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Interactive Multimedia
Music Technologies
Kia Ng
University of Leeds, UK

Paolo Nesi
University of Florence, Italy

Information science reference

Hershey • New York
Acquisitions Editor: Kristin Klinger
Development Editor: Kristin M. Roth
Editorial Assistant: Jessica Thompson
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Copyright © 2008 by IGI Global. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher.
Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does
not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Interactive multimedia music technologies / Kia Ng & Paolo Nesi, editors.

p. cm.
Summary: “This book illustrates how interactive music can be used for valorizing cultural heritage, content and archives not currently
distributed due to lack of safety, suitable coding, or conversion technologies. It explains new methods of promoting music for entertainment,
teaching, commercial and non-commercial purposes, and provides new services for those connected via PCs, mobile devices, whether
sighted or print-impaired”--Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59904-150-6 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-59904-152-0 (ebook)
1. Music--Data processing. 2. Interactive multimedia. I. Ng, Kia. II. Nesi, Paolo.
ML74.I57 2008
780.285--dc22
2007023452

British Cataloguing in Publication Data

A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.

All work contributed to this book set is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors, but
not necessarily of the publisher.
Table of Contents

Preface . ................................................................................................................................................. xi

Acknowledgment . .............................................................................................................................. xvi

Chapter I
Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction / Kia Ng and Paolo Nesi....................... 1

Chapter II
MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications /
Pierfrancesco Bellini, Paolo Nesi, and Giorgio Zoia............................................................................ 12

Chapter III
XML Music Notation Modelling for Multimedia: MPEG-SMR / Pierfrancesco Bellini...................... 26

Chapter IV
Optical Music Imaging: Music Document Digitisation, Recognition, Evaluation,
and Restoration / Graham Jones, Bee Ong, Ivan Bruno, and Kia Ng................................................... 50

Chapter V
Optical Music Recognition: Architecture and Algorithms / Pierfrancesco Bellini,
Ivan Bruno, and Paolo Nesi................................................................................................................... 80

Chapter VI
Challenges of Designing a Markup Language for Music / Jacques Steyn.......................................... 111

Chapter VII
Alternative Design Goals for a General Music Markup Language / Jacques Steyn............................ 133

Chapter VIII
Interactive Systems for Multimedia Opera / Michael Oliva................................................................ 151
Chapter IX
Driving Sound Synthesis with a Live Audio Signal / Cornelius Poepel............................................. 167

Chapter X
How Technology Can Support Culture and Learning / David Luigi Fuschi, Bee Ong,
and David Crombie.............................................................................................................................. 195

Chapter XI
Web-Based Music Intelligent Tutoring Systems / Somnuk Phon-Amnuaisuk
and Chee Keh Siong............................................................................................................................. 231

Chapter XII
Digital Rights Management Technologies and Standards / Jaime Delgado
and Eva Rodríguez............................................................................................................................... 249

Chapter XIII
Possibilities, Limitations, and the Future of Audiovisual Content Protection /
Martin Schmucker................................................................................................................................ 283

Chapter XIV
Online Music Distribution / Francesco Spadoni................................................................................. 325

Compilation of References ............................................................................................................... 364

About the Contributors .................................................................................................................... 387

Index.................................................................................................................................................... 392
Detailed Table of Contents

Preface.................................................................................................................................................... xi

Acknowledgment................................................................................................................................... xvi

Chapter I
Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction / Kia Ng and Paolo Nesi....................... 1

The MUSICNETWORK project was cosupported by the European Commission to bring music industry
and related research areas into the interactive multimedia era. It represented a virtual Centre of Excellence
during the period of the project, and today an international association where music content providers,
cultural institutions, industry, and research institutions work together, drawing on their collective assets
and mutual interests, to exploit the potential of multimedia music contents with new technologies, tools,
products, formats, and models. Due to large gaps between needs and real products and solutions, many
products in the market fail to exploit the potential of new multimedia technologies effectively. MU-
SICNETWORK helps research solutions to reach the market by seeking agreements between different
actors and formats, by bringing together research institutions, industries, small and medium enterprises
(SMEs), and experts to build the required momentum to study and define multimedia music modelling
and coding for the new age. MUSICNETWORK activities, actions and services are provided through
the project Web site, which can be found online at http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org.

Chapter II
MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications /
Pierfrancesco Bellini, Paolo Nesi, and Giorgio Zoia............................................................................ 12

The evolution of digital communication devices and formats has recently produced fundamental changes
in the practical approach to music representation and notation, transforming them from a simple visual
coding model for sheet music into a composite tool for modelling music in computer and multimedia ap-
plications in general. As a consequence, a multilayer model of music representation is needed for several
purposes in addition to sheet music production or visual display, such as audio rendering, entertainment,
music analysis, database query, music performance coding, music distance learning, and so forth.
The symbolic music representation is a standard for modelling music notations, proposed inside
the MPEG multimedia framework. Symbolic music representation generalizes the main music notation
concepts to model the visual aspects of a music score, and audio information or annotations related to
the music piece, allowing integration with other audiovisual elements by multimedia references. The
Symbolic Music Representation standard overcomes the limitations of a widely accepted format like
MIDI, which is in line with its main purpose to model music events, whereas it reveals important limita-
tions in producing audio and visual representations with satisfactory results.

Chapter III
XML Music Notation Modelling for Multimedia: MPEG-SMR / Pierfrancesco Bellini...................... 26

The evolution of information technology has changed the use of music representation and notation in
software applications, transforming and extending them from a simple visual coding model for music
scores into a tool for modelling music for computer programs and electronic devices in general (e.g.,
keyboards), to support the exploitation of the multimedia characteristics lying behind music notation and
representation. The MPEG symbolic music representation (MPEG-SMR) is a new emerging standard
for modelling music notation within the MPEG multimedia framework. MPEG-SMR provides an XML-
based language to model most of the music notation in terms of the visual and audio aspects, as well
as music score annotations. MPEG-SMR also provides a language to define the music score formatting
rules, supporting personalisation for the score visual presentation, custom symbols, and control visual
rendering of the common notation symbols.

Chapter IV
Optical Music Imaging: Music Document Digitisation, Recognition, Evaluation,
and Restoration / Graham Jones, Bee Ong, Ivan Bruno, and Kia Ng................................................... 50

This chapter presents the applications and practices in the domain of music imaging for musical scores
(music sheets and music manuscripts), which include music sheet digitisation, optical music recognition
(OMR), and optical music restoration.
With a general background of optical music recognition (OMR), the chapter discusses typical ob-
stacles in this domain, and reports currently available commercial OMR software. It reports hardware
and software related to music imaging, discusses the SharpEye optical music recognition system, and
provides an evaluation of a number of OMR systems.
Besides the main focus on the transformation from images of music scores to symbolic format, this
chapter also discusses optical music image restoration and the application of music imaging techniques
for graphical preservation and potential applications for cross-media integration.

Chapter V
Optical Music Recognition: Architecture and Algorithms / Pierfrancesco Bellini,
Ivan Bruno, and Paolo Nesi................................................................................................................... 80

Optical music recognition is a key problem for coding western music sheets in the digital world. This
problem has been addressed in several manners, obtaining suitable results only when simple music con-
structs are processed. To this end, several different strategies have been followed to pass from the simple
music sheet image to a complete and consistent representation of music notation symbols (symbolic
music notation or representation). Typically, image processing, pattern recognition and symbolic recon-
struction are the technologies that have to be considered and applied in several manners the architecture
of the so-called OMR (optical music recognition) systems. In this chapter, the O3MR (object oriented
optical music recognition) system is presented. It allows producing, from the image of a music sheet,
the symbolic representation and save it in XML format (WEDELMUSIC XML and MUSICXML). The
algorithms used in this process are those of the image processing, image segmentation, neural network
pattern recognition, and symbolic reconstruction and reasoning. Most of the solutions can be applied
in other fields of image understanding. The development of the O3MR solution with all its algorithms
has been partially supported by the European Commission, in the IMUTUS Research and Development
project, while the related music notation editor has been partially funded by the research and development
WEDELMUSIC project of the European Commission. The chapter also includes a methodology for the
assessment of other OMR systems. The set of metrics proposed has been used to assess the quality of
results produce by the O3MR with respect to the best OMR on market.

Chapter VI
Challenges of Designing a Markup Language for Music / Jacques Steyn.......................................... 111

XML-based languages for music have constraints not applicable to typical XML applications, such as
for standard text documents or data sets. Music contains numerous simultaneous events across several
dimensions, including time. The document model for a piece of music would thus look very different from
serialised text documents. Most existing XML-based music markup languages mark music typography,
following the print traditions of music scores. A general music markup language should include much
more than mere print. Some of the challenges designing an XML-based markup language for music are
considered. An SVG-based music symbol design grid is proposed to meet the challenge of music typol-
ogy. An XML-based Music Symbol Language is used to design symbols on this grid. Resulting symbols
are positioned in 3-D music space, which is introduced to address the challenge of topography.

Chapter VII
Alternative Design Goals for a General Music Markup Language / Jacques Steyn............................ 133

Design goals determine the particular structure of a markup language, while the philosophy of what
markup languages are about determine the framework within which its structure is developed. Most
existing markup languages for music reflect low-level design strategies, compared to design that ad-
heres to the high-level philosophy of markup languages. An approach to an XML-based music markup
language from the perspective of SGML would differ from an approach from a markup language such
as HTML. An ideal structure for a general markup language for music is proposed that follows a purist
approach and that results in a different kind of XML-based music markup language than most present
music markup languages offer.
Chapter VIII
Interactive Systems for Multimedia Opera / Michael Oliva................................................................ 151

This chapter considers the development of systems to deliver multimedia content for new opera. After
a short overview of the history of multimedia in opera, the specific requirements of opera are analysed,
with emphasis on the fundamental musicality of operatic performance. Having considered the place of
multimedia elements in the narrative and acting space, the relevance of previous practice in electroacous-
tic music and VJing is considered as a model for a working approach. Several software and hardware
configurations explored, including the use of gestural control by the actors themselves. The creation of
a keyboard based “video instrument” with a dedicated performer, capable of integration into the pre-
existing musical ensemble, is recommended as the most effective and practical solution.

Chapter IX
Driving Sound Synthesis with a Live Audio Signal / Cornelius Poepel............................................. 167

An overview on problems and methods to map performers’ actions to a synthesized sound is presented.
Approaches incorporating the audio signal are described, and a synthesis method called “audio signal
driven sound synthesis” is introduced. It uses the raw audio signal of a traditional instrument to drive a
synthesis algorithm. The system tries to support musicians with satisfying instrument-specific playabil-
ity. In contrast to common methods that try to increase openness for the player’s input, openness of the
system is achieved here by leaving essential playing parameters nonformalized as far as possible. Three
implementations of the method and one application are described. An empirical study and experiences
with users testing the system implemented for a bowed string instrument are presented. This implemen-
tation represents a specific case of a broader range of approaches to the treatment of user input, which
has applications in a wide variety of contexts involving human-computer interaction.

Chapter X
How Technology Can Support Culture and Learning / David Luigi Fuschi, Bee Ong,
and David Crombie.............................................................................................................................. 195

From the authors’ perspective, technology is both a tool and a developing factor that can foster culture
and learning development. This chapter focuses on the interrelations that interleave education, technology,
content accessibility, and intercultural issues. With an introduction and related background, language
learning is used as an example further to explain these issues. This chapter then discusses authoring and
content development for e-learning applications (including authoring tools, virtual communities, and
forums), and examines technology and accessibility issues in this context. The current state of e-learning
is introduced along with a description of different tools and approaches. The chapter concludes with an
overview of e-learning and the marketplace.
Chapter XI
Web-Based Music Intelligent Tutoring Systems / Somnuk Phon-Amnuaisuk
and Chee Keh Siong............................................................................................................................. 231

Our work bridges two interesting topics: the research in the area of Web-based applications and the area
of learning technologies. We give an overall picture of the current development in Web-based music
intelligent tutoring system (WMITS). The term WMITS is coined by us to describe the two main areas
in our focus. In this chapter, we address the following issues: (i) the pedagogical aspect of teaching and
learning music, (ii) the background of music intelligent tutoring system, and (iii) our WMITS system for
teaching music theories. A Web-based environment offers strengths in terms of accessibility and self-paced
learning. However, the environment has a great drawback in terms of interactivities between the users
and the system. Our design addresses this issue by developing a specialised client tool. The client tool
provides an interactive environment for score editing, which is crucial for learning music theories. The
system incorporates three major inference techniques (i.e., deductive, inductive, and Bayesian inference)
in dealing with music theories and uncertain knowledge such as students’ understanding.

Chapter XII
Digital Rights Management Technologies and Standards / Jaime Delgado
and Eva Rodríguez............................................................................................................................... 249

This chapter discusses technologies and standards related to digital rights management (DRM). Firstly,
it presents DRM systems that are multimedia information management systems that take into account
digital rights and protection. These systems enable the controlled distribution and use of multimedia
content through the digital value chain. Then, this chapter presents current initiatives, standard and pro-
prietary, that specify a DRM system. It focuses in the MPEG-21 standard initiative, mainly in the parts
of this standard that normatively specify the different pieces and formats needed by a complete DRM
system. Finally, this chapter presents one of the key components of DRM systems, rights expression
languages (RELs), that have been defined to express content usage rules.

Chapter XIII
Possibilities, Limitations, and the Future of Audiovisual Content Protection /
Martin Schmucker................................................................................................................................ 283

This chapter explains the fundamental principles of audiovisual content protection. It explains the basic
knowledge that is needed to understand the fundamentals of digital rights management (DRM) systems
and their problems. Starting with a general introduction about copyright and content protection, available
protection technologies are described and analyzed. The basic concepts of DRM solutions are explained
and problems discussed. Potentials and practical limitations are analysed based on the digital music
industry value chain. An outlook is given on solutions that are under development and that stronger
consider the needs of the customers. In the conclusion, future solutions are discussed.
Chapter XIV
Online Music Distribution / Francesco Spadoni................................................................................. 325

This chapter analyses multiple aspects of online music distribution, investigating the major problems,
the different approaches and business models, considering the different points of view and perspectives,
presenting the emerging technologies and digital rights management standards, analysing issues for rights
clearing, intellectual property protection, content retrieval, and metadata management.
The chapter presents the structure of the developing market of digital music and multimedia content
distribution, considering all the stakeholders and their mutual relationships, as well as the legal frame-
work. It highlights the importance of the needs of end-users and consumers of music when considering
the major problems, as well as the new behaviours and possibilities originated by the availability of
music in digital form
This chapter is aimed at many different audiences, from policy makers to music end-users and
consumers, to content creators, publishers, and distributors, as well as technology providers, and in
general, to all the players in the digital music content value chain.

Compilation of References................................................................................................................ 364

About the Contributors..................................................................................................................... 387

Index.................................................................................................................................................... 392
 xi

Preface

Currently, there is a wide range of interactive multimedia technologies that can help evolve the music
market to the next level; to enhance and to provide musical content in a more effective, more readily
accessible, faster, and more easy-to-use manner.
Content owners, producers, and distributors such as publishers, archives, libraries, conservatories,
music shops, music information-technology industries, and educators recognise the usefulness and po-
tential of these developments. There are many opportunities to exploit these novel technologies and a
great deal of interest from the relevant parties. However, there are concerns about losing the rights and
ownership of content. This obstacle is further increased by the widening gap and the lack of effective
knowledge transfer between the industrial and research communities.
Many multimedia music content owners and distributors are converting their archives of music scores
from paper into digital formats, such as images and machine-readable symbolic notation, in order to excel
in the market. Typically problems arise due to the requirements of archives that have been organised
differently, where several other related digital objects are collected (e.g., images, documents, lyrics,
videos, etc.). Issues such as standards and formats (machine representations), integrated cross-media
datasets, digital rights management, and tools are important considerations and invaluable knowledge.
The new functionalities of multimedia interactive music can be used for:

• Valorising cultural heritage, content, and archives that are not currently distributed due to digital
rights issues, suitable coding models, and conversion technologies.
• Promoting music and products for entertainment, for distance teaching, for archives, for commercial
and noncommercial purposes.
• Providing new services for consumers connected via personal computers, mobiles, and other de-
vices, and widening accessibility for impaired users.

This book aims to provide the latest insights and future directions integrating relevant experiences,
information, and knowledge in these domains to help bring the music content industries, information
technology companies, and research communities closer, and to bring music into the interactive mul-
timedia era. With a primary focus on the activities and findings of the MUSICNETWORK (see http://
www.interactivemusicnetwork.org), cosupported by the European Commission, this book consists of
analyses, knowledge, and application scenarios, as surveyed, analysed, and tested. These include music
representations and the developments in the standardization of machine-readable symbolic music nota-
tion representations of MPEG ISO; music imaging (e.g., optical music recognition); with informative
discussions on efficient mechanisms for distributing and sharing multimedia music content (such as
e-commerce, mobile applications, etc.); rights control and management, towards more secure and new
formats to exploit new functionalities with interactive multimedia technologies. These subject areas are
xii

useful to professionals and researchers working in the field of interactive multimedia-related technologies,
computer music, music technology, publishers, librarians, e-business, digital media, digital rights, music
representations, cultural, learning and teaching, and many other interdisciplinary domains, including
students, researchers, businesses, and SMEs (small and medium enterprises).
To provide the background context and motivations, this book starts with an introductory chapter,
“Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction,” to present the MUSICNETWORK
that was cosupported by the European Community under the fifth framework programme. The aim of
the MUSICNETWORK is to help bring the music content providers, cultural institutions, industry, and
research institutions to work together, to reduce the barriers between the technology and content pro-
viders, and to improve the exploitation of new interactive multimedia technologies. It brings together
research institutions, industries, SMEs, and experts to build the required momentum in order to study
and define multimedia music modelling and coding for the digital era, and finally to open new markets
and possibilities with new technologies and solutions.
With a large number of participants, the MUSICNETWORK addressed several aspects of music
within a set of working groups including:

• Music notation: Examines all aspect of coding music notation, such as modern music notation,
format conversion, fonts, and defining standards for music symbols, and started the work on MPEG
Symbolic Music Representation (MPEG SMR).
• Music libraries: This group has a cross-domain perspective including museums, archives, industry
catalogues, and other collections.
• Music multimedia standards: Studies and analyses of multimedia standards for music coding,
including audio and video coding (e.g., MPEG7, MPEG21, etc.), portable Internet formats, media
integration, and other standardization aspects, with MPEG and others.
• Music distribution: Examines the distribution of coded music including streaming, Internet, dis-
tribution models (B2B, B2C, P2P, etc.), mobile systems, WEB-TV, and transaction models (online,
off-line, kiosks, etc.).
• Music protection: Focuses on issues related to the protection of coded music, such as encryption,
fingerprint, watermark, digital rights management, profiling functionalities, active and passive
protection, and other security issues.
• Music accessibility: Examines music coding for print-impaired people (visually impaired, dyslexic,
etc.), and studies accessibility issues, user interfaces, computer-assisted software and devices, and
the provision of music in alternative formats.
• Music imaging: Concentrates on issues relating to imaging and processing of sheet music, printed
music scores, and handwritten manuscripts, including music image acquisition, acquisition of music
with different types of page support, digitising ancient music, coding for images, optical restoration
and preservation, and optical music recognition (OMR, also known as optical character recognition
for music) and evaluation of OMR systems.
• Music audio: This working group is focused on audio processing aspects such as conversion from
audio to music notation, query by content, beat tracking, audio shrinking and stretching, audio
recognition,and so forth.
• Music education: This group analyses and works on educational aspects of music with the sup-
port of the information technology and pedagogical aspects. In particular it deals with the aspects
of cooperative work on music notation, performances, playing instruments by using Internet sup-
port, e-learning, distance teaching, courseware tools, assessing music performances, self learning,
software tools for music education, and so forth.
 xiii

• Music culture: This working group addresses the cultural aspects of music and musicology. It
considers historical interpretation, context, and so forth.

