View source for MusicXML

{{short description|File format}}
{{Infobox file format
| logo                   = 
| icon                   = 
| iconcaption            = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| extension              = .musicxml, .mxl
| mime                   = application/vnd.recordare.musicxml+xml,<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.recordare.musicxml+xml |title = Type name: application : Subtype name: vnd.recordare.musicxml+xml |publisher = Iana.org |accessdate = 24 November 2014 }}
</ref> application/vnd.recordare.musicxml<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.recordare.musicxml |title = Type name: application : Subtype name: vnd.recordare.musicxml |publisher = Iana.org |accessdate = 24 November 2014 }}</ref>
| type code              = 
| uniform type           = 
| conforms to            = 
| magic                  = 
| owner                  = W3C Music Notation Community Group
| released               = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|mm|dd|df=yes/no}} -->
| latest release version = 4.0
| latest release date    = 1 June 2021<ref name="MusicXML 4.0">{{cite web |url = https://w3c.github.io/musicxml/ |title = Working group releases MusicXML update |accessdate = 2 February 2025 }}</ref> <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|mm|dd|df=yes/no}} -->
| genre                  = [[Musical notation]]
| extended from          = [[XML]]
| standard               = 
| open                   = Yes
| url                    = {{Official URL}}
}}
'''MusicXML''' is an [[XML]]-based [[file format]] for representing Western [[musical notation]]. The format is [https://github.com/w3c/musicxml open], fully documented, and can be freely used under the [[W3C]] Community Final Specification Agreement.<ref>{{cite web |title = Sustainability of Digital Formats Planning for Library of Congress Collections &mdash; MusicXML, Version 3.1 |publisher = Library of Congress |date = 9 May 2019 |url = https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000499.shtml |accessdate = 15 October 2020 }}</ref><ref name="fsa">{{cite web |title= W3C Community Final Specification Agreement |publisher = W3C |url = https://www.w3.org/community/about/agreements/final/ |accessdate = 19 December 2017 }}</ref>

==History==
MusicXML was invented by Michael Good and initially developed by Recordare LLC. It derived several key concepts from existing academic formats (such as Walter Hewlett's [[ASCII]]-based MuseData<ref>{{cite book |last=Hewlett |first=Walter B. |editor-last=Selfridge-Field |editor-first=Eleanor|title=Beyond MIDI: The Handbook of Musical Codes |publisher=MIT Press |date=1997 |pages=402–447 |chapter=Chapter 27: MuseData: Multipurpose Representation |isbn=0-262-19394-9}}</ref> and David Huron's Humdrum).<ref name="Good">{{cite CiteSeerX |last=Good |first=Michael |title=MusicXML: An Internet-Friendly Format for Sheet Music |citeseerx=10.1.1.118.5431 }}</ref> It is designed for the interchange of [[Sheet music|score]]s, particularly between different [[scorewriter]]s. MusicXML development was managed by MakeMusic following the company's acquisition of Recordare in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.makemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2011_11_28_Recordare_Closing_Release_Final.pdf |title = Recordare Closing Release |publisher = Makemusic.com |accessdate = 13 December 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.startribune.com/makemusic-acquires-assets-of-internet-music-company/134613183/ |last=Phelps |first=David |title = MakeMusic acquires assets of Internet music company |date=28 November 2011 |publisher = StarTribune |accessdate = 15 October 2020 }}</ref> MusicXML development was transferred to the [[World Wide Web Consortium|W3C]] Music Notation Community Group in July 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/12/30/music_as_mark_up/ |title = Beyond iTunes: XML boffins target sheet music |work = The Register |accessdate = 19 December 2017 }}</ref>

Version 1.0 was released in January 2004. Version 1.1 was released in May 2005 with improved formatting support. Version 2.0 was released in June 2007 and included a standard compressed format.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.musicxml.com/tutorial/compressed-mxl-files/ |title = Compressed MXL Files |publisher = MusicXML |date = |accessdate = 27 June 2014 }}</ref> All of these versions were defined by a series of [[document type definition]]s (DTDs). An [[XML Schema (W3C)|XML Schema Definition]] (XSD) implementation of Version 2.0 was released in September 2008. Version 3.0 was released in August 2011 with improved virtual instrument support, in both DTD and XSD versions.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.musicxml.com/for-developers/version-history/ |title = Version History of MusicXML |publisher = Musicxml.com |date = |accessdate = 27 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harmonycentral.com/news/uncategorized/recordare-adds-finale-2010-support-to-dolet-5-for-finale-plug-in-r9522/|title=News: Recordare Adds Finale 2010 Support to Dolet 5 for Finale Plug-In|date=23 September 2009 |publisher=}}</ref> Version 3.1 was released in December 2017 with improved support for the Standard Music Font Layout ([[SMuFL]]).<ref name="musicxml31">{{cite web |url = https://www.scoringnotes.com/news/working-group-releases-first-musicxml-update/ |title = Working group releases its first MusicXML update |work = ScoringNotes.com |date = 18 December 2017 |publisher = NYC Music Services |accessdate = 19 December 2017 }}</ref> Version 4.0 was released in June 2021 and resolved multiple issues.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MusicXML 4.0|url=https://www.musicxml.com/for-developers/|access-date=2022-01-03|website=MusicXML|language=en-US}}</ref>

The MusicXML DTDs and XSDs are each freely redistributable under the W3C Community Final Specification Agreement.<ref name="fsa" />

