Music Encoding Initiative Guidelines

att.basic

Attributes that form the basis of the att.common class.

Attributes

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@meiversion, @xml:base, @xml:id

@meiversion(recommended)Specifies a generic MEI version label. Allowed values are: "6.0-dev" (Version of MEI), "6.0-dev+anyStart" (Version of MEI All AnyStart customization)

@xml:base(optional)Provides a base URI reference with which applications can resolve relative URI references into absolute URI references. Value conforms to data.URI.

@xml:id(optional)Regularizes the naming of an element and thus facilitates building links between it and other resources. Each id attribute within a document must have a unique value. Value is a valid xml:id.

direct children

@xml:base(optional)Provides a base URI reference with which applications can resolve relative URI references into absolute URI references. Value conforms to data.URI.

att.id(MEI.shared) Attributes that uniquely identify an element.

att.meiVersion(MEI.shared) Attributes that record the version of MEI in use.

@meiversion(recommended)Specifies a generic MEI version label. Allowed values are: "6.0-dev" (Version of MEI), "6.0-dev+anyStart" (Version of MEI All AnyStart customization)

MEI.shared

@meiversion(recommended)Specifies a generic MEI version label. Allowed values are: "6.0-dev" (Version of MEI), "6.0-dev+anyStart" (Version of MEI All AnyStart customization)

@xml:base(optional)Provides a base URI reference with which applications can resolve relative URI references into absolute URI references. Value conforms to data.URI.

Available at

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att.basic

<catRel>Contains the name, i.e., label, of a related category.

<cb>An empty formatting element that forces text to begin in a new column.

<div>Major structural division of text, such as a preface, chapter or section.

<divLine>Represents a division (divisio) in neume notation. Divisions indicate short, medium, or long pauses similar to breath marks in modern notation.

<extData>Provides a container element for non-MEI data formats.

<instrDef>MIDI instrument declaration.

<layer>An independent stream of events on a staff.

<layerDef>Container for layer meta-information.

<list>A formatting element that contains a series of items separated from one another and arranged in a linear, often vertical, sequence.

<meiHead>Supplies the descriptive and declarative metadata prefixed to every MEI-conformant text.

<name>Proper noun or noun phrase.

<nc>Sign representing a single pitched event, although the exact pitch may not be known.

<neume>Sign representing one or more musical pitches.

<oLayer>A layer that contains an alternative to material in another layer.

<oStaff>A staff that holds an alternative passage which may be played instead of the original material.

<propName>Name of a property of the symbol.

<q>Contains material which is distinguished from the surrounding phrase-level text using quotation marks or a similar method. Use <quote> for block-level quotations.

<staff>A group of equidistant horizontal lines on which notes are placed in order to represent pitch or a grouping element for individual 'strands' of notes, rests, etc. that may or may not actually be rendered on staff lines; that is, both diastematic and non-diastematic signs.

<staffDef>Container for staff meta-information.

<title>Title of a bibliographic entity.

<titlePart>Contains a subsection or division of the title of a bibliographic entity.

att.common

<abbr>A generic element for 1) a shortened form of a word, including an acronym or 2) a shorthand notation.

<accessRestrict>Describes the conditions that affect the accessibility of material.

<accid>Records a temporary alteration to the pitch of a note.

<accMat>Holds a description of any additional material bound with an item, such as non-contemporaneous documents or fragments.

<acquisition>Records information concerning the process by which an item was acquired by the holding institution.

<actor>Name of an actor appearing within a cast list.

<add>Marks an addition to the text.

<addDesc>Provides a description of significant additions found within an item, such as marginalia or other annotations.

<addName>Contains an additional name component, such as a nickname, epithet, or alias, or any other descriptive phrase used within a personal name.

<address>Contains a postal address, for example of a publisher, an organization, or an individual.

<addrLine>Single line of a postal address.

<altId>May contain a bibliographic identifier that does not fit within the meiHead element’s id attribute, for example because the identifier does not fit the definition of an XML id or because multiple identifiers are needed.

<ambitus>Range of a voice, instrument or piece.

<ambNote>Highest or lowest pitch in a score, staff, or layer.

<analytic>Contains bibliographic elements describing an item (e.g., an article or poem) published within a monograph or journal and not as an independent publication.

<anchoredText>Container for text that is fixed to a particular page location, regardless of changes made to the layout of the measures around it.

<annot>Provides a statement explaining the text or indicating the basis for an assertion.

