MusicXML is an open, XML-based music file format developed by Recordare, LLC . Deriving several key concepts from existing academic formats (such as Walter Hewlett's Musedata and David Huron's Humdrum), it has been designed to become a standard for the interchange of scores written in Western musical notation. The MusicXML standard is defined by a series of document type definitions (DTDs) which are each freely redistributable under the MusicXML Document Type Definition Public License.
1 Example
Like all XML-based formats, MusicXML is easy for automated tools to parse and manipulate. Though it is possible to create MusicXML by hand, interactive score writing programs like Rosegarden and Finale greatly simplify the reading, writing, and modifying of MusicXML files.
The following example is a score consisting of a single, wholemiddle C in the key of C major.