousaphone andthe mellophone  generally found only in American marching-bands.

Sibeliuss impact has, however, been extraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the complexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through the recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of Sibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly transforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly into tab or notation on theprinted page  a blessing for the many guitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey instructions to the other players inthe group.

But the feeling at Sibelius is that the music-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast online cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users  bypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future move entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance directly from flat-screen
computers instead of printed music, with the \r\nconductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in \r\nmid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just \r\nthat.\r\n \r\nAnd what about the tricky business of fitting \r\nexactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen \r\ntechnology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in \r\ntheir own living rooms.\r\n \r\nOf course, the Sibelius program wont compose the \r\nmusic for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But \r\nremember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an \r\nearlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the \r\nmodern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit  or most of it, \r\nanyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now \r\nthat cant be toodifficult, can it?\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nSibelius can be contacted on 0800 4583111 or \r\nvisit www.sibelius.com\r\n\r\n",0]
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computers instead of printed music, with the conductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in mid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just that.

And what about the tricky business of fitting exactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen technology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in their own living rooms.

Of course, the Sibelius program wont compose the music for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But remember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an earlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the modern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit  or most of it, anyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now that cant be toodifficult, can it?