<app>Contains one or more alternative encodings.

<appInfo>Groups information about applications which have acted upon the MEI file.

<application>Provides information about an application which has acted upon the current document.

<argument>Contains a formal list or prose description of topics addressed.

<arpeg>Indicates that the notes of a chord are to be performed successively rather than simultaneously, usually from lowest to highest. Sometimes called a "roll".

<artic>An indication of how to play a note or chord.

<attacca>An instruction to begin the next section or movement of a composition without pause.

<attUsage>Documents the usage of a specific attribute of the element.

<audience>Defines the class of user for which the work is intended, as defined by age group (e.g., children, young adults, adults, etc.), educational level (e.g., primary, secondary, etc.), or other categorization.

<availability>Groups elements that describe the availability of and access to a bibliographic item, including an MEI-encoded document.

<avFile>References an external digital audio or video file.

<back>Contains any appendixes, advertisements, indexes, etc. following the main body of a musical text.

<barLine>Vertical line drawn through one or more staves that divides musical notation into metrical units.

<barre>A barre in a chord tablature grid.

<beam>A container for a series of explicitly beamed events that begins and ends entirely within a measure.

<beamSpan>Alternative element for explicitly encoding beams, particularly those which extend across bar lines.

<beatRpt>An indication that material on a preceding beat should be repeated.

<bend>A variation in pitch (often micro-tonal) upwards or downwards during the course of a note.

<bibl>Provides a loosely-structured bibliographic citation in which the sub-components may or may not be explicitly marked.

<biblList>List of bibliographic references.

<biblScope>Defines the scope of a bibliographic reference, for example as a list of page numbers, or a named subdivision of a larger work.

<biblStruct>Contains a bibliographic citation in which bibliographic sub-elements must appear in a specified order.

<bifolium>Describes a folded sheet of paper.

<binding>Contains a description of one binding, i.e., type of covering, boards, etc. applied to an item.

<bindingDesc>Describes the present and former bindings of an item.

<bloc>Contains the name of a geopolitical unit consisting of two or more nation states or countries.

<body>Contains the whole of a single musical text, excluding any front or back matter.

<bracketSpan>Marks a sequence of notational events grouped by a bracket.

<breath>An indication of a point at which the performer on an instrument requiring breath (including the voice) may breathe.

<bTrem>A rapid alternation on a single pitch or chord.

<byline>Contains the primary statement of responsibility given for a work on its title page.

<caesura>Break, pause, or interruption in the normal tempo of a composition. Typically indicated by "railroad tracks", i.e., two diagonal slashes.

<caption>A label which accompanies an illustration or a table.

<captureMode>The means used to record notation, sound, or images in the production of a source/manifestation (e.g., analogue, acoustic, electric, digital, optical etc.).

<carrierForm>The specific class of material to which the physical carrier of the source/manifestation belongs (e.g., sound cassette, videodisc, microfilm cartridge, transparency, etc.). The carrier for a manifestation comprising multiple physical components may include more than one form (e.g., a filmstrip with an accompanying booklet, a separate sound disc carrying the sound track for a film, etc.).

<castGrp>Groups one or more individual castItem elements within a cast list.

<castItem>Contains a single entry within a cast list, describing either a single role or a list of non-speaking roles.

<castList>Contains a single cast list or dramatis personae.

<catchwords>Describes the system used to ensure correct ordering of the quires making up an item, typically by means of annotations at the foot of the page.

<category>Contains an individual descriptive category in a user-defined taxonomy, possibly nested within a superordinate category.

<cc>MIDI parameter/control change.

<chan>MIDI channel assignment.

<change>Individual change within the revision description.

<changeDesc>Description of a revision of the MEI file.

<chanPr>MIDI channel pressure/after touch.

<choice>Groups a number of alternative encodings for the same point in a text.

<chord>A simultaneous sounding of two or more notes in the same layer *with the same duration*.

<chordDef>Chord tablature definition.

<chordMember>An individual pitch in a chord defined by a <chordDef> element.

<chordTable>Chord/tablature look-up table.

<classDecls>Groups information which describes the nature or topic of an entity.

<classification>Groups information which describes the nature or topic of an entity.

<clef>Indication of the exact location of a particular note on the staff and, therefore, the other notes as well.

<clefGrp>A set of simultaneously-occurring clefs.

<clip>Defines a time segment of interest within a recording or within a digital audio or video file.

