The British Library has developed an interactive collection of several great masterpieces of literature and other works. As part of their great collection known as Turning the Pages, they have included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Thematic Catalogue. This catalogue includes a brief description of each piece of music that he wrote along with the beginning measures so that the reader may identify the music. One of the reasons that this collection is so great is that not only do they provide the entire catalogue in digital format that allows the reader to “turn the pages,” but they also include an excerpt of the music that is found on each page, a translation of the text on the page, and audio that gives in-depth historical background of the music that is found on each page. In addition to those aspects, the site also includes a magnify option. Once this option is chosen, a “magnifying lens” appears on the screen, and the reader can drag the magnifying lens to any portion of the page.
This resource is one of the most fascinating that I have ever seen. It is absolutely incredible to see the actual handwriting of a great composer, but with the extra bells and whistles that the British Library have attached to the collection it makes this collection a very enriching experience for any music lover. For those not particularly interested in music, they have other additional digital works, including Lewis Carroll’s original copy of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground and the Diamond Sutra, which is the oldest dated, printed book from A.D. 868.
