Executable Workflows for Digital Music Research

Abstract:

Digital musicology has flourished in recent years, propelled by initiatives such as the Music Encoding Initiative's MEI format, now recognised by the Library of Congress as a preservation standard. Yet substantial technical barriers still keep many researchers from adopting digital methods. This project, based at the Department of Music Acoustics – Wiener Klangstil (IWK) of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, addresses these barriers by generalising workflows first developed within the department's previous projects — including TROMPA, Signature Sound Vienna, and E-LAUTE — and making them publicly available as reusable, executable software components.

Three modular components are planned: a JavaScript library for Linked Data annotation of music-related data, a template for Web-API wrappers that make existing command-line research tools usable in the browser, and GitHub Action workflows for collaborative music encoding. These components address developers and technically inclined music researchers alike, enabling both groups to build, adapt, and extend digital musicology tools. By prioritising open standards, comprehensive documentation, and FAIR research practices, the project contributes to a more accessible, sustainable, and interoperable ecosystem in line with the IWK's strategic focus on digital music research and long-term community engagement.