<collation>Records a description of how the leaves or bifolia of an item are physically arranged.

<colLayout>An empty formatting element that signals the start of columnar layout.

<colophon>Contains a statement providing information regarding the date, place, agency, or reason for production of the item.

<componentList>Container for intellectual or physical component parts of a bibliographic entity.

<condition>The physical condition of an item, particularly any variances between the physical make-up of the item and that of other copies of the same item (e.g., missing pages or plates, brittleness, faded images, etc.).

<contentItem>Contains a single entry within a content description element.

<contents>List of the material contained within a resource.

<context>The historical, social, intellectual, artistic, or other context within which the work was originally conceived (e.g., the 17th century restoration of the monarchy in England, the aesthetic movement of the late 19th century, etc.) or the historical, social, intellectual, artistic, or other context within which the expression was realized.

<contributor>Names of individuals, institutions, or organizations responsible for contributions to the intellectual content of a work, where the specialized elements for authors, editors, etc. do not suffice or do not apply.

<corpName>Identifies an organization or group of people that acts as a single entity.

<corr>Contains the correct form of an apparent erroneous passage.

<correction>States how and under what circumstances corrections have been made in the text.

<country>Contains the name of a geopolitical unit, such as a nation, country, colony, or commonwealth, larger than or administratively superior to a region and smaller than a bloc.

<course>Describes the tuning of a course on a stringed instrument (e.g., guitar, lute).

<cpMark>A verbal or graphical indication to copy musical material written elsewhere.

<creation>Non-bibliographic details of the creation of an intellectual entity, in narrative form, such as the date, place, and circumstances of its composition. More detailed information may be captured within the history element.

<creator>Names of individuals, institutions, or organizations responsible for the creation of the intellectual content of a work, e.g., authors, composers, etc. (context based also lyricists and librettist).

<cue>MIDI cue point.

<curve>A curved line that cannot be represented by a more specific element, such as a slur.

<custos>Symbol placed at the end of a line of music to indicate the first note of the next line. Sometimes called a "direct".

<cutout>A cutout is a section of a document sheet that has been removed and is now missing.

<damage>Contains an area of damage to the physical medium.

<date>A string identifying a point in time or the time period between two such points.

<decoDesc>Contains a description of the decoration of an item.

<decoNote>Contains a description of one or more decorative features of an item.

<dedication>Contains a dedicatory statement.

<del>Contains information deleted, marked as deleted, or otherwise indicated as superfluous or spurious in the copy text by an author, scribe, annotator, or corrector.

<depth>Description of a measurement taken through a three-dimensional object.

<desc>Container for text that briefly describes the feature to which it is attached, including its intended usage, purpose, or application as appropriate.

<dim>Any single dimensional specification.

<dimensions>Information about the physical size of an entity; usually includes numerical data.

<dir>An instruction expressed as a combination of text and symbols, typically above, below, or between staves, but not on the staff — that is not encoded elsewhere in more specific elements, like <tempo>, <dynam> or <repeatMark>.

<distributor>Person or agency, other than a publisher, from which access (including electronic access) to a bibliographic entity may be obtained.

<district>Contains the name of any kind of subdivision of a settlement, such as a parish, ward, or other administrative or geographic unit.

<domainsDecl>Indicates which domains are included in the encoding.

<dot>Dot of augmentation or division.

<dynam>Indication of the volume of a note, phrase, or section of music.

<edition>A word or text phrase that indicates a difference in either content or form between the item being described and a related item previously issued by the same publisher/distributor (e.g., 2nd edition, version 2.0, etc.), or simultaneously issued by either the same publisher/distributor or another publisher/distributor (e.g., large print edition, British edition, etc.).

<editionStmt>Container for meta-data pertaining to a particular edition of the material being described.

<editor>The name of the individual(s), institution(s) or organization(s) acting in an editorial capacity.

<editorialDecl>Used to provide details of editorial principles and practices applied during the encoding of musical text.

<encodingDesc>Documents the relationship between an electronic file and the source or sources from which it was derived as well as applications used in the encoding/editing process.

<ending>Alternative ending for a repeated passage of music; i.e., prima volta, seconda volta, etc.

<epigraph>Contains a quotation, anonymous or attributed, appearing on a title page.

<episema>Episema.

<event>Contains a free-text event description.

<eventList>Contains historical information given as a sequence of significant past events.

<exhibHist>A record of public exhibitions, including dates, venues, etc.

<expan>Contains the expansion of an abbreviation.

