Open Score Format - a MusicXML-based package spec

Hi all,

 

I am Robin Kidd, working for Yamaha Corporation. I have been watching the
discussions, but have had no input to give on a technical level as I am not
a composer, engraver or software engineer. However I have been working with
MusicXML since around 2009, when Yamaha began work on a project that would
eventually become NoteStar (www.notestarapp.com <http://www.notestarapp.com>
), an iPad app with score bitmaps (rendered by Noteflight) based on MusicXML
packages provided by the publishers Music Sales and Hal Leonard.

 

When we were developing this project, we identified the need for a packaging
specification for MusicXML files, which could contain all of the related
metadata, audio files, album artwork, MIDI, PDFs or anything else the
developer of a MusicXML-based service might want to use in their digital
score application. In short, an OSF file is a zip archive containing the
files and metadata described above, with Metadata based on the Dublin Core
initiative. http://dublincore.org/  The idea was that people could make
content for one application and then reuse it in a completely different one
without the need to change the way content is packaged and described, thus
benefitting both content makers, and developers of applications who want to
use that content.

 

I apologise if this is off-topic from the MusicXML 3.1 development
discussion. However, I can't imagine a more appropriate group of people,
some of whom might have the skills and knowledge to help update Open Score
Format, incorporating the forthcoming changes and making a specification
that is fit for future purposes. Although slightly daunting, I think the
existing specification could be updated to accommodate any MusicXML 3.1
document with just a few tweaks and updates to the spec.

 

You can find the project on Sourceforge, which goes into more detail about
the project: http://openscoreformat.sourceforge.net/  

 

The full packaging specification document is available here
<http://openscoreformat.sourceforge.net/assets/PackagingSpecification.pdf> .

 

Since it was released in 2009, OSF has failed to go into general use. As far
as I know, it is only used in NoteStar. I think in part due to: 

 

1.       It was designed by Yamaha and our partner publishers for a very
narrow purpose (i.e. supporting Piano Vocal Guitar (PVG) scores)

2.       Obscurity / lack of community - it was never actively promoted

3.       Lack of active development (it still specifies MusicXML 2.0 as the
baseline)

4.       Some errors in documentation caused confusion in early development
of NoteStar

 

Given the development now happening in the W3 community, I wonder if now
could be the time to resurrect Open Score Format and develop "OSF 2.0" to
support the MusicXML 3.1 updates. Perhaps with less emphasis on PVG scores,
in order to open it up to a wider user-base.

 

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on this project, please feel free to
offer them here. I would be more than willing to open up the project to
interested parties, as the developer who originally designed the project
left Yamaha a number of years ago, and we at Yamaha no longer have the
resources to update it. Also, with some input from the community, it would
be great to see it in more general use, perhaps with less emphasis on PVG
scores, in order to open it up to a wider user-base. 

 

I hope this is not a distraction from the MusicXML 3.1 discussions and
development. If people are interested, perhaps a separate distribution list
could be started to reduce the noise!

 

Best regards,

Robin Kidd

 

Product Planning Specialist

Yamaha R&D London