Music

Reading music scores is not an easy task for blind people because the scores are either limited in number or difficult to get a hold of. An EU-funded team
of researchers, however, has designed and developed a demonstrative service that enables blind musicians to access and use Braille music scores that are
found in libraries and transcription centres. The CONTRAPUNCTUS ('Preservations and unification of new and existing Braille Music digital scores for a
new access methodology') project received almost EUR 4 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the Sixth Framework
Programme (FP6).

By the first quarter of the 19th century, there was no way for would-be, blind musicians to learn the trade except by ear. This is not a problem for people
who are not tone-deaf, but figuring out the notes of a classical piece by Chopin was, and is to this day, fairly difficult. Louis Braille changed all that
when he created what is now the universally accepted language of blind and visually impaired people. In addition to providing a method for these individuals
to read and write, the Braille language was also adapted to music, offering sighted musicians a way of translating their music sheets for their blind peers
as well.

It is the stated goal of the CONTRAPUNCTUS Project to produce a rich, standardized digital format, to be used for the transcription of any music piece
into Braille musical language. This would have the double effect of making the music sheets more complex and easy to read, and also more widely available
to regions of the world where people don't enjoy this privilege today. The library can be accessed, browsed, and then musicians can download their favorite
musical score. The database is continuously expanding, and the musicians themselves can add their own music sheets to it.