<expansion>Indicates how a section may be programmatically expanded into its 'through-composed' form.

<explicit>Contains the explicit of a manuscript item; that is, the closing words of the text proper, exclusive of any rubric or colophon which might follow it.

<expression>Intellectual or artistic realization of a work.

<expressionList>Gathers bibliographic expression entities.

<extent>Used to express size in terms other than physical dimensions, such as number of pages, records, bytes, physical components, etc.

<extMeta>Provides a container element for non-MEI metadata formats.

<f>Single element of a figured bass indication.

<facsimile>Contains a representation of a written source in the form of a set of images rather than as transcribed or encoded text.

<famName>Contains a family (inherited) name, as opposed to a given, baptismal, or nick name.

<fb>Symbols added to a bass line that indicate harmony. Used to improvise a chordal accompaniment. Sometimes called Generalbass, thoroughbass, or basso continuo.

<fermata>An indication placed over a note or rest to indicate that it should be held longer than its written value. May also occur over a bar line to indicate the end of a phrase or section. Sometimes called a 'hold' or 'pause'.

<fig>Groups elements representing or containing graphic information such as an illustration or figure.

<figDesc>Contains a brief prose description of the appearance or content of a graphic figure, for use when documenting an image without displaying it.

<fileChar>Standards or schemes used to encode the file (e.g., ASCII, SGML, etc.), physical characteristics of the file (e.g., recording density, parity, blocking, etc.), and other characteristics that have a bearing on how the file can be processed.

<fileDesc>Contains a full bibliographic description of the MEI file.

<fing>An individual finger in a fingering indication.

<fingGrp>A group of individual fingers in a fingering indication.

<foliaDesc>Describes the arrangement of folia and bifolia making up the text block of a manuscript or printed item.

<foliation>Describes the numbering system or systems used to count the folios, leaves, or pages in a manuscript or printed item.

<folium>Describes a single leaf of paper.

<foreName>Contains a forename, given or baptismal name.

<front>Bundles prefatory text found before the start of the musical text.

<fTrem>A rapid alternation between a pair of notes (or chords or perhaps between a note and a chord) that are (usually) farther apart than a major second.

<funder>Names of individuals, institutions, or organizations responsible for funding. Funders provide financial support for a project; they are distinct from sponsors, who provide intellectual support and authority.

<gap>Indicates a point where material has been omitted in a transcription, whether as part of sampling practice or for editorial reasons described in the MEI header.

<genDesc>Bundles information about the textual development of a work.

<genName>Contains a name component used to distinguish otherwise similar names on the basis of the relative ages or generations of the persons named.

<genre>Term or terms that designate a category characterizing a particular style, form, or content.

<genState>Describes a distinctive state in the textual development of a work.

<geogFeat>Contains a common noun identifying a geographical feature.

<geogName>The proper noun designation for a place, natural feature, or political jurisdiction.

<gliss>A continuous or sliding movement from one pitch to another, usually indicated by a straight or wavy line.

<graceGrp>A container for a sequence of grace notes.

<graphic>Indicates the location of an inline graphic.

<group>Contains a composite musical text, grouping together a sequence of distinct musical texts (or groups of such musical texts) which are regarded as a unit for some purpose, for example, the collected works of a composer.

<grpSym>A brace or bracket used to group two or more staves of a score or part.

<hairpin>Indicates continuous dynamics expressed on the score as wedge-shaped graphics, e.g., < and >.

<halfmRpt>A half-measure repeat in any meter.

<hand>Defines a distinct scribe or handwriting style.

<handList>Container for one or more hand elements.

<handShift>Marks the beginning of a passage written in a new hand, or of a change in the scribe, writing style, ink or character of the document hand.

<harm>An indication of harmony, e.g., chord names, tablature grids, harmonic analysis, figured bass.

<harpPedal>Harp pedal diagram.

<head>Contains any heading, for example, the title of a section of text, or the heading of a list.

<height>Description of the vertical size of an object.

<heraldry>Contains a heraldic formula or phrase, typically found as part of a blazon, coat of arms, etc.

<hex>Arbitrary MIDI data in hexadecimal form.

<hispanTick>Hispanic tick.

<history>Provides a container for information about the history of a resource other than the circumstances of its creation.

<identifier>An alpha-numeric string that establishes the identity of the described material.

<imprimatur>Contains a formal statement authorizing the publication of a work, sometimes required to appear on a title page or its verso.