The chapters of this book present a selection of the most relevant activities in the previously men-
tioned sectors, highlight key achievements, and analyze main results. Most of the results produced by
the project have a strong international value and involved many participants globally.
As one of the main results of the MUSICNETWORK,Chapter II on “MPEG Symbolic Music Rep-
resentation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications” by Pierfrancesco Bellini, Paolo Nesi, and
Giorgio Zoia presents an overview of the development of the MPEG SMR (Symbolic Music Repre-
sentation) standard that was started by the MUSICNETWORK and has recently been accepted by the
MPEG ISO global multimedia standard organization. The chapter discusses the MPEG SMR design
and development including its decoder for the MPEG-4 standard, for interactive TV, PC, and mobiles.
A large part of the work performed in this area has been coordinated by the MUSICNETWORK. The
authors believe that the MPEG SMR development represents a crucial step that will bring the next phase
of multimedia music development into all forms of electronic devices that will further support interoper-
ability and widen accessibility to music enjoyment, research, culture, as well as education.
Music notation and representation is one of the fundamental aspects of the new knowledge presented
in this book. Chapter III “XML Music Notation Modelling for Multimedia: MPEG-SMR” by Pierfran-
cesco Bellini outlines the structure of the forthcoming MPEG SMR ISO standard, and proposes the
formalization in terms of XML for music representation and provides several examples. This chapter
discusses the continuous growth of the MPEG SMR (XML and binary formats), which includes model-
ling of music representation, multilingual lyrics, integration of music representation and multimedia,
formalization of a language for the automatic formatting of music representation, music representation
streaming, and so forth.
In order to take advantage of new interactive multimedia capabilities and possibilities such as those
discussed in this book, paper-based music scores have to be transformed into machine-readable repre-
sentations. This book devotes two chapters to music imaging issues and presents two OMR systems.
Chapter IV “Optical Music Imaging: Music Document Digitisation, Recognition, Evaluation, and
Restoration” by Graham Jones, Bee Ong, Ivan Bruno, and Kia Ng, introduces the background of mu-
sic imaging-related issues including digitisation, processing, restoration, and automatic transcription
of digitised music score to recognise musical features (from the image of the digitised score), and
convert them into machine-readable formats (e.g., MPEG SMR). With a general overview, the chapter
discusses challenges in this domain, digitisation issues, and necessary components including hardware
and software. It also presents the design and development of SharpEye, which is one of the most popu-
lar commercial OMR systems. After that, the chapter presents an approach for the evaluation of OMR
systems and evaluates a number of systems (SharpEye, SmartScore, and O3MR) using this approach.
This chapter also presents automated recognition and graphical restoration issues that are important for
the preservation of a vast amount of invaluable paper-based heritage, including printed music scores and
handwritten manuscripts that are deteriorating over time due to natural decaying of paper and chemical
reaction (e.g., printing ink and paper).
Following the theme of OMR, Chapter V “Optical Music Recognition: Architecture and Algorithms”
by Pierfrancesco Bellini, Ivan Bruno, and Paolo Nesi, presents the design and development of the O3MR
system for optical music recognition. The O3MR solution has been realised with a large set of methods
and technologies to analyse and process images of music scores. Experimental results reported demon-
strate a high efficiency in the correct location of basic symbols. With a neural-network-based classifier,
a rule-based music grammar, and iterative aggregation process, the system supports reconstruction of
xiv

notation of varying complexity, which is represented with the WEDELMUSIC XML model.
In Chapter VI “Challenges of Designing a Markup Language for Music,” Jacques Steyn analyses the
background development of music representations using markup languages. Steyn makes comparisons
with other representations (e.g., text and mathematics markup languages) and discusses considerations
such as paged or scrolled rendering, writing systems, and reusability and scalability issues. This chapter
highlights the particular challenges of markup languages for music, such as multiple and simultaneous
events that need to be synchronised.
This is followed by a chapter on “Alternative Design Goals for a General Music Markup Language”
by the same author. In this chapter, Steyn notes that “Design goals determine the particular structure of
a markup language, while the philosophy of what markup languages are about determine the framework
within which its structure is developed.” In this context, this chapter presents brief surveys of related
representations including SGML, DSSSL, HyTime, and SMDL, together with HTML and XML. With
several XML-based music applications examples, the author proposed an ideal structure of XML for
music, and discusses design criteria and application issues.
Chapter VIII “Interactive Systems for Multimedia Opera” by Michael Oliva, presents current trends
towards technology-enhanced performing arts, exploring interactive multimedia technologies for stage
performance and how they increase artistic possibilities. It describes the background, the design, and
the development of several software applications and hardware systems to deliver multimedia content
for operas, and discusses gestural control interfaces. It analyses requirements, presents a recent perform-
ance, and recommends effective and practical approaches to these issues. The author believes that the
requirements and integrations of these new elements should be performed centrally from the beginning
and not simply applied “atmospherically or decoratively.”
Chapter IX “Driving Sound Synthesis with a Live Audio Signal,” Cornelius Poepel discusses is-
sues of musical expression, challenges of real-time computer-based systems. The chapter introduces an
audio synthesis method called “audio signal driven sound synthesis” that uses the raw audio signal of a
traditional instrument to drive a synthesis algorithm. This method can be used for the augmentation to
various existing musical instruments as well as new instruments.
The author discusses an application of the method with a bodiless viola that allows the player to
explore new sonic dimensions of electronic sounds with an interface (the playing of the instrument) that
is already familiar to the player. Since the synthesis engine is driven by the audio signal of the bodiless
instrument, nuances of articulation and playing technique can be represented in the synthesized sound
even if not tracked, as it is necessary in common parameter driven approaches. The chapter also reports
user tests and comments from expert players who have tested the system and discusses plausible future
directions.
Chapter X “How Technology Can Support Culture and Learning” by David Luigi Fuschi, Bee Ong,
and David Crombie discusses the interleaving interrelations of education, technology, content acces-
sibility, and intercultural issues. It presents a wide range of related background for contextualisation,
and uses language learning as an example for the discussions. The authors suggest that technology is
both a tool and a factor that can foster cultural and learning development, and presents the evolution
of educational models and developments with respect to technological innovations. The chapter also
considers accessibility issues, together with tools and approaches to e-learning, considerations on the
market sectors, standards, regulation, and related issues.
Chapter XI “Web-Based Music Intelligent Tutoring Systems” by Somnuk Phon-Amnuaisuk and
Chee Keh Siong, presents a Web-based, intelligent music-tutoring system for music theory. It considers
the pedagogical aspects of music learning and teaching, and discusses the pros and cons of Web-based
systems for learning and teaching. The chapter discusses the key challenges including the lack of domain
 xv

specific content authoring tools, intelligent feedback, and presents the design and development of an
interactive multimedia environment for music score editing. In order to provide further understand of the
performance of individual students and to analyse students’ behaviours and performances, monitoring
functionalities and modelling of learning (using a Bayesian network) are explored. With the framework,
technical details, and results analysis, the chapter also discusses several potential future trends, includ-
ing multimodal interface, standardisation requirements of teaching materials for music, and intelligent
systems for music theory tutoring.
DRM systems can be viewed as multimedia information management systems that take into ac-
count digital rights and protection functionalities. They enable controlled distribution and usages of
the multimedia content through the digital value chain. In Chapter XII “Digital Rights Management
Technologies and Standards,” Jaime Delgado and Eva Rodríguez discuss the background, state-of-the-
art developments, and requirements related to digital rights management (DRM), with particular focus
on the technological advancements and standardisation activities.
The chapter discusses a number of selected initiatives (standard and proprietary) that specify a DRM
system or the elements that form a DRM system, including MPEG-21, Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
DRM, TV-Anytime DRM, DReamM, and so forth. It also presents current industry solutions, such as
Windows Media DRM 10 and Helix DRM, and discusses their components and architecture. It further
describes the MPEG-21 standard initiative, with particular focus on the different pieces and formats that
normatively specify and are needed by a complete DRM system, such as the digital item declaration,
rights expression language, intellectual property management, and protection and event reporting. The
chapter presents the Rights Expression Languages (RELs) in detail, as one of the key components of
DRM system that define the content usage rules, and addresses interoperability issues between RELs.
Following the theme on DRM, Chapter XIII “Possibilities, Limitations, and the Future of Audiovisual
Content Protection,” by Martin Schmucker, briefly discusses DRM and presents several key developments
of technologies for the protection of digital content including the so-called passive protection technolo-
gies, particularly on watermarking and fingerprinting (perceptual hashing). These passive protection
technologies are less interfering with content usage and enable new protection applications. For each
method, the general principle, characteristics, requirements, and limitations are described.
The chapter further considers different application contexts and discusses issues from related parties,
such as the content owner and consumer, and discusses examples of conflicts between security require-
ments and consumer issues. It analyses current technological possibilities and practical limitations,
studies the music industry value chain, and the influences of DRM. The final section discusses potential
future trends and solutions.
Chapter XIV “Online Music Distribution,” by Francesco Spadoni, presents the development of online
music distributions and related issues including its challenges, business models, market structure, new
technologies, and distribution media, together with DRM issues including rights clearing, intellectual
property protection, content retrieval, and metadata management. It also discusses the legal framework
and the developing market of digital music, and the quality and accessibility aspects of online music
distribution services. In the final section, this chapter summarizes the findings and projects towards
plausible future trends.
This book consists of a collection of selected chapters that encompass information, experiences, and
knowledge to bring the music industries and research communities closer, and to bring music into the
interactive multimedia era. With a wide range of background research and introductory materials that are
supported by relevant references for further reading, this book aims to show the latest possibilities and
to ponder potential future directions. Real-life application scenarios are used to explain the concepts and
provide further understanding on how to apply the new knowledge provided. This book covers key ele-
ments of interactive multimedia music; from data acquisition to processing, representations, preservation,
protection, management to digital distributions, together with applications and market considerations. In
its different chapters, this book provides comprehensive coverage of the interdisciplinary subject area
of interactive multimedia music.
xvi

Acknowledgment

We very much appreciate the effort, collaboration, and participation of many people, including col-
leagues and friends, a long list of partners, institutions, organisations, and over 1,000 registered mem-
bers without whom MUSICNETWORK and this book would not exist. Thanks to all the authors who
submitted chapters and all the reviewers for their invaluable help and insightful contributions. Thanks
to the European Commission IST 5th Framework Programme for cosupporting the MUSICNETWORK
project, and the EC project officer Ian Pigott.
Thanks to many special people working behind the scenes who have helped and supported us over
the course of the project and during postproject activities (such as the establishment of the MUSIC-
NETWORK International Association and the completion of this book), including the DSI team at the
University of Florence, the ICSRiM team at the University of Leeds, and many others.
A special thanks to all the staff at the IGI Global, particularly to Kristin Roth, Ross Miller, Jessica
Thompson, and Jan Travers, for their assistance and guidance.
Last but not least, we would like to thank our families for their support and understanding throughout
this project.

Kia Ng, PhD

ICSRiM, University of Leeds, UK
http://www.kcng.org

Paolo Nesi, PhD

DSI, University of Florence, Italy
http://www.dsi.unifi.it/~nesi
 

Chapter I
Interactive Multimedia
MUSICNETWORK:
An Introduction

Kia Ng
University of Leeds, UK

Paolo Nesi
University of Florence, Italy

AbstrAct

The MUSICNETWORK project was cosupported by the European Commission to bring music industry and
related research areas into the interactive multimedia era. It represented a virtual Centre of Excellence
during the period of the project, and today an international association, where music content providers,
cultural institutions, industry, and research institutions work together, drawing on their collective as-
sets and mutual interests, to exploit the potential of multimedia music contents with new technologies,
tools, products, formats, and models. Due to large gaps between needs and real products and solutions,
many products in the market fail to exploit the potential of new multimedia technologies effectively.
MUSICNETWORK helps research solutions to reach the market by seeking agreements between different
actors and formats by bringing together research institutions, industries, small and medium enterprises
(SMEs), and experts to build the required momentum to study and define multimedia music modelling
and coding for the new age. MUSICNETWORK activities, actions, and services are provided through
the project Web site, which can be found online at http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org.

IntroductIon providers into the interactive multimedia era.

This is the result of a collaborative effort by
The main achievement of the MUSICNETWORK many people from different contexts, including
has been the creation of an effective community content providers, institutions, research centres,
to bring European music industries and content industries, and experts in the field of multimedia

Copyright © 2008, IGI Global, distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
 Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

music. Since the early beginning of its establish- applications in the area of multimedia music, and
ment, the MUSICNETWORK community has also in the area of digitisation and conversion of
been pursuing a common goal to study different archives and digital collections by both reducing
aspects of music coding, protection, and distribu- technical problems and creating awareness about
tion in order to improve the existing standards the capabilities offered by present technologies
and to foster wider exploitation of music related and solutions.
contents, tools, and applications.
What has been clear since the beginning was
the need to identify suitable models and solutions Music is not only an auditory
to integrate and make available the knowledge experience
coming from music publishers, digital libraries,
universities, standardisation bodies, research Music is part of an integrated multimodal com-
institutions, music associations, end-users, munication. It can be integrated with many other
music schools, information technology compa- related aspects of the music piece to provide
nies, commercial content distributors, and other necessary contextual information to enrich the
players in music industry. To address this need, experience of the user. For example, a handwrit-
the MUSICNETWORK project implemented ten music score can be shown in synchronisation
concrete actions for integrating these types of with actions of a performer, such as a soloist or
knowledge and bringing music into the interactive a conductor, during a live performance. Besides
media era (see Figure 1). A set of activities was music scores, other related information, such as
implemented to provide a better understanding a composer’s biography, can also be associated
of the real requirements, to better assess to the with the music and/or performance. All these
state-of-the-art research and technology, to in- additions can offer the user a wider view and
tegrate currently available technologies, and to greater knowledge about a musical piece and/or the
strategically steer all these activities toward the composer. This approach can introduce different
project’s objectives. musical genres to a wider audience and enhance
From what has been done over the last few cultural understanding and knowledge.
years, we believed that these activities have accel- Another important application of interactive
erated the process of development and adoption of multimedia music lies within the context of music

Figure 1. The MUSICNETWORK activities, © MUSICNETWORK


Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

education. Interactive multimedia technology MusIcnetWorK’s ActIvItIes

can enrich the students’ learning activities with And servIces
improved effectiveness, better experiences, and
greater enjoyment. For this purpose, interactive MUSICNETWORK offers a unique set of services
multimedia music should have the following to the community:
aspects:
• Innovation and stimulation:
• Coding of symbolic music notation, sym- ◦ Stimulating new services and exploi-
bolic music representation. tation of new multimedia functional-
• Coding of music score image sequences. ities
• music descriptors. ◦ Opening new markets for content dis-
• Multilingual lyrics linked to symbolic nota- tribution, for example, e-publishing,
tion. advertising, entertainment, edutain-
• Music notation symbols or lyric related im- ment, infotainment, with mobile and
ages. pervasive systems
• Video related/synchronised to music nota- ◦ Suggesting models and formats for
tion symbols, image scores, documents, or interactive multimedia music coding,
lyric text. distribution, and protection
• Audio files related and synchronized with ◦ Promoting guidelines for the adoption
music in symbolic format and images of of standards in connection with stan-
music scores. dards bodies such as the ISO MPEG
• Protection aspects of audio and/or video • Knowledge and information:
and/or music scores such as watermarking ◦ Giving a clear view of the present mar-
or fingerprint. ket and state-of-the-art technologies,
• Verbal description of videos and documents, best practices and trends
and scores for visually impaired users. ◦ Providing access to a large state-of-the-
art database, requirements, technolo-
The MUSICNETWORK identified a lack of gies, and solutions
coordination and standardization in the area of ◦ Providing information and support on
multimedia music modelling, and most of the European Commission initiatives in
available multimedia standards neglect music interactive multimedia music area
notation. Therefore, recognising the relevance ◦ Offering training on latest technolo-
of the integration of music and multimedia as gies, standards, and solutions
an enabling technology for developing new ap- • Visibility and accessibility:
plications and markets, the MUSICNETWORK ◦ Offering wider visibility for research
started an activity to integrate a symbolic music and technology innovations
representation (SMR) into the MPEG standard. ◦ Offering free access for everyone to
This activity has achieved successful results all kinds of information
within the MPEG forum. Currently, a draft of the ◦ Creating an environment where skills
MPEG SMR standard has been produced. More of partners can easily be identified and
information can be obtained from the Web site located
of MPEG ad hoc Group (AHG) on SMR hosted • Consultation and standardization:
by the MUSICNETWORK at http://www.inter- ◦ Collecting and surveying challenges
activemusicnetwork.org/mpeg-ahg/ and proposing solutions for obstacles


 Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

concerning interactive multimedia AXMEDIS2006 in Leeds, UK), Allegro con

music and innovative technologies Bit 2006 in Rome (Italy), and others
◦ Mediating the work of companies • Maintaining a Web portal for supporting
and research centres with the work of all of the above-mentioned services (see
standardisation bodies http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org).
◦ Identification of requirements
◦ Production of call-for-technologies
with the standard bodies the WorKIng groups (Wg)

