How to best use the SingersBabel Library
The best way for a user to find a specific work in the Library is to use the Filters for Composer and the composer's name. Once filtered, the titles are in Alpha order, and includes articles, as in "Ein deutsches Requiem" starts with "Ein". Filtering by Poet is useful for programming purposes; i.e. as set of Goethe songs by various composers.
Users can use the Search box feature, but it is very specific. Type in the title of the work or the composer's last name in the Search box and click on the magnifying glass. Using the Search box is effective as long as the user knows the exact title or spells the composer name correctly. Problems occur when there are diacritical marks - in order to find "Fauré" one has to type the acute mark - "é". Neither "Faure" nor "Faur" works. For the Brahms song Es träumte mir, the a omlaut must be present. Neither “traumte” nor “traeumte” works.
Once the user has clicked on the title of the work, they will be taken to the work. The user will see two video screens: Alternating Reading and Poetic Reading. Sometimes the Alternating Reading is just a slow reading. The more recent materials alternate between poetic and slow, line by line. If the work is multi-movement, there is a drop-down box on the upper left where the user can choose movements. The PDF is below, and it is printable, meaning ushers may print a copy and bring it to the rehearsal, class or lesson.