<imprint>Information relating to the publication or distribution of a bibliographic item.

<incip>The opening music and/or words of a musical or textual work.

<incipCode>Incipit coded in a non-XML, plain text format, such as Plaine & Easie Code.

<incipText>Opening words of a musical composition.

<inscription>An inscription added to an item, such as a bookplate, a note designating the item as a gift, and/or the author’s signature.

<instrGrp>Collects MIDI instrument definitions.

<interpretation>Describes the scope of any analytic or interpretive information added to the transcription of the music.

<item>Single instance or exemplar of a source/manifestation.

<itemList>Gathers bibliographic item entities.

<key>Key captures information about tonal center and mode.

<keyAccid>Accidental in a key signature.

<keySig>Written key signature.

<l>Contains a single line of text within a line group.

<label>A container for document text that identifies the feature to which it is attached. For a "tool tip" or other generated label, use the @label attribute.

<labelAbbr>A label on the pages following the first.

<language>Description of a language used in the document.

<langUsage>Groups elements describing the languages, sub-languages, dialects, etc., represented within the encoded resource.

<layout>Describes how text is laid out on the page, including information about any ruling, pricking, or other evidence of page-preparation techniques.

<layoutDesc>Collects layout descriptions.

<lb>An empty formatting element that forces text to begin on a new line.

<lem>Contains the lemma, or base text, of a textual variation.

<lg>May be used for any section of text that is organized as a group of lines; however, it is most often used for a group of verse lines functioning as a formal unit, e.g., a stanza, refrain, verse paragraph, etc.

<li>Single item in a <list>.

<ligature>A mensural notation symbol that combines two or more notes into a single sign.

<line>A visual line that cannot be represented by a more specific; i.e., semantic, element.

<liquescent>Liquescent.

<locus>Defines a location within a manuscript or manuscript component, usually as a (possibly discontinuous) sequence of folio references.

<locusGrp>Groups locations which together form a distinct but discontinuous item within a manuscript or manuscript part, according to a specific foliation.

<lv>A "tie-like" indication that a note should ring beyond its written duration.

<manifestation>A bibliographic description of a physical embodiment of an expression of a work.

<manifestationList>A container for the descriptions of physical embodiments of an expression of a work.

<mapping>One or more characters which are related to the parent symbol in some respect, as specified by the type attribute.

<marker>MIDI marker meta-event.

<mdiv>Contains a subdivision of the body of a musical text.

<measure>Unit of musical time consisting of a fixed number of note values of a given type, as determined by the prevailing meter, and delimited in musical notation by bar lines.

<meiCorpus>A group of related MEI documents, consisting of a header for the group, and one or more <mei> elements, each with its own complete header.

<mensur>Collects information about the metrical relationship between a note value and the next smaller value; that is, either triple or duple.

<mensuration>Captures information about mensuration within bibliographic descriptions.

<metaMark>A graphical or textual statement with additional / explanatory information about the musical text. The textual consequences of this intervention are encoded independently via other means; that is, with elements such as <add>, <del>, etc.

<metaText>MIDI text meta-event.

<meter>Captures information about the time signature within bibliographic descriptions.

<meterSig>Written meter signature.

<meterSigGrp>Used to capture alternating, interchanging, mixed or other non-standard meter signatures.

<midi>Container for elements that contain information useful when generating MIDI output.

<mNum>Designation, name, or label for a measure, often but not always consisting of digits. Use this element when the @n attribute on <measure> does not adequately capture the appearance or placement of the measure number/label.

<monogr>Contains bibliographic elements describing an item, for example, a published book or journal, score, recording, or an unpublished manuscript.

<mordent>An ornament indicating rapid alternation of the main note with a secondary note, usually a step below, but sometimes a step above.

<mRest>Complete measure rest in any meter.

<mRpt>An indication that the previous measure should be repeated.

<mRpt2>An indication that the previous two measures should be repeated.

<mSpace>A measure containing only empty space in any meter.

<multiRest>Multiple full measure rests compressed into a single bar, frequently found in performer parts.

<multiRpt>Multiple repeated measures.

<music>Contains a single musical text of any kind, whether unitary or composite, for example, an etude, opera, song cycle, symphony, or anthology of piano solos.

<nameLink>Contains a connecting phrase or link used within a name but not regarded as part of it, such as "van der" or "of", "from", etc.

<namespace>Supplies the formal name of the namespace to which the elements documented by its children belong.