These technical objectives have been, and are The MUSICNETWORK addresses several aspects
addressed by, a set of activities in order to create of music involving a large group of participants,
a collaborative environment where content pro- from many different countries, with different
viders and corporate users may access research cultures and a wide range of technological skills.
results and technological solutions to make the Participation is always welcome from everyone
technology transfer easier and simpler. These interested in the subject areas, with no limitation
activities include: on geographical or cultural issues. Hence, most
(if not all) of the results of the project are valuable
• Coordinating a set of expert working groups for European countries and beyond.
on the most important topics and producing The MUSICNETWORK has established
guidelines, state-of-the-art reports, and so several different working groups to focus on
forth, in order to understand the obstacles issues of particular importance, and to provide
and challenges in bringing music coding, opportunities for the experts and practitioners,
distribution, and protection into the interac- as well as all interested parties, to get involved
tive multimedia era. in the work. The WGs include:
• Managing an MPEG Ad Hoc Group on
Symbolic Music Representation. Further • Music notation: This group examines each
information, events, and documents are and every aspect of coding music notation,
available at http://www.interactivemusic- including modern music notation, format
network.org/mpeg-ahg/. conversion, lyric modelling (multilingual
• Organising a set of workshops and confer- aspects), fonts, and defining standards for
ences and inviting experts and decision music symbols, standardization into MPEG,
makers to highlight and discuss the technical and other bodies.
and business challenges. • Music libraries: This group has a cross-
• Organising a set of open workshops that domain perspective including museums,
often colocated with other conferences, archives, industry catalogues, and other
including Web Delivering of Music (WE- collections. It deals with metadata; infor-
DELMUSIC) 2003 and 2004, MPEG Meet- mation- and content-based retrieval; digital
ing (March 2004), International Association libraries; technological, legal, and standard-
of Music Libraries (IAML), International ization developments; sharing documents
Association of Music Information Centre and contents.
(IAMIC), Automatic Production of Cross • Music in multimedia standards: This
Media Content for Multi-Channel Distribu- working group examines multimedia stan-
tion (AXMEDIS2005, in Florence, Italy, and dards for music coding, including audio


Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

and video coding (MPEG-7, MPEG-21, tation, performances, virtual conducting,

etc.), portable formats for the Internet, syn- virtual orchestra, playing instruments by
chronization, media integration, and other using Internet support, e-learning, distance
standardization aspects with MPEG and teaching, courseware tools, assessing music
other bodies. performances, self learning, software tools
• Music distribution: This group examines for music education, and so forth.
the distribution of coded music, including • Music culture: This working group ad-
streaming, Internet, distribution models dresses the cultural aspects of music and
(B2B, B2C, P2P, etc.), mobile systems, musicology. This helps to consider music
WEB-TV, mobile, and transaction models in the related historical period, and also
(online, off-line, kiosks, virtual shops). the interpretation of the music in its related
• Music protection: This group is devoted musical context.
to issues related to the protection of coded
music, such as encryption, fingerprint, wa-
termark, digital rights management (DRM), The MUSICNETWORK
profiling functionalities, active and passive participants
protection, and other security issues.
• Music accessibility: This working group Analysis on the profiles of MUSICNETWORK
examines music coding for print-impaired participants has been regularly performed, during
people (visually impaired, dyslexic, etc.), and the development of the project, to:
studies accessibility issues, user interfaces,
computer-assisted software and devices, • Refine the services and the models provided
and the provision of music in alternative to the participants.
formats. • Understand if other needs could be satisfied
• Music imaging: This working music imag- or emerge.
ing group focuses on issues related to imag- • Identify the best model for the business
ing and processing of music score (printed plan.
music scores and handwritten manuscripts),
including music image acquisition, acquisi- The latest analysis was carried out on a sample
tion of music with different types of page of approximately 940 participants from about 230
support, digitising ancient music, coding for qualified institutions. The data used for the analy-
images, optical restoration and preservation, sis were collected from questionnaires filled in by
and optical music recognition (OMR). participants when they registered and whenever
• Music audio: This working group is focused they modified their profiles. Unfortunately, not all
on audio processing aspects such as conver- participants filled in the questionnaires and hence,
sion from audio to music notation, query by the number of data entries actually used for the
content, beat tracking, audio shrinking and analysis was smaller than the sample size.
stretching, audio recognition and compari- The first set of questions was used to get a
son for personalization. better understanding of the participants’ profiles.
• Music education: This group analyses and In this document, only country distribution is
works on educational aspects of music with reported (as illustrated in Figure 3). In the most
the support of the information technology recent survey, it was found that 70% of the par-
and pedagogical aspects. In particular, it ticipants are from Europe (18 states), and 12% of
deals with cooperative work on music no- the participants from the US and Canada.


 Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

Figure 3. Distribution of MUSICNETWORK participants by country

0

131
0

108

95
00

78
0

65
0

36 36
0

29
24 22 22
19 18 17 16 14 13
0

12 12 11 10 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 4 4
0
UNITED KINGDOM

IYALY

UNITED STATES

GERMANY

FRANCE

NETHERLANDS

SPAIN

NIGERIA

DENMARK

GRECE

BELGIUM

CANADA

SWEDEN

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRIA

IRELAND

NORWAY

SWITZERLAND

PORTUGAL

GHANA

CHINA

SOUTH AFRICA

TURKEY

BRAZIL

HUNGARY

POLAND

FINLAND

ISRAEL

SINGAPORE

SLOVENIA

NEW ZEALAND
Figure 4. Distribution of MUSICNETWORK participants by type in percentage







0

0
IT providers

Industrial activity
Public or private researchers

End user, music lover, etc.

Broadcaster: radio and tv

Archive, library

Music information center

Industrial association
Professional

Associations for content

Content producer

Content Distributor
Student

Standardization body

Legal bodies
Educational institutions

Figure 4 shows the distribution of the partici- has attracted more technology consumers than
pants’ different types of affiliations. As can be seen providers.
from the distribution chart, the most important This is considered as a success, since the
groups are researcher, professional, student, and project has mainly been focussed on stimulating
content producer. the understanding and usage of interactive multi-
We have also studied this set of data by reclas- media music technologies. One of the conclusions
sifying them into two groups: (1) participants who could be that the consumers are interested in the
registered with the MUSICNETWORK to offer technology itself. This is evident from the analysis
the role of technology provider and (2) participants reported in the next section, which shows what
who are interested as technology consumers. It consumers are looking for. This analysis has been
is interesting to note that MUSICNETWORK performed in two steps: firstly, the general area


Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

of interest, and secondly, what kind of services obviously the most dominant aspect for most of
was of greater interest. the MUSICNETWORK participants. Therefore,
This analysis was carried out using the infor- some of the WGs may seem to be less relevant
mation the users stated during the registration. than the others. This is natural and expected since
Fifteen categories on the area of interests that their related market is smaller.
match the subject domains of the WGs have been The types of services required by the partici-
used to analyse the distributions on the area of pants have also been analysed. Table 2 lists the
interest, so that the technical area of the interest type of requirements together with the number
can be identified (see Figure 5). of requests.
By “distribution” we mean the technology From the table, it is evident that the most
for distributing content via the Internet, and it requested services from MUSICNETWORK
is the most requested topic by the analysis. The participants are related to the ease of access
reason may be found in the distribution of nota- to information. Other services, such as discus-
tion (partially), audio files, and other general sion forums and contacts, proved to be of less
contents. All these aspects are of great interest to importance.
the participants. Hence, protection and copyright The number of downloads performed by
should be considered as part of the distribution. participants can also be a good measure of their
From the analysis, it is clear that distribution is areas of interest. It has been noticed that users

Table 1. Providers vs. consumers

Number %
Technology Providers 558 41.77
Technology Consumers 778 58.23
Total 1336 100

Figure 5. Distribution of MUSICNETWORK participants’ interests

Theory
Information retrieval
Legal
Research
Accessibility
Tools
Education
Imaging
Audio
Standards
Production
Library/archive
Protection
Notation
Distribution
0     0  


 Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

Table 2. Distribution of MUSICNETWORK participants’ needs

Description of Services Requested Number %

Information and News on Technology, the future 111 50

Collaboration and Contacts for technical aspects 78 35

Conferences and Workshops 14 6.3

Market and Commercial contacts 10 4.5

Dissemination diffusion of results, and models 8 3.6

Total 221

Figure 6. Trend of growth of the MUSICNETWORK

00

Number of registered users:

Web pages (registered institutions):
00 decine di Number of login:
Number of forum messages:
Number of uploaded documents:
New sletter subscribers:
New sletter:
000 Countries:

00

00

00

00

0
D 0

D 0
Ju 

Ju 
Au 

Au 
Ap 

Ap 


N 

N 
S e 0

S e 0
Fe 

Fe 

Fe 
Ju 

Ju 
0

0

0
M 

M 
Ja 

O 

Ja 

O 

Ja 
0

0
-0

-0
l-0

l-0
-0

-0

-0
-0

-0
0

0
r-0

r-0
-0

-0

-0
n-

n-
-

-
n-

n-

n-
b-

g-

b-

g-

b-
p-

p-
ov

ov
ar

ar

ar
ct

ct
ay

ay
ec

ec

ec
M

M
D

have mainly been focusing on a number of spe- The number of downloads related to the activi-
cific areas reported in the next table. The most ties and documents produced by each individual
attractive documents have been those produced working group has also been analysed and pre-
in the context of music notation and distribution sented in Table 4. Notation, Imaging, Protection
(around 38,000 downloads in total). & Distribution, and Library working groups are


Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

Table 3. Topics of interest

Topics of Interests Sub Areas % for Topic
Notation
Imaging
Music Notation (symbolic and imaging) 52.87%
MPEG-AHG
Glossary
Distribution
Distribution and protection 11.02%
Protection
Library Library 6.54%

Standard Standard 3.82%

Educational
Education and Culture 4.48%
Culture
Accessibility Accessibility 2.45%
Audio Audio 1.00%
Overview 1.41%

Events 16.40%

Total 100%

Table 4. Areas of interest of the MUSICNETWORK participants

Area of Interests Number of Downloads

Imaging 16,031
Notation 22,234
AHG 5,945
WG 19,688
Glossary 258
Protection & Distribution 25,633
Distribution 13,660
Protection 11,973
Library 15,298
Education 5,658
Standards 6,454
Accessibility 3,941


 Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

among the most attractive in terms of participants’ field of multimedia music modelling and coding.
interest. Protection & Distribution WGs have been The fast and continuous growth of MUSICNET-
considered jointly since distribution technologies WORK activities further confirms the success of
have no sense without protection and DRM. the project.
The MUSICNETWORK is now an inter-
national association with a wide range of part-
the groWth of the nerships, many members, and many exciting
MusIcnetWorK activities that will continue to build on the suc-
cessful achievements of the project so far. If you
Figure 6 illustrates the evolution of a set of very are interested in the activities, membership, and
simple metrics over the course of the MUSICNET- services of the association, you are welcome to
WORK project. Together they provide an overview join the association to participate in the activi-
about the evolution of MUSICNETWORK as a ties and development of the MUSICNETWORK
whole, since the start of this monitoring process association for the advancement and success of
in December 2002, when the first services of the this interdisciplinary domain.
project were activated.
From the graph, it is evident that MUSIC-
NETWORK is now still growing, although at a AcKnoWledgMent
slower speed than it was at the very beginning.
Additionally, it seems that, since December 2003, The authors would like to acknowledge all the
MUSICNETWORK reached the critical mass partners of the MUSICNETWORK project,
when the forum activities started. including over 1,000 participants and more than
260 institutions and companies that are registered
with the MUSICNETWORK to collaborate and
conclusIon to contribute to its work and growth.

In this chapter, we have presented, analysed,

and discussed the MUSICNETWORK project. references
From the analysis and evaluation data obtained,
we believe that the MUSICNETWORK project Bellini, P., Crombie, D., & Nesi, P. (2003). MU-
has achieved its aim as a Centre/Network of SICNETWORK: To bring music industry into
Excellence to bring the music content provid- the interactive multimedia age. In Proceedings
ers, cultural institutions, industry, and research of the EVA Florence, Italy.
institutions to work together, to provide a large
Bellini, P., & Nesi, P. (2001, November 23-24).
number of services to SMEs in the area of mul-
WEDELMUSIC FORMAT: An XML music
timedia music.
notation format for emerging applications. In
Moreover, MUSICNETWORK can help re-
Proceedings of the 1st International Conference
search solutions to reach the potential marketplace
of Web Delivering of Music, Florence, Italy (pp.
and assist in finding the appropriate matches
79-86). IEEE Press.
between those who have technical solutions to
offer and those who could be benefited from CANTATE project. (1994). Deliverable 3.3:
these solutions. This has been achieved, thanks Report on SMDL evaluation, WP3. CANTATE.
to the support and contribution of many research Retrieved from http://projects.fnb.nl
institutions, industries, SMEs, and experts in the

0
Interactive Multimedia MUSICNETWORK: An Introduction

CUIDADO. Processing of music and Mpeg7. Ng, K. C. (Ed.). (2005). Journal of New Music
Retrieved from http://www.ircam.fr/cuidad/ Research (JNMR), 34(2).
Delgado, J., Nesi, P., & Ng, K. C. (Eds.). (2004). Ng, K.C. (Ed.). (2006, May 9-10). In Proceed-
In Proceedings of the Fourth International Con- ings of the COST287-ConGAS 2nd International
ference on WEB Delivering of Music (WEDEL- Symposium on Gesture Interface for Multimedia
MUSIC-2004). Barcelona, Spain: IEEE Computer Systems (GIMS2006), Leeds, UK.
Society Press, .
Ng, K. C., Badii, A., & Bellini, P. (Eds). (2006,
Good, M. (2001). MusicXML for notation and December 13-15. In Proceedings of the 2nd In-
Analysis. In W. B. Hewlett & E. Selfridge-Field ternational Conference on Automated Produc-
(Eds.), The virtual score representation, retrieval, tion of Cross Media Content for Multi-channel
restoration (pp. 113-124). Cambridge, MA: The Distribution. University of Leeds, UK: Firenze
MIT Press. University Press.
HARMONICA. Retrieved from http://projects. Ng, K. C., Crombie, D., Bellini, P., & Nesi, P.
fnb.nl/harmonica (2003). Musicnetwork: Music industry with in-
teractive multimedia technology. In Proceedings
I-MAESTRO project. Retrieved from http://www.
of Electronic Imaging and the Visual Arts (EVA
i-maestro.org
London 2003), UCL, London.
MOODS project. Retrieved from http://www.dsi.
NIFF. (1995). NIFF 6a: Notation Interchange
unifi.it/~moods
File Format.
Mitolo, N., Nesi, P., & Ng, K. C. (Eds.). (2005,
Selfridge-Field, E. (Ed.). (1997). Beyond MIDI—
July 2-4). In Proceedings of the 5th MUSICNET-
The handbook of musical codes. London: The
WORK Open Workshop, Universität für Musik und
MIT Press.
darstellende Kunst Wien, Vienna, Austria.
SMDL ISO/IEC. (1995). Standard Music Descrip-
Nesi, P., Ng, K., & Delgado, J. (Eds). (2005, Nov
tion Language. ISO/IEC DIS 10743.
30 - Dec 2). In Proceedings of the 1st International
Conference on Automating Production of Cross Smith, L. (1997). SCORE. In E. Selfridge-Field,
Media Content for Multi-channel Distribution Ed. Beyond MIDI - The handbook of musical
Conference (AXMEDIS 2005): Workshops and codes, London: The MIT Press.
Industrial, Convitto della Calza, Florence, Italy.
WEDELMUSIC. Retrieved from http://www.
Firenze University Press.
wedelmusic.org
Ng, K. C., Busch, C., & Nesi, P. (Eds.). (2003). In
Proceedings of the third International Conference
on WEB Delivering of Music (WEDELMUSIC-
2003), Leeds, UK.




Chapter II
MPEG Symbolic Music
Representation:
A Solution for Multimedia
Music Applications

Pierfrancesco Bellini
University of Florence, Italy

Paolo Nesi
University of Florence, Italy

Giorgio Zoia
EPFL, Switzerland

AbstrAct

The evolution of digital communication devices and formats has recently produced fundamental changes
in the practical approach to music representation and notation, transforming them from a simple visual
coding model for sheet music into a composite tool for modelling music in computer and multimedia
applications in general. As a consequence, a multilayer model of music representation is needed for
several purposes in addition to sheet music production or visual display, such as audio rendering, en-
tertainment, music analysis, database query, music performance coding, music distance learning, and
so forth. Symbolic music representation is a standard for modelling music notations, proposed inside
the MPEG multimedia framework. Symbolic music representation generalizes the main music notation
concepts to model the visual aspects of a music score, along with audio information or annotations re-
lated to the music piece, allowing integration with other audiovisual elements by multimedia references.
The symbolic music representation standard overcomes the limitations of a widely accepted format like
MIDI, which is in line with its main purpose to model music events whereas it reveals important limita-
tions in producing audio and visual representations with satisfactory results.

