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02. Review and Add Metadata to an MEI XML file

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Anna Kijas edited this page Mar 15, 2024 · 18 revisions

1. Check the Incipit Spreadsheet

  • In the incipit spreadsheet add your name to a transcribed incipit that is awaiting review.
  • Look up the exact score in JumboSearch and check the call number. If the call number has been updated, please update it in the sheet.
  • Check the composition title/movement column and verify that there are as many incipits transcribed as movements or pieces in the work.
  • Review the instrument group, instrumentation summary, and medium (ensemble type) in the sheet.
    • Instrument details can be found with the score and in JumboSearch

Refer to the Music Encoding Guidelines if you have questions about encoding certain elements.

2. MuseScore

  • Use GitHub Desktop (show in finder option) to open the .mscz file in the musescore-files folder
  • Make corrections to the incipit and save (this will update the .mscz file in the repository)
  • Export a new MusicXML file (if changes were made) and replace the one in the "for review" folder

3. MEI-Friend Editor

  • Open the MEI-Friend Editor
  • Find the file you are reviewing in the "for review" folder
    • Click on your name --> repository name --> main branch, and the "for review" folder where the file is located
  • The file will load in the editor and you'll see the XML and notation in a split view
  • Review the file against the original score
    • Pay attention to the direction of the beams, slurs, performance markings
    • Make sure that the correct barline is used at the end of the incipit

4. Add Metadata

  • Make sure the editor tells you the file is well-formed and valid. If it is not, check for errors and correct them if you can

  • In the <meiHead> section make sure the title is correct and it includes the correct piece, movement, or any other title details.

  • Add/review the following metadata within the <respStmt> section:

          `<respStmt>
          <persName role="composer">composer's name</persName>
          <persName role="transcriber">insert name</persName>
          <persName role="reviewer">insert name</persName>
       </respStmt>`

  • Add/review the following metadata within the section:

       `<pubStmt>

   <!--The date is automatically generated when file is exported from MuseScore-->
       <date isodate="2021-05-07" type="encoding-date">2021-05-07</date>

       <publisher>Rebalancing the Music Canon</publisher>
       <availability>
          <useRestrict>The incipits are provided for educational use only and are not to be used commercially. Incipits are assigned a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</useRestrict>
       </availability>
       <identifier>
       <ref target="https://rebalancing-music-canon.com/"/>
       </identifier>
    </pubStmt>`

Possible Issues

Need to update the page title elements

  • In the <score> section, find the <pgHead> elements
    • Remove the duplicate title and work details
  • Do not delete the composer or any other author names. Make sure these are correct and match the metadata in the <meiHead> section.

Need to update the tempo marking elements

An unedited MEI file may include tempo elements in separate lines. If you are viewing the file in MEI-Friend or Verovio Editor and the tempo markings render correctly, you do not need to make any edits as described below.

For example:

 <tempo xml:id="t18r4pma" place="above" staff="1" tstamp="1.000000" xml:lang="it" midi.bpm="54.000000" mm="54.000000">
 <rend xml:id="r9t0p01" fontweight="bold">Con emoción quienta</rend>
 <rend xml:id="rditfhx" fontweight="normal" />
 <rend xml:id="r9iahlr" fontfam="Leland Text"></rend> = 54</tempo>

When this is rendered with Verovio, the space after "Presto" does not remain and numeral "c. 92" appears before the notehead.

In order to control how the tempo markings appear on the rendered HTML page you need to put all of the tempo elements into one single line and delete the original lines with that information. The above example would be edited like this:

<tempo xml:id="trquu4z" place="above" staff="1" tstamp="1.000000" xml:lang="it" midi.bpm="54.000000" mm="54.000000">
<rend xml:id="rk92u8e" fontweight="bold">Con emoción quienta <rend xml:id="r1sv6e7h" fontfam="smufl" fontsize="small"> </rend>  
= 54</rend></tempo>

It is also possible to include the tempo marking in the MEI XML without rendering it in Verovio. For example, if a work had a tempo marking of one dotted quarter note played at 96 bpm played Allegro molto agitato would be written like this:

<tempo staff="1" place="above" tstamp="1" mm="96" mm.unit="4" mm.dots="1">Allegro
            molto agitato.</tempo>

5. Finish Committing the File

  • In MEI-Friend save the MEI file: go to "File --> Save MEI"
    • This will save a copy of the MEI file on your computer
    • Make sure the the filename is updated. Separate the last name and title with underscores, for example: anderson_in_memoriam_zach_walker.mei (the .mei will automatically appear) and add a brief note before committing to GitHub
  • Upload the file into the /assets/mei folder in the GitHub repository
  • Alternatively, you can update the filename in MEI-Friend and commit it to the repository. It should appear in the mei folder.

6. Alternative Option - If MEI File does not render correctly

  • Finish reviewing the incipit and instead of saving an MEI file, export a .png image file from MuseScore
  • Upload the image file to the images folder in /assets/images
  • Make a note in the spreadsheet that there is a .png file instead of an MEI file
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