<ncGrp>Collection of one or more neume components.

<normalization>Indicates the extent of normalization or regularization of the original source carried out in converting it to electronic form.

<note>A single pitched event.

<noteOff>MIDI note-off event.

<noteOn>MIDI note-on event.

<notesStmt>Collects any notes providing information about a text additional to that recorded in other parts of the bibliographic description.

<num>Numeric information in any form.

<octave>An indication that a passage should be performed one or more octaves above or below its written pitch.

<orig>Contains material which is marked as following the original, rather than being normalized or corrected.

<oriscus>Oriscus.

<ornam>An element indicating an ornament that is not a mordent, turn, or trill.

<ossia>Captures original notation and a differently notated version *present in the source being transcribed*.

<otherChar>Any characteristic that serves to differentiate a work or expression from another.

<p>One or more text phrases that form a logical prose passage.

<pad>An indication of extra visual space between notational elements.

<part>An alternative visual rendition of the score from the point of view of a particular performer (or group of performers).

<parts>Provides a container for performers' parts.

<patch>Describes a physical writing surface attached to the original document.

<pb>An empty formatting element that forces text to begin on a new page.

<pedal>Piano pedal mark.

<perfDuration>Used to express the duration of performance of printed or manuscript music or the playing time for a sound recording, videorecording, etc.

<perfMedium>Indicates the number and character of the performing forces used in a musical composition.

<performance>A presentation of one or more musical works.

<perfRes>Name of an instrument on which a performer plays, a performer's voice range, or a standard performing ensemble designation.

<perfResList>Several instrumental or vocal resources treated as a group.

<periodName>A label that describes a period of time, such as 'Baroque' or '3rd Style period'.

<persName>Designation for an individual, including any or all of that individual's forenames, surnames, honorific titles, and added names.

<pgDesc>Contains a brief prose description of the appearance or description of the content of a physical page.

<pgFoot>A running footer.

<pgHead>A running header.

<phrase>Indication of 1) a "unified melodic idea" or 2) performance technique.

<physDesc>Container for information about the appearance, construction, or handling of physical materials, such as their dimension, quantity, color, style, and technique of creation.

<physLoc>Groups information about the current physical location of a bibliographic item, such as the repository in which it is located and its shelf mark(s), and its previous locations.

<physMedium>Records the physical materials used in the source, such as ink and paper.

<plateNum>Designation assigned to a resource by a music publisher, usually printed at the bottom of each page, and sometimes appearing also on the title page.

<playingSpeed>Playing speed for a sound recording is the speed at which the carrier must be operated to produce the sound intended (e.g., 33 1/3 rpm, 19 cm/s, etc.).

<plica>Plica

<port>MIDI port.

<postBox>Contains a number or other identifier for some postal delivery point other than a street address.

<postCode>Contains a numerical or alphanumeric code used as part of a postal address to simplify sorting or delivery of mail.

<price>The cost of access to a bibliographic item.

<prog>MIDI program change.

<projectDesc>Project-level meta-data describing the aim or purpose for which the electronic file was encoded, funding agencies, etc. together with any other relevant information concerning the process by which it was assembled or collected.

<proport>Description of note duration as arithmetic ratio.

<propValue>A single property value.

<provenance>The record of ownership or custodianship of an item.

<ptr>Defines a traversible pointer to another location, using only attributes to describe the destination.

<publisher>Name of the organization responsible for the publication of a bibliographic item.

<pubPlace>Name of the place where a bibliographic item was published.

<pubStmt>Container for information regarding the publication or distribution of a bibliographic item, including the publisher’s name and address, the date of publication, and other relevant details.

<quilisma>Quilisma.

<quote>Contains a paragraph-like block of text attributed to an external source, normally set off from the surrounding text by spacing or other typographic distinction.

<rdg>Contains a single reading within a textual variation.

<recipient>The name of the individual(s), institution(s) or organization(s) receiving correspondence.

<recording>A recorded performance.

<ref>Defines a traversible reference to another location. May contain text and sub-elements that describe the destination.

<refrain>Recurring lyrics, especially at the end of each verse or stanza of a poem or song lyrics; a chorus.

<reg>Contains material which has been regularized or normalized in some sense.

<region>Contains the name of an administrative unit such as a state, province, or county, larger than a settlement, but smaller than a country.

<reh>In an orchestral score and its corresponding parts, a mark indicating a convenient point from which to resume rehearsal after a break.