Copyright © 2008, IGI Global, distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

IntroductIon of the innovative and emerging applications in

interactive multimedia music, as highlighted in
Music is mainly accessed through its audible the MPEG requirements on symbolic music rep-
representation, while music notations have been resentation (ISO document ISO/IEC SC29WG11,
developed to visually represent the information W6689). The most relevant among these require-
needed by performers to play, through specific ments are briefly reported and commented on in
instruments, the musical work and reproduce this chapter. Some of the innovative applications
music as intended by the author. The visual integrate 3-D virtual reality, complex anima-
representation of music has reached the present tions, and synchronizations, and they are already
format by means of many years of evolution. spreading in everyday life, together with many
Thus, the edition of music scores for professional emerging prototypes and tools from research
publishing and visualization is one of the earliest and development projects that explore new areas
applications of music notation on computers, and and possibilities. These new applications can be
it is mainly focussed on visual arrangement and categorised briefly as:
rendering of music symbols (Blostein & Haken,
1991; CANTATE, 1994; Selfridge-Field, 1997), • Multimedia music systems for music tuition,
(many commercial applications exist: Sibelius for example: VOYETRA, SMARTSCORE,
(http://www.sibelius.com), Finale of Coda (http:// PLAYPRO, PIANOTUTOR, IMUTUS
www.finalemusic.com/ ), Capella (Capella, 2005)). (self-tuition system for recorder in which the
Sheet music publishing requires the production pupil has the possibility of receiving sug-
of high-quality music scores, in terms of visual gestions and observing the correct posture
rendering. of the hands provided by a 3-D scene recon-
The evolution of information technology has struction) (http://www.exodus.gr/imutus/),
recently produced changes in the usage of music MUSICALIS (self-tuition system for several
representation in practice, transforming music instruments in which the user may receive
notation from a simple visual coding model for suggestions and other information) (http://
music score to a tool for modelling music in com- www.musicalis.fr/), Freehands (allowing the
puter programs and electronic tools in general. visualization and the annotation of music
In the last few years, several XML-compliant scores, http://www.freehandsystems.com/),
mark-up languages for music modelling have Yamaha tools for music education (http://
been presented (and a review is also reported in www.digitalmusicnotebook.com/home/),
this book), among them: MNML (musical nota- and so forth.
tion markup language), MusicML, MML (music • Multimedia music tools for edutainment
markup language), MusicXML (Good, 2001), and infotainment in archives such as
WEDELMUSIC (http://www.wedelmusic.org) WEDELMUSIC (integrating music notation
(Bellini, Della Santa, & Nesi, 2001; Bellini & Nesi, and multimedia for building and distributing
2001), CAPXML (Capella, 2005), and so forth. multimedia music cultural content with
Most of them are mainly focused on modelling digital rights management) (http://www.
the music elements to preserve and interchange wedelmusic.org) (Bellini, Barthelemy, Bru-
them among other applications. Past efforts for no, Nesi, & Spinu, 2003), or for producing
standardizing music notation were attempted in multimedia content to document and assist
the past with SMDL (SMDL, 1995) and NIFF the user in theatres such as in OPENDRAMA
(NIFF Consortium, 2005). Only a few of the (http://www.iua.upf.es/mtg/opendrama/).
mentioned formats can cope with part of the needs


 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

• Cooperative music editing: tools to support several problems, ranging from information mod-
rehearsals and musical practice in orchestras elling to integration of the music representation,
and music schools, such as MOODS have to be taken into account. The main problems
solution and tools (http://www.dsi.unifi. are related to the organization of music elements
it/~moods ), (Bellini Fioravanti, F., & Nesi, and symbols in a suitable and acceptable form to
1999), (Bellini, Nesi, & Spinu, 2002), and cope with the more general concepts of music ele-
now with the I-MAESTRO solution for ments and relationships with the several aspects
cooperative support for music education of audiovisual content.
and performance control integrated into Finally, there is also a need of representing
the Max/MSP environment (http://www. nonwestern music notation, such as music from
i-maestro.org) (Ong, Ng, Mitolo, & Nesi, the Far East countries (including China, Korea,
2006). Japan), Middle East (Arabia, Northern Africa),
Northern Africa, and so forth. In order to support
Many users have discovered and are attracted these music representations, the music model has
to the multimedia experience. The traditional to be kept sufficiently flexible and general.
music notation model has been, in many cases,
replaced with more suitable multimedia rep-
resentations of music. Many new applications goAls of syMbolIc MusIc
are getting the market attention. Unfortunately, representAtIon
these innovative experiences are mainly based
on incompatible technologies in which the music MPEG symbolic music representation (SMR) aims
content is recreated for each product, and for at generalizing music notation to model not only
which the information exchange between products the visual aspects of a music score, but also audio
is difficult and strongly limited to subsets of the information or annotations related with a music
notational part. The lack of a standardized sym- piece. SMR is a multilayer logical structure based
bolic music representation format, integrated with on symbolic elements that represent audiovisual
multimedia, results in each developer implement- events: the relationship between those events, and
ing their own solution that varies in efficiency, aspects of rendering those events. There are many
scope, features, quality, and complexity. Thus, a symbolic representations of music, including
new concept of multimedia interactive music is different styles of Chant, Renaissance, Classic,
growing also thanks to the MUSICNETWORK Romantic, Jazz, Rock, and Pop styles, percus-
(http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org) and sion notation, as well as simplified notations for
to the several innovative R&D projects of the children, Braille, and so forth.
European Commission: CANTATE, MOODS, The integration of SMR into the MPEG mul-
IMUTUS, WEDELMUSIC, PLAY, PLAY2, timedia framework with technologies that range
CUIDADO, I-MAESTRO, OPENDRAMA, and from video, audio, interactivity, and digital rights
so forth. management enables the development of a large
In addition to the simple representation format, number of new applications, like those mentioned
the need for a unique and comprehensive represen- earlier in this document and in Bellini et al. (Bell-
tation of music information that can be integrated ini, Nesi, & Zoia, 2005). MPEG SMR (officially
with other media has arisen. This is particularly MPEG-4 Part 23) enables the synchronization of
needed to support and enable the realization of a symbolic music elements with audiovisual events
wide range of diverse applications. To this end, that are represented and rendered using existing


MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

MPEG technology. The MPEG standards for sMr for educAtIonAl And
multimedia representation, coding, and playback edutAInMent
with SMR provide content interoperability.
With the insertion of SMR, MPEG is opening One of the most interesting applications of MPEG
the way for realising new applications for music SMR is in the area of educational applications. In
notation, mainly in the areas of entertainment, these cases, we have the integration of SMR with
edutainment, infotainment, that may be also audio, lyrics, annotations, different semantics for
exploited on set-top boxes (STB) for interactive visual and audible renderings (different notations,
TV, personal computers, and mobiles systems. parts and main scores, ancient and common west-
All of these applications of interactive multime- ern notation), synchronization with audiovisual
dia music representation may take advantage of such as video, audio, images, and also the 3-D
MPEG SMR technology for the standard mul- virtual rendering of the position of the hands and
timedia integration, presenting the possibility body (posture and/or gesture), or of the scene with
of distributing content in a variety of forms in a the actors, and so forth (see Figure 1).
completely integrated manner (see, for example, Music education and edutainment are currently
OPENDRAMA). The insertion of symbolic music the largest markets for music representation. In
representation in MPEG-4 is going to open the the same way that a text can be synchronized
usage of music representation on a large set of to images and sounds in commercial DVDs;
devices based on MPEG such as DVD players, audio, video, and music representation can be
decoders, and so forth. They have a large pen- synchronized as well, for various (or separate)
etration, and this may lead to have music scores instruments and voices, and with various models
appearing on many applications on our TV sets or rendering aspects (common western music
for interactive TV. notation, tablature, Braille, etc.).

Figure 1. A tool mock-up for exploiting MPEG SMR for education, edutainment, suitable for
assisted learning, self-learning, on i-TV, tablet PC, and so forth coded in MPEG-4 with SMR support


 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

Music courseware needs to have music rep- talked music, tablature, guitar tablatures,
resentation integrated with video, images, docu- Korean music, and so forth.
ments, animation, audio, and so forth. In addition,
a music course may present some exercises that
require special music notation symbols (e.g., Mpeg sMr Aspects
given by the teacher for annotating the student
work) and/or audio processing (e.g., play training In MPEG-4, some technologies are already avail-
assessment, theory training assessment, etc.). For able to code and render audio and graphics. SMR
these reasons, for music education and course- addresses logical and visual aspects of music, tak-
ware production, the users on the client (music ing into account what is already present in MPEG.
content usage) and server (content generation) These aspects (audio, graphics, logical, and visual)
sides may have different visual representations of are applied to symbolic elements in different ways,
the same musical model (with full access to the according to the specific implementation or distri-
same logical aspects and additional personalized bution model. Each aspect must be addressed by
or customized semantics information for visual separate chunks of information so that the SMR
and audio rendering), with full capabilities of can be rendered in different ways:
music manipulation, and a support for establish-
ing relationships and synchronizations with other • The logical aspect of SMR contains symbolic
media.. Therefore, the system and model have to elements and their relationships and depen-
provide the possibility of: dencies, without including exact spatial or
temporal information. The Logical aspect
• Navigation among music representation contains no precise, absolute values such as
features and multimedia elements. centimetres, inches, seconds, milliseconds,
• Music editing, transposing, playing, format- and so forth. The Logical aspect of music is
ting, piano reduction, and so forth. a concept that was missing so far in current
• Selection of one lyric from the collection MPEG technology.
of multilingual lyrics for the same music • The Audio aspect of SMR is the temporal
representation. information that allows the logical aspects of
• Synchronization of audiovisual events with a symbolic element to be rendered as audio.
the play/execution of music representation Audio rendering can be performed by us-
elements. ing MPEG capabilities associated to scene
• Display of the video of the teachers or of description and media “nodes,” similar to
the 3-D rendering of the correct gesture what is done in MPEG-4 structured audio
of the hands while playing the instrument (SA) (Lazzaro & Wawrzynek, 2000), another
synchronously with the music notation. subpart of the standard that allows specifying
• Playing along: automatic accompaniment sound as a combination of a sound generation
of the user by having the computer play algorithm and associated events to be “ex-
selected voices/parts. ecuted.” MPEG4-SA is based on a language
• Specific formatting of music with different for describing audio algorithms (SAOL,
quality and resolution, or for rendering on structured audio orchestra language) and
different platforms, possibly characterized can be driven by a musical score language
by different formats or by different capture (SASL, structured audio score language),
and actuation devices: Braille, spoken or as well as by simpler standard MIDI events.


MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

SMR adds to the MPEG SA solution the audio aspects are missing, the SMR Audio
capability of representing complex symbolic renderer may infer them in some way from
music content by using a logic model and a the logic aspects and some default values.
concise visual representation such as those • An SMR graphics renderer takes the
used by musicians; at the same time, it pro- Logical and Visual aspects, or Logical and
vides, through the scene description layer Graphical aspects, or Logical and Visual
(see remarks on Scene Description later on), and Graphical aspects of SMR elements,
a straightforward interoperability with MIDI and produces graphic information (through
files embedded in SA streams (possibly with MPEG-4 scene description to a graphics ap-
real SA in future) in terms of audio rendering plication program interface). If the decoder
or representation capabilities. receives insufficient visual or graphical
• The Visual aspect of SMR is abstract visual information, it may infer this information
information providing hints to decoders in some way from default values. Examples
about how to render the symbolic elements. of SMR graphics renderers are those which
The visual aspects do not care about the can produce a print out of the full score, a
client’s rendering screen or support. In com- voice-part or set of voice-parts, Braille music
mon western SMR, visual aspects include scores, special tablatures, and so forth.
the direction of a stem, the direction of the
beams, the position up or down with respect
to the note of qualifiers, the cue note, the forMAlIzAtIon of MAjor
visualisation and representation of complex requIreMents
music structures with simple symbols, and
so forth, all aspects that are missing in MIDI The requirements have been divided into the
and also in the MPEG SA. following groups:
• The Graphical aspect of SMR is the precise
spatial information that allows the logical • General requirements
aspect of a symbolic element to be rendered • Decoding and rendering (including interac-
graphically. Graphical information consists tivity) requirements
of precise coordinates, line thicknesses, • MPEG integration requirements
type and sizes, and so forth, described in
some absolute unit of measurement (e.g., The requirements are also organized in two
centimetres, inches, points, etc.). In com- main categories. Those that are mandatory (ma-
mon, western music notation, graphical jor needs), and those that are conditional (minor
information permits the detailed rendering needs).
of staff lines, clefs, sharps, and so forth, and The major general requirements are reported
all symbols in general. in the following, stating that the SMR model and
tools have to:
For example:
• Support common western symbolic music
• An SMR Audio renderer takes both the representations (CWSMR), including Classi-
Logical and Audio aspects of SMR elements cal, Romantic, Jazz, and Pop/Rock forms.
and it interfaces to audio devices in synergy • Allow coding of different representations
with other structured forms of coding (MIDI, of music, such as accessible music (spoken
MPEG SA, MPEG Text To Speech). If the music, Braille [Krolick, 2000], etc.), early


 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

European neumes, Renaissance, Baroque, while maintaining separate audio and logical
tablatures, 20th century experimental no- information.
tations, Schenkerian analysis, Orthodox
Chant, Arabic, Indian, East Asian, and so Regarding the major SMR decoding and ren-
forth. dering (including interactivity) requirements, the
• Be extensible. It must allow new symbolic SMR model and tools have to:
elements to be defined. Note that this re-
quirement also allows one to define new • Allow rendering of SMRs visually on the
symbolic elements outside the pure music basis of the logical information.
concepts, for example, for the multimedia • Allow linear browsing of SMR (for example,
annotation or other means. next/previous paging).
• Allow SMRs to be rendered both audibly • Allow rendering of SMRs as audio, on the
and visually. An SMR player may include basis of the logical information.
only audio rendering (such as spoken music, • Support SMR qualifiers and their defini-
which is a verbal description of the music tion to provide the necessary information
info, and can be also played as MIDI gen- for deducing the meaning of associated
eration), or present both visual and audio symbolic events. According to the general
aspects; the model can cope with both of requirement of scalability, SMRs may de-
them. fine default meanings, so that these can be
• Allow symbolic elements to be linked to omitted in streams and when rendering.
audio and/or visual information. • Allow full scores and sets of voice parts
• Allow interoperability in the sense that SMR and/or SMR symbolic selections to be
has to be suitable to be rendered on different transposed.
devices with different capabilities. • Allow the user to add annotations to symbolic
• Support both measured (barred) and un- elements, such as simple text, audiovisual
measured (unbarred) SMRs. objects, other symbolic elements, or simple
• Allow each symbolic element to be accessed URL links. Note that the annotation format
uniquely. This capability is essential for for SMR has to be normative, as well as the
navigating, establishing relationships among way annotations are issued by the end user;
different symbolic elements, establishing on the other hand, the ability to save/load
relationships between symbolic elements annotations will not be normative and thus,
and their audio and visual counterparts. player dependent.
• Support symbolic events such as SMR con- • Support multilingual lyrics so that content
text and change of SMR context, whose val- can be localized. Any language should be
ues may provide the necessary information modelled as a sequence of syllables (tex-
for deducing the meaning of other symbols. tual or graphical) associated with symbolic
According to the general requirement of events.
scalability, SMRs may define default values, • Enable full scores (also called main score,
so that SMR context information can be partitura) and their component voices and/or
omitted in streams and when rendering. parts to be easily related in terms of symbolic
• Be able to cope with multiple representations elements.
of pitch while preserving the original logi- • Be able to include and describe several
cal information. Note, this could be useful symbolic selections.
for modelling, transposing, and scordatura,


MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

The major requirements for the integration of • Allow decoding SMR even if the decoder is
SMR model and tools into MPEG have to: not aware of the other MPEG-4 audiovisual
object types.
• Allow SMR to be integrated into the MPEG- • Support both an XML-based and a binary
4 systems architecture with no modifications format. For example, as in the BIFS (MPEG-
and minimum additions to the other parts 4 binary format for scene description) (Kim,
of MPEG-4. Lee, & Ki, 2002) and/or XMT-A (equivalent
• Allow SMR streaming using the tools pro- extensible text format) (Joung & Kim, 2002;
vided by MPEG-4 Systems. Kim & Wood, N.D; Kim, Wood, & Cheok,
• Allow synchronizing SMR with any MPEG- 2000).
4 audiovisual object type by using the tools
provided by MPEG-4 systems such as access
units (AU), decoding time stamps (DTS), The SMR decodeR and iTS
composition time stamps (CTS), and so inTegRaTion in MPeg-4
forth.
• Support random access to symbolic elements Moving from the requirements identified previ-
without requiring complete decoding of the ously, integration of SMR into MPEG-4 allows
SMR stream or file. creation of a large range of very rich content. At
• Allow MPEG-4 audio information to be the same time, the nature of the SMR itself, a mu-
generated from the SMR. The solution will sic (then related and “synchronized” with audio)
allow both SASL and MIDI generation and format rendered by visual and graphic symbols
subsequent decoding and presentation via and possibly, at the same time, by structured
MPEG-4 audio decoder. audio events, implies several relationships with

Figure 2. MPEG-4 Player Architecture containing SMR

MPEG-4 player
AAC Decoder BIFS Scene
AAC Decoder

MPEG-4 SMR Decoder MusicScore

Content
with
DMIF

SMR SA Decoder AudioSource

coded
inside
…… Sensors End user
Figure 2 – MPEG-4 Player Architecture containing
and other SMR
BIFS nodes
SA Decoder

19
 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

Figure 3. MPEG SMR decoder

SMR Decoder
User Input,
fields value, etc.
Sync. info SMR
Manager
Symbolic
music info, Music
events
MPEG-SMR Score
Stream Node

Binary decoder

SMR renderer
from dMIf sMr
SMR
Model decoder
Composition
buffer
Memory

SMR
Rendering
Rules

other existing tools in order to fully exploit its The player uses the MusicScore SMR node
potential richness. (a node is the basic element of MPEG-4 scene
Fundamental among these relationships, al- description hierarchical trees) to attach the sym-
lowing composition and synchronization with bolic music information to the scene (or even by
all other media types, is, of course, the one with exploiting functionality of other MPEG-4 BIFS
MPEG-4 systems and the tightly related scene nodes) as decoded by the SMR decoder. The
description parts. Systems carries all the necessary user can also interact with the SMR content (to
configuration and synchronisation information, change a page, view, transpose, and so on) using
the media streaming-data structures, and the sensors in association with other nodes defining
possibility to encapsulate all this information in the audiovisual interactive content, and routing
an adequate file format; the Scene Description them to MusicScore. The user sends commands
allows, instead, an audiovisual layout design in from the SMR node fields to the SMR decoder
space and time through a mark-up language. (dashed lines in the figure), which generates a new
As mentioned earlier, it is straightforward to view to be displayed in the scene. In addition, the
enhance the richness and flexibility of the SMR user client tool automatically converts MIDI files
toolset by direct usage of MIDI, this being a (through a specific algorithm) into SMR on the
protocol based on symbolic information (even if client side and renders them. Similarly, the server
not notation information, as noted previously); a might only deliver the SMR. In these cases, the
native support inside MPEG-4 SA (through which client can generate the MIDI information from
MIDI information can be carried over MPEG-4) SMR for use with MIDI-compliant devices. This
allows this synergy; the SMR decoder provides is particularly important to guarantee straightfor-
a direct support of SA streams containing MIDI ward adaptation of current devices.
object (see Figure 2). The general architecture of an SMR decoder
Figure 2 shows a simple example of an MPEG- is presented in Figure 3.
4 player supporting MPEG-4 SMR.

