Have you ever wanted to try your hand at writing music? With FORTE 5, the latest music notation software from the Lugert Verlag Publishing House in Germany, learning music composition is simple and cost-effective.
The company’s main focus is music education, and their product reflects that. “We wanted to help starting musicians,” says Sebastian Lugert, CEO of the publishing house. “We developed FORTE as something that would be easy to use for students in schools. People need to learn how to read and write music, not to learn how to use the software.”
Several editions are available for all levels of musical ability. The Free downloadable version is limited but works well for beginners. It allows the composition of one instrumental and two voice parts. The Basic version, with two voice and four instrumental parts, is priced at $24 and recommended for music students. The Home version and Premium versions, $99 and $229 respectively, offer better sound quality and many more staves for full orchestral arrangements.
The company also offers group licenses of the Basic version for schools. For $199, each student in a class can use the software. “The founder of our company was a teacher, so we think like teachers and want to help them do a good job,” notes Lugert. “That’s our main innovation—how to teach music in schools.”
All of the editions allow a 30-day free trial, available on the FORTE website at www.fortenotation.com.
