It’s here. After its announcement a few weeks ago and one day after the arrival of iOS 16.4, the new Apple Music Classical application has officially arrived on the iPhone. An application that meets the specific needs of classical music in terms of its metadata structure, and does it in style.
As Apple tells us, classical music is different from other genres. Titles are longer and more detailed, there are multiple artists recording the works, and there are hundreds of recordings of the same well-known pieces. The new Apple Music Classical app has been designed specifically to handle the complexity of the data structure of classical music.
An application for easy access to the catalog for beginners and experts alike
Apple gives as an example Beethoven’s Sonata No 14, which also has the popular name Moonlight Sonata, and in multiple languages, such as the Mondschein Sonata in German. Complexities that mean classical music enthusiasts have been poorly served by streaming platforms until now.
Apple Music Classical, comes bundled with an Apple Music subscription, and offers these classical music lovers the editorial and catalog content they’ve been looking for. Here’s how Apple explains it:
“Only an entirely new app, with specialized features and an interface designed for the genre, could eliminate complexity and make classical music easily searchable, navigable, and accessible to beginners and experts alike.”
Editorial information, curated lists, illustrations and more
Right now, Apple Music Classical offers more than five million classical music tracks and is free with a standard Apple Music subscription. In its structure, the app is virtually identical to the Music app we already know, but with many details scattered throughout the interface.
The Listen tab, for example, focuses exclusively on genre, and does so with new albums as well as must-have lists. We can browse by genre, visit the list of must-have composers, or search for new releases.
In Explore, the app offers us to browse through the extensive catalog gathered by composers, periods, genres, conductors, orchestras, soloists, ensembles or choirs. We can also browse by playlists or instruments.
In Library we find the music we already know. The same of the Music app that corresponds to the classical genre, but in a different order. We can access Works, Composers and Recordings, which are not available in the normal app.
For each song, the “i” button at the bottom left gives us access to the composition, movement, orchestration, label, publication and various other key data about the piece. If we enter a composer’s information, in addition to the editorial selection of his works, we find a list of popular works, his latest albums and a biography.
One where the composer’s trajectory is told in detail and his art is highlighted. Finally, at the bottom, we find the related composers. We can mark our favorite composers, which will give us quick access to them from our library.
Original soundtracks, Dolby Atmos enhancements and more
In addition to debuting a new classification for all our favorite music, Apple has also improved, and a lot, the sound quality. There are many more albums and playlists in Dolby Atmos format, so we can experience the pieces like never before.
In addition, for movie music enthusiasts, Apple has included original instrumental soundtracks by such renowned composers as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Cristophe Beck, Alan Silvestri and the Sherman brothers, to name just a few.
The app is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service that Apple acquired in 2021, but it goes much, much further. At the moment, the app is only available for the iPhone, but a version for iPad, Mac and also Android is expected to arrive soon.
In the meantime, the entire Apple Music catalog opens before us in a new format. A real gem for lovers of classical music, soundtracks and, in general, of discovering new pieces of a genre that, among many others, requires recognition even in the form of a dedicated app.
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