0
MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

An SMR decoder is instantiated as a conse- It specifies a rule-based formatting language and

quence of the opening of an SMR elementary engine that is used to describe sets of rules and
stream or file, which also contains the configura- conditions interpreted in real time by an infer-
tion in its header. Then the decoder is capable of ential engine at the moment that the position of
parsing the decoder configuration information symbols have to be estimated. The SM-FL rules
into its chunk components, decoding and using define formatting actions: they assign specific
them. The decoder is capable of coping with sev- values to specific parameters related to the visual
eral chunks: main score, single parts, formatting rendering of the music symbols. For example,
rules, synchronisation information, lyrics, and a rule states that the stem is characterized by a
fonts (or even MIDI files). given length, or by a model to estimate its length
on the basis of the position. The actions to be
performed are activated by the conditions based
score renderIng on the music context of the symbol that is under
evaluation. These conditions are expressed in
The rendering engine can process the SMR in- terms of conditional sentences, and allow identify-
formation, represented through SM-XF (for SMR ing a music scenario (configuration/arrangement
extensible format) chunks, on the basis of the of music elements). For example, a conditional
formatting rules to produce the resulting output sentence recognising a certain music scenario
of the SMR in the visual and audible domains. For could consist in the conjunction of conditions for
the visual rendering, the model and algorithms detecting if a note does not belong to a chord, that
described in Bellini et al. (Bellini, Bruno, & Nesi, is, nonpolyphonic, and present a height within a
2005) is used. certain range. The verification of a music scenario
The formatting engine for SMR rendering and described by a conditional sentence leads to the
sheet music production is divided into two main application of a certain formatting rule to the
systems: the insertion and positioning engine, and symbol under evaluation.
the justification and line-breaking module (see When the SM-FL engine for the automatic
Figure4). In Figure 4, the general architecture of formatting is activated, the process of placing a
formatting and justification engines is shown. The symbol in the score involves some computation of
rendered music score is both the source and the conditions, and activates the corresponding rules.
result of the formatting and justification engines. The conditions depend on the music context. For
In an SMR tool, the music score is modelled by example, the stem direction of notes may depend
using an object-oriented model, including main on the note height in the staff. In the object-ori-
score and part within the same model. The parts ented model, there are permanent parameters;
are used to build the main score. The additional therefore, the value is computed only once at the
information for the main score organization very insertion of the symbol in the score or on
is contained in a separate file. Music notation demand. Furthermore, dynamic parameters are
symbols retain all the relationships among the computed every time the rendered image of the
notation symbols and music structure in general, score is produced. This is very important when
disregarding the values of graphic details concern- the score is visualized in a computer window (or
ing the music formatting on the rendering device in any resizable window of a device); whereas it
(e.g., absolute or relative coordinates). is less important when the goal of the algorithm
The MPEG symbolic music formatting lan- is to arrange the score for producing a music sheet
guage (SM-FL) is defined to allow describing the or an image.
insertion point and positioning of music symbols.


 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

Figure 4. General architecture of an SMR decoder formatting engine

SMR Stream or file

SM -FL Save/
Music Editor SM R
Load
Image of Score

INSERT Insertion
OBJECT
and
Context Evaluation ORIEN TED
Positioning
Engine MODEL
Line
Breaking
DRAW Module
Justification
Module

In order to make the process of music score ation. For example, the stem height, the starting
visualization shorter, the SM-FL formatting position of the slur, and so forth.
engine has been conceived as being made up of Conditions and rules are written in SM-FL
two parts: language and are included within a unique file
loaded when the decoder is invoked. The entire
• The Insertion Engine evaluates permanent set of SM-FL rules and conditions can be re-
parameters and it is invoked every time a loaded/resent so as to permit the possibility of
new music element is added to the model, changing rules and reapplying them to the same
mainly in the authoring phase. music score.
• The Positioning Engine is invoked every time Parameters related to the visualization of SM-
the rendering of the music score has to be XF information are computed by the decoder in
redrawn (for example, on image resizing or real time on the basis of the SM-FL Positioning
on score scrolling). This allows estimation of conditions. Some formatting parameters of the
the dynamic parameters related to symbols music notation symbols (for example, direction of
positioning. the note stems) may be stored in the SM-FL and
expressed in terms of simple symbolic relation-
The formatting engine estimates the context ships (for example, flipping up/down the stem,
needed in order to assess the conditions, according above and below for expressions concerning the
to the music notation symbol involved. To perform note they are referred to). This is useful in order
the context evaluation, the SM-FL engine makes to cope with exceptions instead of computing
queries to the object-oriented model of music. The them on the basis of SM-FL rules at run time.
context evaluation permits the identification of The context evaluation and the estimation of po-
rules to be applied for setting the parameters of sitioning parameters are based on the analysis of
the symbol being inserted or positioned with the other music symbols in the score. Therefore, the
appropriate values. Each activated rule points at rendering is strictly dependent on the positioning
the value to be set for the parameter under evalu- engine of the formatting engine.

22
MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

The parameters set by the justification engine that a seamless integration is possible, and that
are the spaces between the score symbols. They music, and more precisely any music notation,
are not related to the formatting parameters set could greatly benefit from this integration. On
with SM-FL rules since the SM-FL estimates only the other hand, MPEG SMR may become a way
relative displacements with respect to the other for multimedia frameworks, and particularly
symbols. When music symbols are horizontally MPEG, to express a great potential in the domain
spaced by the justification module and formatted of music enjoyment and fruition, and particularly
by SM-FL positioning engine, the line-breaking in widespread market areas like music education
module is capable of arranging music score in order and practice.
to fill the page/view margins. The three modules Further information on MPEG SMR can be
set different parameters, thus contributing to the found on the Web pages of the MPEG interest
resulting visualization of the music score on the group on SMR: http://www.interactivemusicne
computer screen as well as on the print page. twork.org/mpeg-ahg. From this URL, you have
access to a large collection of documents on re-
quirements, scenarios, examples, and links.
conclusIon

Integration of symbolic music representation AcKnoWledgMent

(SMR) in multimedia frameworks, and par-
ticularly in MPEG, is opening a way to realize a We would like to acknowledge everybody who has
large set of new music-based applications in the participated in the discussions on the reflector of
areas of education, entertainment, and cultural the MPEG ad-hoc group on SMR, and members
development. Most of these applications are not of the MUSICNETWORK WG on music notation
available yet on many devices accessible to the and everyone who have attended joined meetings
mass population, such as I-TV, mobiles, and so of MPEG and MUSICNETWORK. Special thanks
forth, while those available on PC are not based to (in no particular order): Jerome Barthelemy,
on standard content formats. This constrains con- Kia Ng, Tom White, James Ingram, Martin Ross,
tent producers to reshape any functionality from Eleanor Selfridge Filed, Neil McKenzie, David
scratch by creating specific solutions adapted to Crombie, Hartmut Ring, Tillmann Weyde, Jacques
each tool. This represents a strong limitation for Steyn, Steve Newcomb, Perry Roland, Matthew
the diffusion of music culture and knowledge and Dovey, and many, many others. Apologies to many
for the market of music education. Moreover, the more who have not been mentioned. Part of the
integration of SMR in MPEG permits creative development on SMR has been performed under
developers to implement and distribute new, the i-Maestro EC IST project co-supported by the
extended functionality that can be made acces- European Commission under the 6th Framework
sible to a larger number of citizens, enabling the Programme.
development of a huge number of completely new
applications in several domains, from education
through distance learning, to rehearsal and musi- references
cal practice at home, and any imaginable form of
music enjoyment. Bellini, P., Barthelemy, J., Bruno, I., Nesi, P., &
Some of these new applications have been Spinu, M. B., (2003). Multimedia music sharing
presented, and issues related to integration in among mediateques: Archives and distribution
MPEG have been discussed. We have shown


 MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

to their attendees. Journal on Applied Artificial CUIDADO project. Processing of music and
Intelligence. Retrieved from http://www.wedel- Mpeg7. Retrieved from http://www.ircam.fr/cui-
music.org dad/
Bellini, P., Bruno, I., & Nesi, P., (2005). Auto- Finale of Coda. Retrieved from http://www.
matic formatting of music sheets through MILLA finalemusic.com/
rule-based language and engine. Journal of New
Freehand. Retrieved from http://www.freehand-
Music Research.
systems.com/
Bellini, P., Della Santa, R., & Nesi, P. (2001,
Good, M. (2001). MusicXML for notation and
November 23-24). Automatic formatting of
analysis. In W. B. Hewlett & E. Selfridge-Field
music sheet. In Proceedings of the First In-
(Eds.), The virtual score representation, retrieval,
ternational Conference on WEB Delivering of
restoration (pp. 113-124). Cambridge, MA: The
Music, WEDELMUSIC-2001 Florence, Italy (pp.
MIT Press. Retrieved from http://www.recordare.
170-177) .
com
Bellini, P., Fioravanti, F., & Nesi, P. (1999).
I-MAETRO project. EC IST FP6. Retrieved from
Managing music in orchestras. IEEE Computer,
http://www.i-maestro.org
September, 26-34. Retrieved from http://www.
dsi.unifi.it/~moods/ IMUTUS project. Retrieved from http://www.
exodus.gr/imutus/
Bellini, P., Nesi, P., & Spinu, M. B. (2002). Co-
operative visual manipulation of music notation. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 W6689. Call for pro-
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interac- posals on symbolic music representation, Audio
tion, 9(3), 194-237. Subgroup, July 2004, Redmond, USA.
Bellini, P., & Nesi, P., (2001, November 23-24). Joung, Y., & Kim, K. (2002, December). An
WEDELMUSIC FORMAT: An XML music XMT API for generation of the MPEG-4 scene
notation format for emerging applications. In description. In Proceedings of the Tenth ACM
Proceedings of the 1st International Conference International Conference on Multimedia.
of Web Delivering of Music Florence, Italy (pp.
Kim, K., Lee, I., & Ki, M. (2002, December).
79-86) .
Interactive contents authoring system based on
Bellini, P., Nesi, P., & Zoia, G. (2005). Symbolic XMT and BIFS. In Proceedings of the Tenth ACM
music representation in MPEG for new multimedia International Conference on Multimedia.
applications. IEEE Multimedia.
Kim, M., & Wood, S. XMT: MPEG-4 textual
Blostein, D., & Haken, L. (1991). Justification format for cross-standard interoperability. Re-
of printed music. Communications of the ACM, trieved from http://www.research.ibm.com/
34(3), 88-99. mpeg4/Projects/XMTInterop.htm
CANTATE project. (1994). Deliverable 3.3: Re- Kim, M., Wood, S., & Cheok, L. T.. (2000,
port on SMDL evaluation, WP3. Retrieved from November). Extensible MPEG-4 textual format
http://projects.fnb.nl (XMT). International Multimedia Conference.
In Proceedings of the 2000 ACM workshops on
Capella. (2005). CAPXML. Retrieved from
Multimedia.
http://www.whc.de/capella.cfm


MPEG Symbolic Music Representation: A Solution for Multimedia Music Applications

Krolick B. (2000). New international manual of Pierfrancesco Bellini (Eds.), In Proceedings of

braille music notation, braille music. Subcom- the AXMEDIS2006 International Conference on
mittee of the World Blind Union. Retrieved from Automated Production of Cross Media Content
http://www.opustec.com/products/newintl/new- for Multi-channel Distribution, 2nd i-Maestro
print.html Workshop (pp. 87-91). Firenze, Italy: Firenze
University Press.
Lazzaro, J., & Wawrzynek, K. (2000). MPEG-4
structured audio. Retrieved from http://www. OPENDRAMA project. Retrieved from http://
cs.berkeley.edu/~lazzaro/sa/book/index.html= www.iua.upf.es/mtg/opendrama/
MOODS project. Retrieved from http://www.dsi. Pereira, F., & Ebrahimi, T. (Eds.). (2002). The
unifi.it/~moods MEPG-4 Book. IMSC Press.
MPEG ISO SMR group web page. Retrieved Selfridge-Field E. (Ed.). (1997). Beyond MIDI—
from http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org/ The handbook of musical codes. London: The
mpeg-ahg MIT Press.
MUSICALIS project. Retrieved from http://www. SIBELIUS. Retrieved from http://www.sibelius.
musicalis.fr/ com
NIFF Consortium. (1995). NIFF 6a: Notation SMDL. (1995). ISO/IEC, standard music descrip-
interchange file format. tion language. ISO/IEC DIS 10743.
Ong, B., Ng, K., Mitolo, N., & Nesi, P. (2006). WEDELMUSIC project and tools. Retrieved from
i-Maestro: Interactive multimedia environments http://www.wedelmusic.org
for music education. In Kia Ng, Atta Badii, &




Chapter III
XML Music Notation
Modelling for Multimedia:
MPEG-SMR

Pierfrancesco Bellini
University of Florence, Italy

AbstrAct

The evolution of information technology has changed the use of music representation and notation in
software applications, transforming and extending them from a simple visual coding model for music
scores into a tool for modelling music for computer programs and electronic devices in general (e.g.,
keyboards), to support the exploitation of the multimedia characteristics lying behind music notation and
representation. The MPEG symbolic music representation (MPEG-SMR) is a new emerging standard
for modelling music notation within the MPEG multimedia framework. MPEG-SMR provides an XML-
based language to model most of the music notation in terms of the visual and audio aspects, as well
as music score annotations. MPEG-SMR also provides a language to define the music score formatting
rules, supporting personalisation for the score visual presentation, custom symbols, and control visual
rendering of the common notation symbols.

IntroductIon Music notation is an abstraction of the music. Not

all performers use notations, and music notations
Music in multimedia applications and frameworks have many different styles and forms. Currently,
is often considered only for its audible dimen- multimedia tools frequently use simple symbolic
sions, while neglecting the important issues on representations of music to represent the produc-
the representation of the symbolic aspects. This tion of sound/music – for example, notes produced
could be due to historical cultural effects, since by an instrument.
many popular and earlier multimedia tools are built Notations for the representation of music sym-
for entertainment applications, and not focused bols have been developed over the years and ages
on education, preservation, or research purposes. to visually represent the pieces of information

Copyright © 2008, IGI Global, distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
XML Music Notation Modelling for Multimedia: MPEG-SMR

needed by a performer to play the music piece (integrating music notation and multimedia
and reproduce the music as the author/composer to build and distribute multimedia-music
intended. The production of music notation scores cultural content with digital rights manage-
for professional publishing on paper is one of the ment), or to produce multimedia content for
most traditional applications of music notation on theatres: OPENDRAMA (http://www.iua.
computers (Blostein & Haken, 1991; Rader, 1996; upf.es/mtg/opendrama/);
Selfridge-Field, 1997). • Cooperative music editing, such as in
The evolution of multimedia applications is MOODS (http://www.dsi.unifi.it/~moods),
accelerating relevant changes in the usages of (Bellini, Fioravanti, & Nesi, 1999; Bellini,
music representation and notation in computer- Nesi, & Spinu, 2002), and more recently us-
based applications. Nowadays, it is no longer ing MAX/MSP with I-MAESTRO project
unusual to see music notation and modelling (http://www.i-maestro.org).
integrated into professional and educational music/
audio applications (Bellini & Nesi, 2004; Byrd, Most of the applications mentioned are based
1984). In the past, several XML-based languages on a multimedia music content format that is
for music modelling have been proposed, including specific for each product. This is why any infor-
MNML (Musical Notation Markup Language), mation exchange among the products can be so
MusicML, MML (Music Markup Language), difficult, and it is strongly restricted to subsets
MusicXML (Good, 2001), WEDELMUSIC (http:// of the notational part, for example, in MIDI. The
www.wedelmusic.org) (Bellini & Nesi, 2001; lack of standardized symbolic music representa-
Bellini, Della Santa, & Nesi, 2001), CAPXML tion integrated with multimedia content results in
(Capella, 2005), and so forth. Past efforts for music each developer/company implementing their own
notation standardization were SMDL (SMDL, solution, which may vary in efficiency, scope,
1995) and NIFF (NIFF, 2005). Most of them are features, quality, and complexity.
mainly focused on modelling the music elements In this context, the MUSICNETWORK (http://
to preserve and interchange the notation format www.interactivemusicnetwork.org) project began
and information among different applications in 2002 to support a group of experts to identify
(for editing and rendering of music scores), rather a standard format for music representation for
than to provide features that could support the multimedia applications. The MUSICNETWORK
integration of music notation with multimedia, started to work with ISO MPEG on the SMR
for example, synchronisation with audiovisual (symbolic music representation), as described
and 3-D rendering, references and hyperlinks, in another chapter of this book. The integration
multilingual lyrics, automatic formatting and of SMR in MPEG multimedia framework, with
rendering, and so forth. These features are clearly technologies ranging from video, audio, interac-
required and can be seen in tools from industrial tivity, and digital rights management, has enabled
projects, and R&D areas: the development of many new applications like
those mentioned earlier and in Bellini, Nesi and
• Multimedia music for music tuition, such as Zoia (2005).
VOYETRA, SMARTSCORE, PLAYPRO, An overview of the MPEG-SMR standard is
MUSICALIS. presented in this chapter.
• Multimedia music for edutainment and
infotainment, such as WEDELMUSIC


 XML Music Notation Modelling for Multimedia: MPEG-SMR

MPEG syMbolic Music Interactivity features that may be implemented

rEPrEsEntation by an SMR-enabled MPEG-4 player are specified
in an amendment to the BIFS (BInary Format
The MPEG symbolic music representation (SMR), for Scene representation) specification (ISO/IEC
as specified in ISO/IEC 14496-23, is composed 14496-11:2005 AMD5), which is used to describe
of three different languages: the multimedia scene.

• The Symbolic Music Extensible Format

(SM-XF) to encode main score, single parts, sM-XF: syMbolic Music
and lyrics. EXtEnsiblE ForMat
• The Symbolic Music Formatting Language
(SM-FL) to customize music formatting Symbolic music extensible format is an XML
style. application for encoding main scores, single
• The Symbolic Music Synchronization In- parts, as well as multilingual lyrics. In Figure 2,
formation (SM-SI) that is used to provide a simplified UML diagram of the SMR model is
synchronization information with the mul- presented. At an abstract level, the main score
timedia scene. consists of single parts, each single part consists
of a sequence of measures, and each measure
Figure 1 shows the relationships among the consists of parallel layers containing sequences
SMR data in the event of a music score with three of notes, rests, and other timed and untimed
parts, and how the SMR data is used by an MPEG- symbols that are organized horizontally on a
4 player to produce a synchronized multimedia staff. Each symbol (e.g., notes, rests, chords, etc.)
presentation. Both SM-XF and SM-FL are XML can be associated with some qualifier symbols to
languages defined using XML schemas, while
SM-SI is binary encoded.