==Support==
{{As of|2024|September}}, over 270 notation programs have at least some MusicXML interchange capability.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.musicxml.com/software/ |title = Software |publisher = MusicXML |accessdate = 27 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://musescore.org/en/handbook/file-format |title = File format |publisher = MuseScore |date = |accessdate = 27 June 2014 }}</ref> These programs include:
* Most [[Comparison of scorewriters|scorewriting programs]], including [[Finale (scorewriter)|Finale]], [[Dorico]], [[Sibelius (scorewriter)|Sibelius]], and [[MuseScore]]
* Most [[optical music recognition]] programs, including [[SmartScore]], [[PhotoScore]] and [[Audiveris]]
* Most [[music sequencer]] programs, including [[Steinberg Cubase|Cubase]], [[Logic Pro]], [[Digital Performer]], and [[Cakewalk Sonar|SONAR]]
Additionally, web support is possible through the use of the [[HTML5]] [[canvas element]] and [[JavaScript]] resulting in the rendering of legible music within a [[web browser]].<ref>{{cite web |author = |url = http://musicxml-viewer.com |title = HTML5 MusicXML Viewer |publisher = Musicxml-viewer.com |date = 15 May 2012 |accessdate = 27 June 2014 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160403014301/http://www.musicxml-viewer.com/download.html |archivedate = 3 April 2016 }} Source code available in [https://code.google.com/archive/p/score-library/source/default/commits Google Code], [https://github.com/navigator117/score-library Github] and [https://bitbucket.org/navigator117/score-library Bitbucket].</ref>

Features include [[Key signature|key]] and [[time signature]]s, [[clef]]s, beaming information, [[Stem (music)|stem]] directions, [[Slur (music)|slurs]], [[Ornament (music)|ornaments]], [[Bar (music)|barlines]], and written repeats,<ref>{{cite conference |first1=Phillip B. |last1=Kirlin |first2=Paul E. |last2=Utgoff |editor1-first=Juan Pablo |editor1-last=Bello |editor2-link=Elaine Chew |editor2-first=Elaine |editor2-last=Chew |editor3-first=Douglas |editor3-last=Turnbull |date=2008 |title=A Framework for Automated Schenkerian Analysis |conference=ISMIR 2008: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Music Information Retrieval |location=Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHp3sRnZD-oC&pg=PA365 |at=pp. 363–368 at 365 |isbn=978-0-615-24849-3}}</ref> though the support differs between programs.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Rettinghaus |first1=Klaus |last2=Bogdahn |first2=Gerrit |last3=Querfurth |first3=Kaspar |date=2023 |title=Comparison of MusicXML export capabilities of different scorewriters |conference=Encoding Cultures Joint MEC and TEI Conference 2023 |location=Paderborn, Germany |doi=10.17613/5bmx7-ytq67 |access-date=}}</ref>

==Example==
Like all XML-based formats, MusicXML is intended to be easy for automated tools to [[parsing|parse]] and manipulate. Though it is possible to create MusicXML by hand, interactive [[scorewriter|score writing]] programs like [[Finale (scorewriter)|Finale]] and [[MuseScore]] greatly simplify the reading, writing, and modifying of MusicXML files.

[[File:MusicXML C Whole Note.svg|thumb|Representation of middle C on the treble clef created through MusicXML code.]]
The following example is a score consisting of a single [[whole note]] [[C (musical note)#Middle C|middle C]] in the key of [[C major]] on the [[Clef#Treble clef|treble clef]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.musicxml.com/tutorial/hello-world/ |title = Hello World: A One-Bar Song with a Whole Note on Middle C in 4/4 time |publisher = Musicxml.com |date = |accessdate = 19 December 2017 }}</ref>

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE score-partwise PUBLIC
    "-//Recordare//DTD MusicXML 4.0 Partwise//EN"
    "http://www.musicxml.org/dtds/partwise.dtd">
<score-partwise version="4.0">
  <part-list>
    <score-part id="P1">
      <part-name>Music</part-name>
    </score-part>
  </part-list>
  <part id="P1">
    <measure number="1">
      <attributes>
        <divisions>1</divisions>
        <key>
          <fifths>0</fifths>
        </key>
        <time>
          <beats>4</beats>
          <beat-type>4</beat-type>
        </time>
        <clef>
          <sign>G</sign>
          <line>2</line>
        </clef>
      </attributes>
      <note>
        <pitch>
          <step>C</step>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>4</duration>
        <type>whole</type>
      </note>
    </measure>
  </part>
</score-partwise>
</syntaxhighlight>

The textual representation listed above is verbose; MusicXML v2.0 addresses this by adding a [[data compression|compressed]] [[ZIP (file format)|zip]] format with a {{mono|.mxl}} suffix that can make files roughly one-twentieth the size of the uncompressed version.<ref name="zip">{{cite web |url = https://www.musicxml.com/tutorial/faq |title = MusicXML FAQ |work = MusicXML |accessdate = 13 December 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of document markup languages]]
* [[Comparison of document markup languages]]
* [[MIDI]]
* [[Music Encoding Initiative]] (MEI)
* [[Music Markup Language]]
* [[Notation Interchange File Format]] (NIFF)
* [[Scorewriter]]
* [[Musescore]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.w3.org/2021/06/musicxml40/ MusicXML 4.0 Final Community Group Report]
*[https://www.w3.org/community/music-notation/ W3C Music Notation Community Group]
*[https://www.soundslice.com/musicxml-viewer/ MusicXML viewer] at [https://www.soundslice.com/ Soundslice]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20220523210113/https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/1599/4403/ IEEE 1599] at IEEE.org

{{Document markup languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musicxml}}
[[Category:XML-based standards]]
[[Category:Industry-specific XML-based standards]]
[[Category:Music notation file formats]]
[[Category:Musical markup languages]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 2004]]
[[Category:World Wide Web Consortium standards]]