<relatedItem>Contains or references another bibliographic item which is related to the present one.

<relation>Describes a relationship or linkage amongst entities.

<relationList>Gathers relation elements.

<rend>A formatting element indicating special visual rendering, e.g., bold or italicized, of a text word or phrase.

<repeatMark> An instruction expressed as a combination of text and symbols – segno and coda – typically above, below, or between staves, but not on the staff.

<repository>Institution, agency, or individual which holds a bibliographic item.

<resp>A phrase describing the nature of intellectual responsibility.

<respStmt>Names one or more individuals, groups, or in rare cases, mechanical processes, responsible for creation, realization, production, funding, or distribution of the intellectual or artistic content.

<rest>A non-sounding event found in the source being transcribed.

<restore>Indicates restoration of material to an earlier state by cancellation of an editorial or authorial marking or instruction.

<revisionDesc>Container for information about alterations that have been made to an MEI file.

<role>Name of a dramatic role, as given in a cast list.

<roleDesc>Describes a character’s role in a drama.

<roleName>Contains a name component which indicates that the referent has a particular role or position in society, such as an official title or rank.

<rubric>Contains a string of words through which a manuscript signals the beginning or end of a text division, often with an assertion as to its author and title, which is in some way set off from the text itself, usually in red ink, or by use of different size or type of script, or some other such visual device.

<samplingDecl>Contains a prose description of the rationale and methods used in sampling texts in the creation of a corpus or collection.

<sb>An empty formatting element that forces musical notation to begin on a new line.

<score>Full score view of the musical content.

<scoreDef>Container for score meta-information.

<scoreFormat>Describes the type of score used to represent a musical composition (e.g., short score, full score, condensed score, close score, etc.).

<scriptDesc>Contains a description of the letters or characters used in an autographic item.

<scriptNote>Describes a particular script distinguished within the description of an autographic item.

<seal>A single seal or similar attachment.

<sealDesc>Describes the seals or similar external attachments applied to an item.

<secFolio>Marks the word or words taken from a fixed point in a codex (typically the beginning of the second leaf) in order to provide a unique identifier for the item.

<section>Segment of music data.

<seg>represents any segmentation of text below the "text component" level.

<segmentation>Describes the principles according to which the musical text has been segmented, for example into movements, sections, etc.

<seqNum>MIDI sequence number.

<series>Contains information about the serial publication in which a bibliographic item has appeared.

<seriesStmt>Groups information about the series, if any, to which a publication belongs.

<settlement>Contains the name of a settlement such as a city, town, or village identified as a single geopolitical or administrative unit.

<sic>Contains apparently incorrect or inaccurate material.

<signatures>Provides a description of the leaf or quire signatures found within a codex.

<signifLet>Significantive letter(s).

<slur>Indication of 1) a "unified melodic idea" or 2) performance technique.

<soundChan>Reflects the number of apparent sound channels in the playback of a recording (monaural, stereophonic, quadraphonic, etc.).

<source>A bibliographic description of a source used in the creation of the electronic file.

<sourceDesc>A container for the descriptions of the source(s) used in the creation of the electronic file.

<sp>Contains an individual speech in a performance text.

<space>A placeholder used to fill an incomplete measure, layer, etc. most often so that the combined duration of the events equals the number of beats in the measure.

<speaker>Contains a specialized form of heading or label, giving the name of one or more speakers in a dramatic text or fragment.

<specRepro>The equalization system, noise reduction system, etc. used in making the recording (e.g., NAB, DBX, Dolby, etc.).

<sponsor>Names of sponsoring individuals, organizations or institutions. Sponsors give their intellectual authority to a project; they are to be distinguished from funders, who provide the funding but do not necessarily take intellectual responsibility.

<stack>An inline table with a single column.

<staffGrp>A group of bracketed or braced staves.

<stageDir>Contains any kind of stage direction within a dramatic text or fragment.

<stamp>Contains a word or phrase describing an official mark indicating ownership, genuineness, validity, etc.

<stdVals>Specifies the format used when standardized date or number values are supplied.

<stem>A stem element.

<street>full street address including any name or number identifying a building as well as the name of the street or route on which it is located.

<string>Used to modify tuning information given by the course element. Describes the tuning of an individual string within a course on a stringed instrument (e.g., guitar, lute).

<strophicus>Strophicus.

<styleName>A label for a characteristic style of writing or performance, such as 'bebop' or 'rock-n-roll'.