Figure 1. Example of structure and relationship among MPEG-SMR data and how a SMR enabled
MPEG-4 player should use it

MPEG-SMR data
SM-XF Music Score Model (SM-XF) MPEG-4
Main
Score
Lyrics
SM-XF
Music Score
Single SM-XF

Part SM-XF Lyrics

Single
Part SM-XF

Single SM-XF

Part SM-XF Lyrics

SM-FL Music Score Multimedia scene

Formatting Font Visual Formatting
Rules (SM-FL)
Traviata – act II
File

SM-SI Music Score

Synch. Synchronization
Info (SM-SI)

AVC Video

28
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
fifty years ago, that a great decline has taken place in the production
of religious books. This decline is observable not only in the old-
fashioned religious publications which were looked upon as
belonging to the classics, but also in the more modern productions
of a like character. These latter sold by their thousands, but the
demand for both appears at the present to have nearly passed away,
and their sale is now of the most limited description.
In an attempt to account for this decline more or less plausible
reasons have been adduced, but the most forcible, perhaps, is, that
just now there is no religious wave passing over the country, nor are
there any great ecclesiastics who have time or who consider it part
of their duty to be continually issuing books on purely religious
subjects. Add to this the fact that trade frequently runs in cycles,
with the effect that the depression in this particular class of literature
is just now at its lowest point. When this is so, something often
occurs to bring it back again to its normal condition, and this may
prove to be the case in the production and sale of religious books.
A potent factor in this depression is undoubtedly the growth of
independent thought, which was such a marked characteristic in the
latter part of the nineteenth century. The influence of Puritanism,
which so deeply affected English life, and which in past ages
permeated the action and thought of this country, has now nearly
spent itself, so the sale of old Puritan books has almost ceased.
During that period the noblest characters were moulded from those
appearing in the Bible; these are now shaped more by education
and culture. Whether this will be to the advantage of the nation,
must be left for a future generation to decide.
There is much truth in the remark that the literature of a nation
largely indicates the disposition of its people; but this observation
scarcely applies to the religious side of our national life, for, although
there has been a great decline in the issue of religious books, the
activity of nearly all sections of the Christian Church during the same
period has been most marked. The result of this is the establishment
by the various religious denominations of special publishing
departments for their own particular class of religious works. They
have also weekly and monthly periodicals which circulate amongst
their own people and through their own channels; and although
these with their books do not in all cases come through the ordinary
distributing agencies, and are not always recorded in the return of
books issued during the year, yet, even taking all this into account,
there is undoubtedly a great decline in the issue of religious works.
For some years previous to this period many of our religious writers
were at the height of their popularity and their books were having
immense sales. Much of this success was due to the writers'
influence in the pulpit. Among the most prominent was the Rev. J.R.
Macduff, whose first and best known book, and the one that had the
longest vitality, was "The Faithful Promiser." Originally written with
the intention of being sent only to his old friends as a memento of
his connexion with the parish he had just left, it found favour with a
much larger public who eagerly purchased edition after edition until
hundreds of thousands of copies were sold. Next in popularity was
his "Morning and Night Watches," which also had an enormous sale,
and his "Memories of Bethany," the sale of which ran into many
thousands. All the books of this author were more or less successful
(and he was a most voluminous writer), but the sale of the majority
has now very greatly decreased, while some are seldom, if ever,
inquired for.
Dean Goulburn's "Thoughts on Personal Religion" was once to be
found in every bookseller's shop throughout the kingdom, and at the
height of its popularity had an annual sale of nearly ten thousand
copies; now its circulation is of a very limited character. This was one
of the books which Mr. Gladstone generally gave to the young men
who were fortunate enough to come within his sphere of influence.
Another author whose books were formerly very popular was Bishop
Oxenden. The one which had the biggest sale was "The Pathway of
Safety," but most of his works sold by their tens of thousands.
Mention should also be made of those by the Rev. Horatius Bonar,
especially his "Hymns of Faith and Hope," each volume as it
appeared passing through many editions.
The following names will bring back to many readers the titles of
books which have been appreciated by young as well as old: the
Rev. John Angell James, the Rev. Newman Hall (over a million of the
latter's "Come to Jesus" have been disposed of), Miss Havergal, Miss
Marsh, the Rev. James Hamilton, the Rev. W. Jay, and the Rev. C.H.
Spurgeon. These names represent a few only out of the many
writers of religious books which were then popular. Most of them
have greatly decreased sales, while others have fallen out altogether
and are probably quite unknown to the present generation. There
were also issued about this time many religious works published
anonymously. These caused a great stir, and met with an extensive
demand. Amongst them were "Able to Save," "Pathway of Promise,"
"Meet for Heaven," "Throne of Grace," "Heaven our Home," but, like
the works already noticed, they have also run their course.
The first half of the Victorian era was apparently the Golden Age for
religious books, for besides those writers who issued their books
independently there was at this period a large number of separate
series and libraries in vogue which contained reissues of most of the
leading works by the old divines.
To show the variety and range of these issues, a selected few might
here be mentioned. The most important amongst them were "The
Christian's Family Library." This was under the editorship of the Rev.
Edward Bickersteth, and consisted of about fifty-two volumes, all of
a theological character. Another was the "Biblical Cabinet," issued by
Clark, of Edinburgh, in forty-six volumes. The "Lady's Closet Library"
contained volumes on "The Marys," "The Marthas," "The Lydias,"
"The Hannahs," etc., of Scripture; "The Christian's Fireside Library,"
in which were such books as Bigg's "Handbook of Popery" and
McIlvaine's "Evidences of Christianity"; "The Library of Christian
Biography," edited by Rev. Robert Bickersteth, was another
important series, whose general title indicates the class of literature
it contained. Under the editorship of such well-known men as Dr.
Pye Smith, Robert Southey, and James Montgomery, a series of
"Sacred Classics" were very popular: so also was "The London
Theological Library," containing such representative works as
Lardner's "Credibility of Gospel History" and Milner's "Church of
Christ."
The following titles of a few series out of many may be of interest:
"Protestant's Sound Literature," "Pickering's Christian Classics,"
"Library of Puritan Divines," "The Sacred Family Library," "The
Spiritual Library," and "The Practical Christian's Library." In most of
these libraries there appeared an edition of some of these old-
fashioned and now almost obsolete religious books represented by
the following titles: Boston's "Crook in the Lot," Sutton's "Learning to
Live, and Learning to Die," Ken's "Divine Love," Taylor's "Holy Living
and Dying," Watson's "Apology," Baxter's "Saints' Rest," Magee on
"The Atonement," Paley's "Evidences," and Law's "Serious Call."
Most of these have now a very flickering existence, while for others
there is no market whatever. How truly the wise and eloquent words
of Bishop Carpenter in his Hulsean Lectures illustrate the reputation
and influence of many of the writers of religious books, both ancient
and modern, and of the books themselves, some of these having a
vitality only during their authors' lives, while others, like their
writers, shed influence through succeeding generations. The Bishop
says:

"She [History] measures men not by the tawdry reputations of

the hour, but by the influence they can diffuse; she watches the
circling wave which forms as men cast their force into the great
ocean of life, and she measures their power by the life of that
wave; and she finds that few—few indeed—have been able to
spread their influences beyond their age; she notes many
exalted to the skies, and she sees that in the next generation
their name is clean put out; she measures the greatness of men
as men do the height of mountains, by the length of the
shadows they cast upon the surface of the world; and,
 measuring thus, she bids those whose influence lives through
the ages to sit like gods among the hills of time."

It is intended here to consider only those works or writers which

were of a popular character. It would therefore be out of place to
record the various volumes of sermons, biographies, or theological
treatises on the various systems which have more or less occupied
the attention of the religious world, and have to a large extent
shaped the character of many of our denominations. In passing,
however, it may be of interest to direct attention to that vast array of
literature which sprang into existence through the religious
controversies which have to a large extent influenced the English
Church.
The greatest of these was that known as the Tractarian Movement,
and centred round the illustrious names of Keble, Newman, and
Pusey. An extensive library might be formed of the works brought
forth by this polemic controversy. The publication of "Essays and
Reviews," Seeley's "Ecce Homo," Gladstone's "Vatican Decrees," and
"Lux Mundi," edited by Canon Gore, also produced a flood of
literature which has left an indelible mark on religious thought and
practice. To these may probably be traced that diffusion of religious
influence which has entered into so many branches of our literature
and even to our fiction.
Another branch of religious literature which shows a conspicuous
decline is that of "Family Prayers." Years ago, no bookseller's shop
would be complete without a copy of Oxenden's, Bickersteth's,
Villiers', or Thornton's "Family Prayers"; and such old-fashioned
volumes as Hawker's "Daily Portion," "The New Week's Preparation,"
Jenk's "Devotions," Fletcher's "Family Devotion," and the "Family
Prayers" of Toplady and Reven, were all in constant demand. With
these are associated a number of volumes of private devotion,
Bishop Wilson's "Sacra Privata" and "Pietas Quotidiana" being the
most popular. These, like the "Family Prayers," show a great decline
both in their production and sale. It is difficult to suggest a reason
for this decline other than that of the general evolution in religious
thought which is continually changing the course of human progress
and action. Religion is undoubtedly the greatest factor in influencing
the character of a nation, so from this foundation there will probably
spring up in the future a broad, reasonable, and intelligent class of
writings which in their development and thought will be more
cosmopolitan than doctrinal, and which will deserve to be classed as
English literature.
In comparing the educational literature of this period the changes
have also been very great; those were the days when the works
edited by Dr. Smith took the lead in the higher branches of
education. Colenso's Arithmetic was the most popular book on that
subject, while Cornwell's Geography and his other books were great
sellers. The "Child's Guide to Knowledge" sold in its thousands,
Chambers's educational books were very popular, as were also
Brewer's Guides, "Stepping Stones to Knowledge," Weale's Series,
Pinnock's, Guy's, and Wilson's Catechisms and Gleig's School Series.
Of not quite the same character but greatly used for educational
purposes were "Line upon Line" and "Peep of Day." Of the latter,
some 250,000 copies were sold in the early days of its publication.
Spelling books were then a most important part of educational
literature, the most popular being Butter's, but the following also
had large sales, Guy's, Mavor's and Vyse's. The copyright of Vyse's
sold for £2,500, with an annuity to the author of £50 per year. The
change in this class of educational literature has been very great.
It was in 1864 that the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
announced that their books could now be obtained by booksellers on
favourable terms. This was also the first year of the publication of
"The Statesman's Year Book," which has had a continuous, and I
hope will have a lasting, success. There were also many libraries
which had large sales and were very popular. Among them were
Hurst and Blackett's, Bentley's Standard Library, Select Library of
Fiction, Run and Read Library, Railway Library, Parlour Library,
Travellers' Library, Home and Colonial Library, Bohn's Various
Libraries, The Cottage Library, consisting of some 300 volumes,
Lardner's Scientific Library, and Beale's Sixpenny Library. Most of our
older poets had at this period very large sales; but, like other things,
there has been a great change in poetry, not only in the style of
writing but also in the ideals, which are more lofty and inspiring and
are far above such writers as Cowper, Longfellow, Moore, Tupper
and others who at this period were very popular.
About this time the following Magazines were started, and they all
had a considerable popularity and very large sales, but, strangely
enough, they have now all ceased to exist: "The Sunday Magazine,"
of which over one hundred thousand of the first number was sold,
"Good Words," also selling largely, "The Argosy," "Aunt Judy's
Magazine," "Belgravia," "London Society," "Tinsley's Magazine,"
edited by Anthony Trollope, and "The Broadway." Number one had a
sale of over 100,000 copies.
In 1865 "The Fortnightly Review" was started under the editorship of
G.H. Lewes. From that time onward it has maintained a reputation
for scholarly, intellectual and scientific articles and is always up to
date upon all subjects of the day.
In looking back, it is interesting to note the change in the character
of book illustrations. Formerly, especially at Christmas time, there
was a large output of well-illustrated books, principally in black and
white, and there were then few illustrations printed in colour. The
illustrations of Gustave Doré must take the first place as
commanding the greatest public attention. Among other popular
illustrators of this period were John Tenniel, Birket Foster, Selous, T.
Leighton, G.J. Pinwell, Noel Humphreys, J.E. Millais, John Gilbert,
Arthur Hughes, Kate Greenaway, Richard Doyle, A.B. Houghton,
Sidney Cooper, and the brothers Dalziel, who were also great
producers of the printing blocks.
Another of the leading features of the trade was the immense sale of
Birthday Books, from Shakespeare to Tennyson. Every poet with a
reputation had a compilation made from his writings for which there
was always a receptive public. One of the most fascinating and
lasting of juvenile books popular at this time was "Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland." The larger part of the first edition of this book was
sold to an American publisher so that a second edition could be
quickly announced; that was probably a wise policy and helped to
draw attention to the value of the book.
During this and the following years, many authors had great
reputations which to-day have almost ceased. The books of most of
them have long been out of print, and are almost forgotten except
by those who lived during the middle of the nineteenth century. I
would instance "A.L.O.E.," who had some fifty books in circulation,
the author of "Mary Powell," who issued some twenty-four popular
stories, the Rev. J.C. Ryle, Hugh Miller, Mrs. Webb, William and Mary
Howitt, Artemus Ward, Mrs. Sewell, R.M. Ballantyne, Samuel Smiles,
Miss Yonge, James Grant, Mayne Reid, John Timbs, S. Baring-Gould,
Mrs. Carey Brock, Mrs. Gatty, and many others. Some of the
novelists who have come to stay had at this period very large sales.
Among them, of course, were Dickens, Thackeray, Scott, C. Kingsley,
Miss Braddon, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, and others who, I
think, laid a foundation which was very helpful to our later novelists;
but it is quite a question whether a new departure is not now
developing and that the novel of to-day deals more particularly with
the practical events of everyday life and the effect they have upon
the moral and spiritual development of the nation.
When Paternoster Square took the place of Newgate Market in 1872,
it was quite anticipated that this position would be occupied entirely
by publishers and thus form a centre for the trade, but at present
this hope has not been realized. During these years great changes
took place in Paternoster Row, many of the old buildings giving place
to new ones of greater architectural beauty. The following houses
are at the present time examples of the improvements which took
place by rebuilding: Longmans, Blackwoods, Nelsons, Aldine
Chambers. Other changes and improvements are in progress to-day.
The Oxford University Press took over the business of the Oxford
Bible Warehouse, with what success may be judged by its palatial
buildings and business in Amen Corner and Ave Maria Lane, to which
it moved in 1883.
There has also been a great change in books besides those
previously mentioned, from the superficial gentility of the middle and
later part of the Victorian era, to the common-sense practical way
we now have of reasoning out the social and political events of the
day. This change, if guided by proper thought and consideration for
others, will undoubtedly lead to a better and happier England. There
are, however, still many changes required, especially in the making
and selling of books; and it is to be hoped that by a greater union
and more harmony and uniformity in the trade, a more general
prosperity will be associated with it, and that many of the disputes
and difficulties, often more imaginary than real, will be avoided. It
appears to me that the shortest way to attain these ideals will be a
central control consisting of representatives of both masters and
men in the publishing and bookselling trade, who will settle disputes
and whose aim will be to see that a satisfactory profit is realized by
the various interests represented. This question has been more fully
dealt with in a later chapter.
The Elementary Education Act which was passed by W.E. Forster in
1870 created a great change in the educational literature of this
period, the sum asked for in Parliament in 1871 being about one and
a half million pounds. What the future educational grant will be, it is
impossible to say, though it is to be hoped that it will make as great
an improvement in the people as it has done in educational
literature.
Another noticeable fact in connexion with books is the few foreign
books—especially French—which are now translated and issued in
this country. The following authors at this early period had very large
sales: Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Figuier, Erckmann-Chatrian and
others.
It was in July, 1869, that Simpkin, Marshall & Co. gave their first and
last dinner in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
present building in Stationers' Hall Court, at which the then head of
the firm, Mr. John Miles, presided. It was a most social and happy
event, and I wish the celebration had been continued. I remember
that one of the old hands, William Griffiths, sang a song of his own
composition which showed the good feeling then existing between
employer and employed. I can only give one of the verses:
"Then here's success to Simpkin's Firm and may they always
find,
In studying their interest us ever of one mind;
May their connexion far and wide extend the globe around,
And as each year shall onward roll may all of us be found
In this fine new house I'm singing of,
One of the olden time."
to which I certainly say Amen.
Before Simpkin, Marshall & Co. added to their premises the building
which now runs into Ave Maria Lane, these were occupied by a
competing wholesale firm named Whittaker & Co. The two houses
were on good terms, and, when out of stock of certain books, we
could always borrow from our neighbouring firm, which shows that a
good feeling existed at this period even between competitors. This
business was taken over by Messrs. W. Kent & Co. in 1876.

