Since its foundation in 1948, German publisher G. Henle Verlag has defined quality for sheet music. Its timeless Urtext editions are praised by, and relied upon, by professional performers, students, and teachers of classical music across the world.

The partnership between Amphio and Henle was sparked by the new possibilities for score reading that digital devices created. As tablets became more sophisticated and robust, we recognised the opportunity to create a sheet music experience that improved interactivity, portability and flexibility for the musician. This inspired us to build Henle Library, a leading sheet music app that combines the publishing heritage of G. Henle Verlag with the latest technology.

From the outset, we decided to focus on two criteria that should inform all aspects of the product:

• Quality: It was crucial that the app was keeping to the same quality experience Henle customers are used to. Other services on the market compromised on quality, but this was never an option as the Urtext edition is directly associated with a premium experience.
• Utility: Amphio has a long experience of producing rich apps for fans of classical music. However, building a product for practising musicians required a different methodology that understood usage and audience preferences to optimise the long-term utility of the product.

The first challenge to solve was the digitisation of the scores. We quickly realised that for this to be done with the same level of expertise and accuracy as the printed edition, Henle needed to be in full control of the process. As a result, Amphio created Score Producer, a macOS production tool that allows the Henle team to digitise, and then catalogue, their valuable library in-house.

By scanning and extracting individual staves, Score Producer outputs scores in a format that allows comprehensive score annotation, customised layouts of the score and more. It also preserves the precise layouts of each stave that G. Henle Verlag are known for. On top of this core infrastructure, Amphio also built a credit and backend system allowing users to download editions, or individual parts, from the catalogue and store them in a personalised library.

Creating a deep understanding of the audience has informed practice throughout development. We began with a long wish list of features, and so decided to examine what the Henle customers wanted from the app, compared to the printed edition, during practising, rehearsing and performing. User testing helped us to prioritise features and decide which order to digitise the scores in, allowing us to quickly get an MVP ready for market.

‘With the Henle Library app a new era begins for classical musicians.’
– Daniel Hope, Violinist

The iPad app was launched in early 2016 followed by an Android version six months later. Today, our partnership with Henle continues in the same way, listening to users and introducing new features, content and languages accordingly. The iterative development of Henle Library has allowed us to design a product built to last, inspired by the longevity of the institution, art form and musicians we work with.