To enable processing, transcription, digitization and dissemination of early musical notation between Spanish libraries through artificial intelligence, a project proposed by the University of Alicante aims to create a polyphonya digital tool. It received 113,500 euros in funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation to support development.
This two-year project is led by Jorge Calvo Zaragoza, a professor in the Department of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Alicante, with researchers from UA and partners at the Generalitat Valenciana Higher Institute of Art Education and the National Library of Spain.
The project seeks to reevaluate the contents of historical music collections by digitally copying and automating polyphonic Hispanic music collections in Spanish digital libraries using artificial intelligence. The goal is to safeguard Hispanic musical heritage and make it publicly accessible from any electronic device.
As Calvo Zaragoza explains, the initiative called PolifonIA focuses on the digital transformation of library processes and services through music collections. The funding supports optical music recognition (OMR), a technology that automatically transcribes musical notation, enabling extensive content searches, repetitive or cited works, automatic transposition, and various synthesis methods. These capabilities will allow people to enjoy, for the first time, musical heritage that was previously difficult to access. Calvo Zaragoza notes that Spanish libraries are at the forefront of applying facilitators in real-world settings.
UA will offer a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence with direct job opportunities for researchers and the technology sector.
Dissemination of the project’s values can proceed after scores are digitized and indexed in digital files within Spanish libraries. Yet the benefits extend beyond digitization for citizens. Academic, educational, and music professionals can access the music for different purposes. With digital notation transcription, people at any musical level can study these works. When the pieces are converted into digital scores, they can be synthesized for listening by all audiences, including the visually impaired who otherwise could not fully enjoy the musical legacy.
Transcription enables works to be presented in both the old original notation and modern notation, making them usable and reviewable by musicians at various skill levels. For more professional use, publishers can avoid the initial routine transcription task and focus on essential tasks such as critical editing.
In academia, PolifonIA allows direct artifact review and eliminates manual transcription. In educational contexts, it benefits primary schools, professional training, and higher conservatories, as well as musicology departments across Spanish universities. The project opens access to thousands of original works. Professionals specializing in early music recognize the difficulty in finding new works to perform due to limited digitized collections searchable on platforms. The researchers emphasize that indexing techniques and content-based search developed by the scientific community become applicable through this project.
OMR technologist
Jorge Calvo Zaragoza stands as one of the world’s leading OMR experts. The latest AI-driven methods underpin this modern tool, which he has demonstrated in prior and current projects such as MultiScore and HISPAMUS. Funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the University of Alicante has advanced this technology at a high scientific level.
Beyond Calvo Zaragoza, the research team includes Teresa Delgado, head of the notation service at the National Library of Spain; David Rizo, professor of Plastic Arts and Design at the Generalitat Valenciana Higher Institute of Art Education; and Jose M. Inesta, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Alicante. They collaborate to advance the project and its impact across academic and cultural institutions.