CHAPTER IV
Some Further Recollections and Reflections
IN my previous chapter I dealt with many things in the book trade
which impressed me more particularly in the first years of my
Stationers' Hall Court experience. I will now try to give a brief
account of other incidents with which I was associated during some
of the following years. These are not stated in chronological order
but have been jotted down as they have reappeared in my memory.
One thing which has struck me is to find what a number of
publishers during the last fifty years have either ceased to exist or
have been incorporated with other firms; many of them being
houses of great importance and publishers of a considerable number
of popular books. The following are some of the firms which I am
able to call to my memory which were then in existence: Messrs.
Walton & Maberley, A.W. Bennett, J. Bennett, J. Russell Smith, H.
Colburn, John Maxwell (the husband of Miss Braddon), Bradbury,
Evans & Co., J.C. Nimmo (the publisher of many beautiful books),
Houlston & Wright (the publishers of the Enquire Within series),
Groombridge & Son, Rivington & Co. (taken over by Longmans &
Co.), J. Masters, W. Hunt, W. Mackintosh, E. Moxon (the early
publisher of Tennyson's and Swinburne's works), J. Camden Hotten
(who published and introduced into this country Mark Twain, Bret
Harte, and Artemus Ward. He died at the age of forty, and his
business was taken over by Messrs. Chatto & Windus), J.C. Newby,
Saunders & Ottley, Griffith & Farran (the successors to John
Newbery), W. Day & Son (high-class printers and publishers), W.
Tegg, Hardwick, J. & C. Mozley, A. Strahan (one of the most
enthusiastic publishers of his day), Tinsley Bros. (they published for
T. Hardy, George Meredith, and Miss Braddon), R. Bentley (his
business was taken over by Macmillan in 1898), N. Trübner, and
Charles Knight (who died in 1873, aged 81; he was the first
publisher of the British Almanac and Companion and also issued the
Penny Cyclopædia and the History of England, with other interesting
and educational work), L. Booth, Virtue, R. & A. Suttaby, Smith Elder
& Co. (now incorporated with John Murray), and many others. It is
also somewhat astonishing what a change has taken place in the
character of the books issued by some publishers. To instance a few,
Messrs. Cassell & Co. principally issued educational and serial
publications, C. Griffin were educational and religious publishers,
Messrs. Nelson & Son published mainly juveniles, including a large
selection of 1d., 2d., 3d., 4d., and 6d. books. Messrs. W. Collins &
Son were also educational and religious publishers.
I should like to place on the other side some of the gains the
publishing trade has received, and mention new firms that are
among the leaders of the trade to-day. Messrs. Methuen & Co. have
by a literary judgment and a judicial trend established one of the
leading publishing businesses since the period before mentioned.
In 1894 Mr. W. Heinemann issued his first original popular 6s. novel;
this was Sir Thomas Hall Caine's "The Manxman," which not only
had a great sale but was a send off such as few publishers have
experienced. This novel being first issued in the 6s. form, had a
considerable influence in bringing the three-volume novel to an end
in 1897. The credit, however, for the original 6s. novel must be given
to Mr. Vizetelly, who commenced some ten years earlier the issue of
his one-volume 6s. novel series, which contained, beside other
important novels, "A Mummer's Wife," by George Moore. Mr. J.M.
Dent, in founding the "Every Man Library," made for his firm a name
which is known throughout the world. In this he established a library
of literary classics in its broader sense, issuing them in every
particular worthy of the books produced. He has thus earned the
gratitude of students in every country in which the English language
is spoken or read. This firm has also produced many works of great
literary and epoch-making value.
Important additions to literature, including Fiction, have been made
by such firms as Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton, Hutchinson & Co., T.
Fisher Unwin, Constable & Co., E. Arnold, G. Harrap, Sidgwick &
Jackson, Eveleigh Nash, A. Melrose, T. Werner Laurie, Duckworth,
Selwyn & Blount, H. Jenkins, J. Lane, Chatto & Windus, with others,
all of whom, it is hoped, have a great future before them. In 1873
the Cambridge University Press opened their business premises in
Paternoster Row; previous to this, Messrs. Rivington & Co. had acted
as their London agents.
In 1874 the Oxford University Press began their now very important
business under the management of Mr. Frowde. It is now managed
by Mr. Humphrey Milford.
I cannot, however, help thinking that there were more books of what
may be termed a literary or classical character issued and sold
during the early part of my career than there are to-day. It certainly
looks as though the publishers of the future will have considerable
opportunities of issuing the works of some of the great masters in
literature. Whether or not we are to-day producing works of a
character which will be sought for and collected by future
generations it is difficult to say. There is one thing certain, however,
and that is the spirit and desire to collect first editions of special
authors was never greater than it is now. Undoubtedly, the desire to
write books as well as to read them is an element to be dealt with,
and if it were possible for the publisher to be so gifted that he would
publish only books that were really worth publishing, much of the
rubbish now being issued and which has only an ephemeral sale
would never spoil paper and print. We shall, I suppose, never get
perfection, but that is no reason why we should not aim at getting it.
Take poetry, for instance. In my young days, Milton, Tupper,
Longfellow, Keats, Shelley, Byron, with others, were considered the
leading sellers, while Tennyson, W. Morris, Swinburne, Lewis Morris,
the Brownings, were fast pushing some of the older poets out of
existence and gaining a deserved popularity, which will last for many
generations. Tennyson's popularity was such that it was reported
that when he changed his publishers from Moxon to Strahan the
latter promised to give him annually the sum of £4,500 for the right
to publish his books. There are few poets to-day who could
command such an arrangement.
Then there is Swinburne, who in one of his volumes had expressed
himself somewhat too realistically and was refused further
publication by E. Moxon. Some of his later works were issued by J.C.
Hotten and afterwards by Chatto & Windus. There are few, if any,
publishers to-day who would take up the Moxon attitude, but times
have changed for the better.
In 1890 there were 114 volumes of poetry published, in 1891, 146;
and I should conclude that from that period up to the beginning of
the war, the number issued fluctuated to a very small extent. In the
classified analysis of books and new editions published in 1917,
poetry and the drama numbered 544, while in 1918 there were 642
published, which shows that the war has had a considerable
influence in providing food for the imagination, poetry being
frequently a true interpretation of the feelings of the individual as
well as of the nation.

The Victorian era was noted for the issue of many books which sent
a thrill of excitement through both the religious and intellectual
world. It was in 1867 that "Essays and Reviews" was published, and
as it contained contributions by some of the leading men of that
period, it greatly influenced the tendency towards liberty of thought
and helped forward the period when human life and reason should
have its consideration as well as the supernatural. Darwin's "Origin
of Species" was still a living influence, although published in 1859,
and undoubtedly prepared the way for such men as Huxley and
Herbert Spencer. It is not too much to say that these, with other
books by men of like opinions, created the spirit of reason and
toleration which is having its effect upon the life and education of to-
day.
The Victorian era has also been termed the age of the novelist. To a
certain extent that is true, as we undoubtedly had during Queen
Victoria's reign some of the greatest authors of fiction that this
nation has ever produced. To confirm this it is only necessary to
mention the names of such men as Charles Dickens, W.M.
Thackeray, George Meredith, Thomas Hardy, R.D. Blackmore, H.S.
Merriman, C. Kingsley, S.R. Crockett, Charles Reade, Anthony
Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Charles Lever, Lord Lytton. All of these
authors still have a large number of readers and admirers and their
circulation has been enormous.
It is perhaps a debatable question whether the female novelists of
this period will live as long as the male novelist. Undoubtedly there
were many whose works had very important sales, such as Charlotte
Brontë, Mrs. Henry Wood, Miss Braddon, Miss Muloch, Miss C.M.
Yonge, Edna Lyall, Mrs. Sewell, Mrs. Oliphant, with many others; but
I think it very doubtful if a collected edition, from a literary point of
view, of many of these authors will ever be undertaken by a
publisher.
At this period the publishing arrangements between this country and
America were in a most unsatisfactory condition, there being only a
Copyright Act which allowed an American to possess copyright in
England while no Englishman could hold copyright in the United
States, so that directly a book obtained popularity in either country it
was reprinted, much to the loss of both author and publisher. I
remember that in America a very popular novel had been published
entitled "Arthur Bonnicastle." The American publisher, with the idea
of securing copyright in England, had the last chapter printed and
published here prior to the publication of the book, but a firm of
London publishers, knowing its popularity in America, had printed an
edition before hearing of the arrangement for the last chapter. They
were therefore compelled to strike out the last chapter, as the
copyright in this country had been secured, and issued the book with
an explanatory preface exposing the injustice of allowing an
American firm to secure copyright in this country while no
Englishman could hold copyright in the United States. This action
probably helped considerably the passing of the various Copyright
Acts which have made it now possible for the authors in each
country to obtain greater satisfaction from the results of their
labours than they had done in previous years.
It was about 1870 that Edna Lyall's books became very popular, and,
being on very friendly terms with Mr. C. Layton, the representative in
London of Messrs. Appleton & Co. of New York, I suggested that his
firm should reprint this author's books in America. This was done,
and they proved a very great success. There was, however, one very
satisfactory arrangement between the principal American publishers
which I dare say may have existed in this country. This was that any
American publisher who was first in the field with an English author
was not afterwards interfered with, however popular the author
might become. I know this was the case with Edna Lyall, who
received considerable sums from her American publishers, although
they had no copyright in her books.
In relation to copyright, I will mention a great event which took
place in 1912: the closing for ever of the necessary registration at
Stationers' Hall of all books published to secure copyright. The
original charter was granted in 1557 and varied according to
alterations made by Parliament. The old Copyright Act was limited to
seven years after the death of the author, or forty-two years from
the date of publication, whichever should be longer. The new Act
gave a term of copyright for life and fifty years after. It came into
operation on July 1, 1912, and from that date no registration was
required.
Though the new Act has undoubtedly many advantages one cannot
help regretting that this source of important details respecting titles,
authors and other information, has now ceased and that a system
which shows the registration of some of Shakespeare's plays, and
many other books of which all lovers of English literature are justly
proud, is closed for ever. The last book to be registered by the
Stationers' Company was "A Guide to the Shops Act," which appears
rather an ignominious ending.
One never-to-be-forgotten event took place in 1885, upon the
publication of the Revised Version of the Bible. The Oxford &
Cambridge University Presses had united in purchasing the
publishing rights, for which it was reported they paid some £20,000.
The New Testament had been published in 1881, and it was
reported that over one million copies were sold within twenty-four
hours of its publication, so when the complete Bible was issued the
excitement was intense. Numbers could only be supplied in small
quantities and for many weeks the greatest anxiety prevailed in the
trade. The desire to obtain copies not only for this country but also
for our Colonies was very great. Eventually the supply was equal to
the demand, but, judging from opinions now occasionally expressed,
it does not appear that the revised edition is the final edition. In all
probability we shall have a revised edition of the revised version.
While speaking of the Bible, I am proud to be the possessor of a
copy of the one hundred copies produced for the Caxton Celebration
in 1877. This copy was presented to me by Mr. Frowde, who had so
much to do with its production by the Oxford University Press. At a
luncheon given after the opening of the Caxton Exhibition, at which
Mr. Gladstone, amongst others, was present, he addressed the
audience, and, holding up a copy of this edition in his hand,
explained how it had been produced. This, he said, was partly
performed at Oxford and partly at London. The impression was
limited to 100 copies, and not a sheet was worked from the printing
press until the clock struck two on the morning of the 30th June,
1877, the day of the luncheon; the copies were then printed, dried,
hot pressed and sent to London by an early train, taken to the
binding works of the Oxford warehouse, rolled, folded, rolled again,
pressed, collated, sewed, backed, cut, gilt, and excellently bound in
morocco, all within twelve hours. The first copy was sent to Mr.
Gladstone. The production of such a book in such a short space of
time must have created a record. It was a wonderful performance of
which the Oxford University Press may be justly proud, and I am
very delighted to possess a copy.

Probably there is no other word in the English language that conveys

a greater and a more varied meaning than that of Books. Besides
reminding us of the books we have known and loved, it also throws
the mind back to ancient history and the records handed down to us
on Babylonian bricks or Egyptian papyrus. It was said by St. John,
some 2,000 years ago, that if all the books had been written which
might have been written upon a particular subject, the world itself
could not contain them. If the world could not have contained them
2,000 years ago, what would have been the condition of affairs since
the introduction of printing?
Records of different nationalities are being continually discovered
and printed, and there are few things more fascinating than the
knowledge they reveal of ancient history and the manners and
customs of the ancient peoples. Recent explorations have greatly
added to our knowledge of the past and probably, when some of the
Eastern peoples have settled down to peaceable pursuits instead of
national war and strife, we shall have given to us from the sands of
Asia and Africa, records and information which will astonish the
world, for if, as Dr. Keith states, this world has probably been
inhabited for some fifteen millions of years it is to be hoped that
records of its peoples' lives and habits exist, and that in some way
they have been preserved.
Although all lovers of books and literature are interested in these
ancient records, I do not intend attempting even a sketch of these
fascinating periods of history and literature, but shall deal with a
slight summary of a few names of authors, from the time of the first
book printed by Caxton in 1474. This was entitled "Recuyell of the
Historyes of Troye," which it is said laid a foundation upon which has
been built the greatest of all the elements which will endow the
world with civilization. It is generally understood that one hundred
different volumes were issued from the Caxton press. It is, I
suppose, a somewhat debatable question whether true literature
really gained or lost by the introduction of printing; but it is quite
certain that its influence for good has been very great. By the
making of books, and thus being able to circulate in a cheaper form
the old literature and help on the making of the new, it acted as a
stimulus for good which developed greatly during the following
centuries.
Take the Bible alone; it is to the wide circulation given to it through
the introduction of printing that we owe the peace and goodwill that
are by degrees permeating the civilized world. We do not know what
literature had been destroyed during previous ages, but through the
printing press many great authors of the fifteenth and sixteenth
century have been preserved and have left for all time works of
which the English-speaking race are justly proud. Among these
authors are Francis Bacon, Francis Beaumont, William Camden,
George Chapman, John Donne, M. Drayton, R. Hakluyt, G. Herbert,
Richard Hooker, Ben Jonson, John Knox, John Lyly, Robert Herrick,
Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Ralegh, William Shakespeare, Sir
Philip Sidney, Edmund Spencer, and many others.
The authors of the seventeenth century also contributed largely to
the literature of this country, among them being Joseph Addison,
Richard Baxter, Sir T. Browne, John Bunyan, the Earl of Clarendon,
John Dryden, John Locke, John Milton, Samuel Pepys, Sir W. Temple,
Henry Vaughan, Edmund Waller, Isaac Walton, Daniel Defoe, A.
Pope, S. Richardson and Jonathan Swift. This list could be largely
increased by the addition of many well-known authors of later
periods, but undoubtedly the introduction of printing greatly
stimulated the love of literature and books which has grown up to
the present day.
I have not attempted to give the names of authors who lived during
the eighteenth or nineteenth century as many of them are as
familiar as household words. During the last and the present
century, there have been many authors whose works will be read by
generations yet to come, but it is quite a question whether or no a
great change has not taken place in the present-day lovers of books,
both in the serious reader as well as the lover of lighter literature.
Undoubtedly the war has not only made people think, but has made
them reason upon the why and the wherefore of things. I cannot
help feeling that the future of literature as well as that of daily life
will have to be viewed from more solidly scientific foundations, and
people will want books in which the facts of life are interwoven with
the everyday possibilities of life and much of the supernatural
imaginings will have gone for ever. Future authors have a great
source in the present to draw upon in the moral and physical as well
as the ideal life. Those who have the clearest ideas upon these
points will be those whose works will be handed down to the
generations yet to come. These views are not so much from the
authors' point of view, as of one who has been associated with
books and has watched events for over sixty years. During that
period there have been many and important changes in the
character of books as well as of public opinion with regard to them. I
anticipate, however, that greater changes are possible in the near
future.
From my own observation I cannot help feeling that the future of
making and selling books, apart from authorship, will involve many
changes. What a great influence must have been exercised by the
sending out to the trenches and to all the various departments and
agencies connected with the war, the millions of books and
miscellaneous reading matter to those engaged in the war. Few
people realize to what an enormous extent this was done. It was
officially stated that in January, 1919, the Camps Library dispatched
to France 129,000 novels, and 60,000 other publications were
forwarded regularly every week. These are in addition to those sent
out by the American Government and by the Y.M.C.A. and other
agencies, and as there will be more money earned in the future by
the people generally than there has ever been before, it is to be
hoped that they will spend some of it upon books.
What I shall hope to see is that every place which is established for
public recreation or instruction has a well-selected library and
reading-room. We can only speculate upon the good this would do,
although I am firmly convinced that the great work which the Free
Libraries have done, and are still doing, will be largely extended. Our
young people must have some place of interest to which they can
always go. Then we shall be a happier and more contented people.
Besides this, the author with high and noble ideals will have some
object in producing works which help to nobler thoughts and
aspirations, works which lead to a higher and better life. Books
enable us to realize our lives and make us feel the wonder and
mystery of the world, they widen our horizon and create a sympathy
with humanity. The influence of literature marks the growth of liberty
and joy.
The buying and selling of books is a delightful occupation. The
bookseller in his work lives in a bygone world as well as in the
present. Speaking for myself, I know what a comfort it is in old age
to have an exhaustless treasury in books, to have the best in life of
all the ages to fall back upon. The man who gives up his work to
enjoy old age has nothing to fear if his mind is enriched by
knowledge of the best in life and can enjoy the sympathy and
friendship of books.
My own love of books was the cause of my entering to a small
extent into authorship. Besides occasionally contributing to our trade
journals, I also wrote articles in the "Encyclopædia Britannica" on
publishing, etc., and also in "The Nineteenth Century," "The
Fortnightly Review," and other journals. Some of these I afterwards
collected in a volume which I published in 1912 under the title of
"The Fascination of Books." I have also issued volumes entitled "The
Pleasure of Literature and the Solace of Books," "Saunterings in
Bookland," and others. I have also published yearly since 1903, a
little "Friend to Friend Kalendar," to which each year I have
contributed a poem on Friendship. This has not only had a large
circulation, but has brought me many letters of appreciation and
added to my many friendships.
The trade of the bookseller, as we now know him, has gradually
developed from the early part of the last century. Until then the
bookseller either largely printed, or in association with other
publisher-booksellers joined in producing, many of the books they
sold, the various bookselling partners whose names were on the title
page sometimes numbering over twenty different firms. The making
and selling of books has now developed into many different
channels. There is the Author, the Author's Agent, the Publisher, the
wholesale Distributor, and lastly, but not the least important, is the
Bookseller. These various mediums through which most books must
pass, have to be considered, particularly as regards terms, and
although a book may cost little in its production, there are many
expenses to be considered before its selling price can be fixed. This
has led to much dissatisfaction during the past fifty years, and
although arrangements entirely satisfactory to the trade generally
have not yet been made, it is now in a more flourishing condition
than it has ever been. What I think is now required is the formation
of a Booksellers' Central Committee, of which Authors, Publishers,
and Booksellers should become members. This would exclude the
Author's Agent and every one not directly connected with the trade
of bookselling, as printers, binders and others have their own
organizations. Committees of each branch of the trade should be
formed to deal with all trade technicalities, but discussions by the
members in Council would be allowed upon any departmental
difficulty, and the decision of the whole body accepted as final.
In connexion with this body, an arrangement might be made
whereby the trade assistants could have a separate establishment
for educational and other matters connected with the trade. They
should have the power of electing a certain number of members to
represent them when any Trades Union or other difficult question
came up for general consideration. The future is full of difficulties,
and it is only through friendly discussions among the various
representatives of all departments of the bookselling trade that
these difficulties can be satisfactorily settled.
The need for some progressive alteration in the trade must be
apparent to every one associated with it, especially when we look
back for some fifty years and remember the difficulties that then
existed respecting the giving of discounts to the public, and then
consider how during the terrible war now brought to a close and in
the years since, the question of discounts has seldom arisen. Those
who remember the difficulties which the discount system caused at
the before-mentioned period will feel thankful for the part taken in
its abolition by the united action of the Publishers' and Booksellers'
Associations, and especially by the general establishment of the net
book system and in many cases the doing away with the odd copy.
But this subject has been more fully dealt with in the chapter on
Underselling.
It is, however, only by trade organization that difficulties which must
in future arise can be solved, and it is to be hoped that it will further
the interest of the assistants and the younger members of the trade
so that instead of that want of knowledge which we often hear
expressed, we shall have men engaged who are worthy of their
craft, and with altered surroundings bookselling, if not regarded as a
profession, may be considered as an occupation of light and leading.
I have not dealt here with what is known as the second-hand
bookseller. He is the one individual in our trade whom I envy. It is
true that while he deals with the books of the past the ordinary
bookseller deals with those of the present, and those to come. His
knowledge, however, of his particular branch of trade is, I think,
wonderful, for not only does he know the history of a book from its
birth to its place upon his shelves, but a little conversation with him
and a walk round his shop and the taking down some of the books
from their shelves, is sufficient to make any book-lover forget this
world in the pleasure and imaginings of those precious treasures
which to know is to revere.

