We are thrilled to announce the official release of MEI 5.1!

This update focuses primarily on maintenance and consistency improvements, with some notable enhancements:

Key Updates in MEI 5.1:

Enhancements to the Tablature Module

One of the highlights is the full integration of support for German Lute Tablature (GLT).

Corrections to Guidelines

The description of the <optimize> attribute in the <scoreDef> element has been corrected to clarify that empty staff lines will not be displayed if the value is set to ‘true.’

Schema Improvements

Introduction of att.dataSelecting and its addition to symbolDef, along with the inclusion of the value ‘unspecified’ for bracket spans.

These improvements were made possible through the dedicated work of our community. A special “Thank you!” goes to @musicog, @maxrothman, and @janjusolja, who made their first contributions and all contributors to MEI!

The release managers for MEI 5.1 were the Technical Co-chairs @bwbohl and @musicenfanthen.

Looking Ahead to MEI 6:

We are already looking forward to the next major release, MEI 6, and invite the community to actively participate in its planning and development. Your ideas and contributions are vital to the ongoing success of the project.

Additional Information

For more details, including the full release notes and updated documentation, visit:

Your MEI Technical Team