<subst>Groups transcriptional elements when the combination is to be regarded as a single intervention in the text.

<supplied>Contains material supplied by the transcriber or editor for any reason.

<support>Provides a description of the physical support material of a written item.

<supportDesc>Groups elements describing the physical support material of an item.

<surface>Defines a writing surface in terms of a rectangular coordinate space, optionally grouping one or more graphic representations of that space, and rectangular zones of interest within it.

<syl>Individual lyric syllable.

<syllable>Neume notation can be thought of as "neumed text". Therefore, the syllable element provides high-level organization in this repertoire.

<symbol>A reference to a previously defined symbol.

<symbolDef>Declaration of an individual symbol in a symbolTable.

<symbolTable>Contains a set of user-defined symbols.

<symName>Contains the name of a symbol, expressed following Unicode conventions.

<symProp>Provides a name and value for some property of the parent symbol.

<sysReq>System requirements for using the electronic item.

<tabDurSym>A visual indication of the duration of a <tabGrp>.

<tabGrp>A group of simultaneous tab notes, comparable to a <chord> in CMN. Rarely, may also contain rests, as in some "German" lute tablatures.

<table>Contains text displayed in tabular form.

<tagsDecl>Provides detailed information about the tagging applied to a document.

<tagUsage>Documents the usage of a specific element within the document.

<taxonomy>Defines a typology either implicitly, by means of a bibliographic citation, or explicitly by a structured taxonomy.

<td>Designates a table cell that contains data as opposed to a cell that contains column or row heading information.

<tempo>Text and symbols descriptive of tempo, mood, or style, e.g., "allarg.", "a tempo", "cantabile", "Moderato", "♩=60", "Moderato ♩ =60").

<term>Keyword or phrase which describes a resource.

<termList>Collection of text phrases which describe a resource.

<textLang>Identifies the languages and writing systems within the work described by a bibliographic description, not the language of the description.

<th>Designates a table cell containing column or row heading information as opposed to one containing data.

<tie>An indication that two notes of the same pitch form a single note with their combined rhythmic values.

<titlePage>Contains a transcription of the title page of a text.

<titleStmt>Container for title and responsibility meta-data.

<tr>A formatting element that contains one or more cells (intersection of a row and a column) in a <table>.

<trackConfig>Number of physical/input tracks on a sound medium (e.g., eight track, twelve track).

<treatHist>A record of the treatment the item has undergone (e.g., de-acidification, restoration, etc.).

<treatSched>Scheduled treatment, e.g., de-acidification, restoration, etc., for an item.

<trill>Rapid alternation of a note with another (usually at the interval of a second above).

<trkName>MIDI track/sequence name.

<tuning>Describes the tuning of an instrument.

<tuplet>A group of notes with "irregular" (sometimes called "irrational") rhythmic values, for example, three notes in the time normally occupied by two or nine in the time of five.

<tupletSpan>Alternative element for encoding tuplets, especially useful for tuplets that extend across bar lines.

<turn>An ornament consisting of four notes — the upper neighbor of the written note, the written note, the lower neighbor, and the written note.

<typeDesc>Contains a description of the typefaces or other aspects of the printing of a printed source.

<typeNote>Describes a particular font or other significant typographic feature of a printed resource.

<unclear>Contains material that cannot be transcribed with certainty because it is illegible or inaudible in the source.

<unpub>Used to explicitly indicate that a bibliographic resource is unpublished.

<useRestrict>Container for information about the conditions that affect use of a bibliographic item after access has been granted.

<vel>MIDI Note-on/off velocity.

<verse>Division of a poem or song lyrics, sometimes having a fixed length, meter or rhyme scheme; a stanza.

<volta>Sung text for a specific iteration of a repeated section of music.

<watermark>Contains a description of a watermark or similar device.

<watermarkDesc>Contains a description of the watermark(s) of an item.

<watermarkList>Grouping several watermarks.

<when>Indicates a point in time either absolutely (using the absolute attribute), or relative to another when element (using the since, interval and inttype attributes).

<width>Description of the horizontal size of an object.

<work>Provides a detailed description of a work — a distinct intellectual or artistic creation — specifically its history, language use, and high-level musical attributes (e.g., key, tempo, meter, medium of performance, and intended duration).

<workList>Grouping mechanism for information describing non-bibliographic aspects of a text.

<zone>Defines an area of interest within a <surface> or graphic file.

MEI.cmn