CHAPTER V
Some Personal Associations
I HAVE entitled this chapter "Some Personal Associations," and will
first speak of a great and happy event which was only ended after
forty-three years of married life.
It was in 1868 that I became engaged and in 1870 married, a
marriage for which no man ever had more cause to be thankful than
myself, owing to the true happiness of my married life, the
sympathy, kind thought and consideration of my late wife. In fact,
everything which goes to make this life worth living was mine, or I
may say ours.
Like everything earthly, alas! it came to an end; but while memory
lasts it will never be forgotten. Recalling all this, while thankful for a
very happy past, I face what is left to me of the future with a
thankful heart. I am also thankful for my dear children, who have all
taken up their positions in life and are battling with its duties. They
are to me an inexpressible comfort and a blessing, and I can only
hope they will pass through and enjoy their lives as much as I have
done mine.
I should like to refer here to one other great event in my life, that of
becoming a Managing Director of Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent
& Co., Ltd., in 1894. My great aim in life had always been to climb
the ladder of prosperity as far as I possibly could.
While speaking of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., I may mention a few
traditional facts regarding the origin and development of that
important firm in its connexion with the bookselling trade. Its
originator and founder was Mr. Benjamin Crosby, whose descendants
are now represented by the firm of Messrs. Crosby, Lockwood & Co.,
and whose predecessors were in past years partners of Simpkin,
Marshall & Co. Mr. Benjamin Crosby came from Yorkshire to London
and was apprenticed to a bookseller, James Nunn, in Great Queen
Street; he afterwards worked for George Robinson, who was then
considered the "King of Booksellers"; finally, he took over the
business of Mr. Stalker in Stationers' Hall Court, whose premises
were then situated upon the same ground as the buildings now
occupied by Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. After an attack
of paralysis in 1814, Mr. Benjamin Crosby parted with his business to
W. Simpkin and R. Marshall. I have always understood that Simpkin
was a hatter in Bridge Street, Blackfriars, and, having capital, he
associated himself with Marshall, who was an assistant of Benjamin
Crosby.
They, however, took over only the London trade portion of the
business, the country portion going to Baldwin, Cradock & Joy. This
firm failed in 1837, and the country portion of the old firm came into
the hands of Simpkin, Marshall & Co.
In 1829 Simpkin retired from the business, and the financial
management of the firm was taken over by Mr. John Miles, senior,
under whose supervision very satisfactory results were obtained. Mr.
Miles was also associated with the publishing business of Joseph
Johnson of St. Paul's Churchyard, who issued the works of the poet
Cowper, the critical writings of Priestley, and other important works.
Being thus connected with bookselling, Mr. Miles placed his two elder
sons in important positions in the trade. The one, named after his
father, entered the firm of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and Mr. Joseph
Johnson Miles, evidently named after his publisher friend, entered
the firm of Hamilton, Adams & Co. Later on, two other sons of Mr.
John Miles, senior, entered the firm of Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and
still later several grandsons became partners in the two separate
firms before mentioned.
The same traditions of business were continued and carried on for
nearly eighty years. It is rather remarkable that, in the period which
followed, an amalgamation should take place in 1889 between these
two firms and Messrs. W. Kent & Co., and that, after so many years
of competition, they should be brought together into one trading
company.
In the busy whirl of Stationers' Hall Court, though there was little
opportunity for humour, something occasionally happened that
permeated the whole house with amusement, such as when a
mistake had been made and one of the partners tried to find out
who had made it. However, not being able to discover the offender,
he came at last to the most humorous man in the house and tried to
fasten it upon him but failed. "Well," he said, with energy, "I must
hang somebody." After a pause, the answer came: "Hang me, sir; I
want a rise." With a smile the principal left the room and nothing
more was heard of the mistake.
Many such incidents have occurred, but they have been lost by the
hurrying on of time. This subject, however, has been dealt with in an
article entitled "Bookselling and some of its Humours," in my volume
on "The Fascination of Books," published in 1912.
Among my later duties at Stationers' Hall Court was that of
superintending the purchase, or, as it is termed, the subscription of
new books. Every new book issued from the various publishers was
first submitted to Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and the number they
bought often governed the numbers purchased by the various
members of the trade. These varied according to the author's
reputation and the sales of their previous issues, and in many cases
from a small number to many hundreds were usually ordered. I
remember on one occasion a 6s. book by a popular novelist was
submitted to us and an order given for 12,000 copies. October is
undoubtedly the most important publishing month of the year, and
upon many days during that period, between 150 to 200 different
books have frequently been offered for subscription.
In 1917 I retired from the position of a Managing Director, but still
remain one of the Directors of the Company. It is to me a very great
pleasure to be still associated with a house to which I owe so much
and occasionally to see the many valued friends with whom I have
been associated for over fifty years. Although I have nominally
ceased to be a bookseller yet I have several connexions which I
hope will keep me in touch with the trade as long as I live. Besides
being a Director of Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., I
have been for many years Chairman of Messrs. Henry Williams & Co.
(Old Bailey), Ltd., also a Director of Messrs. C.W. Faulkner & Co.,
Ltd., and other companies, so I am still anything but an idle man.
Although this chapter may appear somewhat egotistical, during my
life in London I have been connected with many trade and other
associations which have been more or less of a personal as well as
of an interesting character, and I mention these facts to show that I
have not been indifferent to or wanting in sympathy with the various
undertakings in which I am concerned.
My first experience was in joining the Committee of the Early Closing
Association, then in quite an elementary condition. Like many other
Associations which have had small beginnings, it has worked its way
through storm and sunshine and has done, and is still doing, much
useful work. At the present moment, it is one of the great helpful
influences in bettering the condition of the worker. At one of our
meetings, held, I think, at St. James's Hall, I had the honour of
being on the platform with Anthony Trollope, the great novelist, and
John McGregor of Rob Roy fame, who each made delightfully
interesting speeches which helped greatly to popularize the
Association. I always felt an interest in young men's associations,
and joined one while living near Highbury. It was at this time that
what was then called Mock Parliaments were usually one of the
items in the season's programme.
At one of these gatherings with which I was associated, I little
thought what a prominent position its leading speakers would hold in
the future. The debate on this occasion was a vote of want of
confidence in Lord Beaconsfield's Foreign policy, as just then there
was much opposition and discontent respecting his actions. This vote
of censure was moved by Lawson Walton, who was destined to
become Attorney-General; the present Sir Robert Perks seconded the
resolution. The Chairman or Speaker for the occasion was Sir
Clarence Smith, recently one of the Sheriffs of the City of London.
Needless to say, the motion was carried unanimously. It is pleasant
to look back upon the day of small things and to see the
development of lives that are useful both in their surroundings and
to the state.
Another interesting Association was that of the University Extension,
of the Finsbury Park branch of which I was Chairman for several
years. During the autumn of one of our sessions, it was suggested
that we should ask Chevalier Marconi, who was just then beginning
to be known as an inventor of some new method of telegraphy, to
give us a demonstration of his wireless process. He agreed to do so,
but little did we think what would be the result of this system and
what wonderful influence his discovery would have upon the civilised
world.
As Chairman, it was my pleasurable duty to receive Chevalier
Marconi, and I was greatly surprised to find so young and apparently
inexperienced a person. A few minutes' conversation, however, soon
showed that he had a firm foundation for the subject which he was
developing. We had arranged to get communication between
Highgate and New Southgate, where we were holding the
demonstration. Unfortunately, the poles for dispatching the
messages to be sent from Highgate did not arrive in time, so we had
to content ourselves with having the messages sent from a field
close by. Everything worked to our entire satisfaction, and various
messages were received stamped in accordance with the Morse
system. Whenever there is any further development of the Marconi
system I look back upon this meeting with considerable interest and
satisfaction. Since then, I have met Chevalier Marconi on various
occasions, and he has always struck me as a man of a great
personal character and solid determination. One thing which I
remember to have heard him say was that "My father was an Italian
and my mother an Irishwoman, but I call myself an Englishman";
and I am sure he is one of whom we are all proud.
My association with politics began with my early years at home,
when I watched my father, carrying the Union Jack, marching at the
head of the voters in our village to the polling booth. Although father
was not in any way a public man, he knew what progress meant and
was always on that side. I do not remember any political influence
being exercised upon me in my young days, and appeared naturally
to drift into the ranks of Liberalism, a drifting which I have never
regretted. Being an active student of parliamentary events, shortly
after coming to London, I obtained admission to the Strangers'
Gallery at the House of Commons, and soon felt a keen interest in
politics and often afterwards visited the House. I have many times
walked to Islington from the Houses of Parliament at two o'clock in
the morning after having listened to some interesting debate. I have
heard Gladstone, Disraeli, and most of the party leaders in both
Houses. I was in the Gallery of the House of Commons when W.E.
Forster was carrying through the Elementary Education Act and the
Vote by Ballot Bill. These were opposed, for the Conservative Party,
by the then Sir Stafford Northcote, and, although my mind was quite
made up as to their desirability, when hearing the eloquence and
arguments from the other side, without a strong opinion one might
have been easily carried over to the Opposition.
In 1888 I greatly enjoyed a visit to the House, on the occasion when
Mr. Ritchie, as he then was, brought in the Bill to create the London
County Council. Mr. Gladstone sat on the Opposition Bench with Sir
James Stansfeld, the Member for Halifax and the President of the
Local Government Board in the previous Liberal Administration. As
Mr. Ritchie unfolded his scheme, both Mr. Gladstone and Sir James
Stansfeld were busy taking notes. When the main details of the Bill
had been explained, they both ceased, being apparently satisfied
with the scope of the Bill. As soon as Mr. Ritchie sat down, Mr.
Gladstone rose. In a short and eloquent speech, he complimented
the hon. gentleman on his proposed Bill and said that although he
might suggest some amendments in Committee, they, as a party,
quite approved of the principles of the Bill. Owing to Mr. Gladstone's
statement, what was expected to be a hot party debate ended in a
satisfactory agreement. Even after such interesting proceedings as
these, I have always felt that the anticipation of a debate in
Parliament is greater than the pleasure realized.
This Bill was eventually passed, and among the candidates for
membership of the new London County Council was Lord Rosebery,
who stood for the City of London. I had the pleasure of hearing him
address several meetings, and, although from a public point of view
he was a comparatively young man, he spoke with great thought
and feeling, always carrying his audience with him. He was of course
returned, and was elected the first Chairman of this important
Council.
Notwithstanding that nearly all my life I have been more or less
associated with politics, and for over forty years have been upon the
register of voters, I have never voted on the winning side except on
the occasion when Mr. A.J. Balfour stood for the City of London. I
still hope I may do so before I die.
It was in the year 1885, after the passing of the Redistribution Bill,
that I became more closely associated with politics. By this
Redistribution Act, Middlesex (for many years it had been
represented by two members) was divided into seven constituencies.
I joined the Liberal Association in Hornsey, one of the new divisions,
and the one in which I then lived, and from that time onwards took
an active part in their proceedings. On the eve of the first elections
in these divisions, we had a big send-off meeting of the Middlesex
candidates at the Holloway Hall, at which the great Liberal veteran
Mr. Samuel Morley presided. Many leading politicians were present,
including Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. W.S. Caine, Mr. Alfred Milner (now
Viscount Milner), who stood for the Harrow Division, Mr. S.D. Waddy,
and others. Great enthusiasm prevailed, but the success at the
polling booth was not as great as we anticipated, and the Hornsey
Division returned a Conservative, which it continued to do until a
fresh division of Middlesex took place under the Act of 1918. Mr.
Carvel Williams, the champion for Disestablishment of the Church,
was our president; he was a most able and eloquent speaker, full of
work and energy and equal to any emergency, but although we had
occasionally such speakers as Mr. Asquith, Mr. Lloyd George, and
other leading politicians of that day, success at the poll was never
obtained.
I was for many years chairman of the Council, and that brought me
in touch with many men of light and leading. I was, however,
compelled to give it up, as so many other duties had a more special
call upon my time. In 1904 I was induced to join the non-political
party which was standing for the London County Council Division of
Stoke Newington, and was returned.
And here let me state that I have a great objection to party feeling
in local affairs. It is quite bad enough when carried to extremes in
parliamentary contests, but local affairs should be dealt with entirely
from the local point of view of what is best and from none other.
Having made many new friends and being elected to the Library
Committee, I found myself in my element amongst books. Before
the Free Library was started at Stoke Newington, with my good
friend Mr. A.W. Mackenzie, I originated a private Free Library in the
Finsbury Park District, and although this library was not very large it
was very serviceable. It was carried on by voluntary aid and
contributions, and, in accordance with the Act passed in 1892,
afterwards taken over by the Council of Stoke Newington.
When this Free Library was opened, thanks to the Carnegie Trust, I
had the honour of seeing my name engraved with others on a stone
tablet as a record of those who were associated with the founding of
it. My relations with Stoke Newington were always of the most
pleasant character, as there were many book lovers on the
Committee, among them being Mr. Wynne Baxter and Mr. Charles
Welsh, the noted City Librarian.
It was during my membership of the Stoke Newington Council that I
received tickets of invitation to the inauguration of the L.C.C.
Passenger Steamboat Service on the Thames, which had been
constructed at an outlay of nearly £300,000. Our present King, with
some of the young Princes, headed the fleet of steamers which went
from Temple Pier to Greenwich and back. Altogether it was a most
pleasant trip, but events followed which brought this venture to an
end, a decision from many points of view much to be regretted. It
occurs to me, however, that if more attention were given to the
banks of the Thames by building an Embankment on the south side
similar to that on the north side, there is no reason why it should not
eventually become in every way as attractive as the rivers which
flow through so many of the Continental cities.
About this time I became a member of the New Vagabond Club, and
enjoyed for many years the various dinners given to some of the
leading men of the time. These were usually held at the Hotel Cecil,
and I have known over 500 ladies and gentlemen to be present on
some of the important occasions. The Club was very cosmopolitan:
Bishops, Members of Parliament, the theatrical profession, authors—
in fact, anyone who was then in the public eye was certain to receive
an invitation to some of the dinners. When this club became
incorporated with the old Playgoers' Club, many, like myself, felt that
these Sunday festivities did not quite fall in with their ordinary way
of spending the day of rest, and I was compelled to retire from it.
Another association of which I am particularly proud to be one of the
vice-presidents, is the Booksellers' Provident Institution, and the
Booksellers' Provident Retreat; the former I joined in 1869, and for
over fifty years have been an active member on its committees. This
great institution was inaugurated on February 15, 1837, at
Stationers' Hall, and during the greater part of its existence it has
had for its president some one representing either the house of
Longman or Murray. It is an institution of which every member is
proud, and should be more appreciated in the trade than it is, for it
has done, and is still doing, work of great value to its necessitous
members.
The opening ceremony of the Booksellers' Retreat took place in
1846. The great novelist Lord Lytton presided, and a sum of £800
was collected. At this Retreat there are seven pleasantly situated
houses occupied either by members or their widows, and the
occupants of these houses, owing to the funds at the disposal of the
Committee, have their lives not only extended but made thoroughly
happy and comfortable.
In 1872 there was a great effort made by many of the London
Booksellers' Assistants to found an institution which would be always
open to its members for educational and social purposes. The
proposal met with support, and much discussion upon details took
place; but the only decision arrived at was that it should be called
the Booksellers' Literary Institution. After many meetings and
discussions it was given up and the committee dissolved. It was a
noble object, and I sincerely hope that in the future some such
organization will come into existence, for it is badly wanted both for
the assistants and the trade generally.
In 1898 I had the honour of being elected a member of the
Worshipful Company of Stationers, which is so associated, especially
in the past, with literature and books. I am sure every one who
takes the opportunity of going through the Hall will feel proud of this
almost sacred building. It has a history connected with the makers
and distributors of literature which is an honour not only to the trade
but to the nation; I sincerely hope that the policy now being
advocated by the City Livery Club, of which I am also a member, that
of more closely associating the various Livery Companies with the
trade or craft by which they are designated, will be successful. If this
can be done, it will be better for the various City Guilds, as well as
the particular trades after which the Guilds are named.
In 1897 the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII,
inaugurated the Hospital Fund which still bears his name, to
commemorate the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria's reign. One of the
means adopted to assist in raising funds was the issue of a series of
stamps which varied in price. This series met with great success, and
the public issue of the stamps was entrusted to Simpkin, Marshall &
Co. After it had run its course and added considerably to the
Hospital funds, it was decided by the authorities that the issue
should be discontinued, and that the plates from which the stamps
had been printed should be destroyed. A special day was fixed for
this purpose, and our present King and Queen, then the Prince and
Princess of Wales, kindly consented to undertake this task. The
destruction of the plates took place at the Bank of England in a small
room, and another Director of our Company and myself were
selected to see the operation completed. It was a most interesting
occasion, and, being in so small and informal a place, the talk
between the half-dozen or so witnesses and the Royal destroyers
was very pleasant. With a strong file which was handed to her, the
Princess of Wales, in a most business-like way, rubbed the face of
the metal plates of the stamps and thereby made it impossible for
any more to be printed. Though it all happened in a very short space
of time, it was a delightful as well as an historic gathering.
While speaking of Royalty, I am reminded of an occasion when
Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, opened the Free Library at
Lambeth under the Chairmanship of Mr. Tate, who contributed
largely to the Library funds. The Prince made an excellent speech,
short and to the point, although his articulation was not very clear.
This, I suppose, arose through the many languages which it was
necessary for him to master, and it struck me at the time that his
accent was more like that of a foreigner who had learned English
than an Englishman's.
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